Where to live (Dallas, Plano, Richardson: townhomes, transfer to, neighborhoods)

[bimori]

Hey guys, i'm currently here in dallas, and work out in waxahachie. I've been here for about 4 months, so i'm slowly learning my way around. Right now i live in duncanville so my drive to waxahachie for work i slike 20minutes. My wife would be moving here in a month, and she would be working in Plano.
I'm being asked to transfer to our office in ennis, tx. I've looked around that area, and I dont think i'd want to leave there. What neighbourhood would be a good area between plano ennis. i'lll rather have the longer drive. I can do anywhere between 35-40 miles. We woul like a house in the 300-320K range. Any thoughts?

[txcanadian]

My recommendation is get a good realtor who knows the areas. You can definitely take advice from others on here. But again I would still get one. Tell them exactly what you are looking for, what your requirements are and they'll get you houses that fit those criteria's. My wife and I used one when we were looking for a house. He was great and attentive. If you want send me a pm with your contact info and I'll pass it along to him or the other way around whatever works for you. Good luck!
That is one thing I hate about Dallas, all the darn driving!

[jennifw]

I would suggest Richardson or Lake Higlands. They will be closer to Plano for your wife but still do-able to Ennis. Hopefully, you commute off-hours so you wont have to sit on Central through downtown every morning.

(and I disagree with previous poster. Most realtors are going to know the area they specialize in and may not have the best advice for areas outside their community.) Good luck.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by bimori

Hey guys, i'm currently here in dallas, and work out in waxahachie. I've been here for about 4 months, so i'm slowly learning my way around. Right now i live in duncanville so my drive to waxahachie for work i slike 20minutes. My wife would be moving here in a month, and she would be working in Plano.
I'm being asked to transfer to our office in ennis, tx. I've looked around that area, and I dont think i'd want to leave there. What neighbourhood would be a good area between plano ennis. i'lll rather have the longer drive. I can do anywhere between 35-40 miles. We woul like a house in the 300-320K range. Any thoughts?

You would probably want to focus on the East Dallas neighborhoods of the M Streets (75206) and Lakewood & surrounding neighborhoods (75214). It would give you great access to southbound 75 to 45, making your commute about 45 minutes. Her commute to Plano would be either 75 northbound (about 25 minutes) or Northwest Highway to Tollroad if West Plano (30-40 minutes). If you were open to townhomes, you could also look in Uptown (75204).

There really aren't any nice neighborhoods just south of I-30 along 45 which is where you'd need to live to both commute an equal amount of minutes. The key is going to be living as close to downtown as possible so your commute will be against traffic after passing downtown. Your wife's commute will be reverse from any point point north of downtown since she is northbound. Remember, to calculate commute times in Dallas it's 2-3 minutes per mile with traffic and 1 minute per mile against. So living 10 miles north of downtown would add 20-30 minutes in rush hour, not 10.

[bimori]

Thanks for all the ideas guys. I've had someone recommend sunnyvale. Any thoughts about that area?

[Willsson]

I would agree with TC80, something along US75, north of downtown. This would give your wife the shortest of the two drives and it would be against rush hour traffic.

Sunnyvale would leave you with a longer drive and changing highways. The US75 feed onto I-45 would be your straightest shot. Give it a test drive.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by bimori

Thanks for all the ideas guys. I've had someone recommend sunnyvale. Any thoughts about that area?

Sunnyvale is great, BUT I have a friend who just quit her practically new (less than six months) job in Plano because the 1-1.5 hour commute each way was killing her. It's just too far east and south. You really need to stay as close to 75 as you can. Or one of you needs a different job.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by bimori

Thanks for all the ideas guys. I've had someone recommend sunnyvale. Any thoughts about that area?

YIKES! NO! I like Sunnyvale a lot. But commuting to Plano from there..... every day........ NO!

Richardson would not be too bad if you stay close to LBJ. You don't have to take 75 South. You can take 635 around to 45 and be against all of the traffic. Lake Highlands might work.

[bimori]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

YIKES! NO! I like Sunnyvale a lot. But commuting to Plano from there..... every day........ NO!

Richardson would not be too bad if you stay close to LBJ. You don't have to take 75 South. You can take 635 around to 45 and be against all of the traffic. Lake Highlands might work.

So if i'm reading this right, the concern is the drive from sunnyvale to plano, not from sunnyvale to ennis?

[Lakewooder]

M-Streets are well-known. But also check into Vickery Place and Cochran Heights - they gems that most have to 'discover'. You can get onto Central (75) in a couple of minutes from all three, located in 75206.