Parkdale Area - Menger Dr (Dallas, Forest Hill: for sale, real estate, foreclosures)

[stephorama]

We have seen a few houses listed for sale on Menger Dr. Some more updated than others. We LOVE the lot sizes there. Will be coming to explore the area in person late Jan. or early Feb.

I see that many people say to stay away from this area. Can someone(s) specifically explain why?

[stephorama]

Perhaps I should have asked this question in this thread https://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...-parkdale.html

The street/area I am wondering about is actually Menger Avenue. Off Brisbee Dr. & Scyene Rd (352).

I wonder about the railroad tracks and what appears to be some sort of truck loading place...on 352. Just curious about noise.

Please share anything about the area. Thanks so much!

[Acntx]

Hi stephorama,

I was hoping by now that someone would have attempted to help you by now. I know it must be frustrating to have no one take a shot at answering your question, while another person post a question about some other area and get ten responses in a few hours. I honestly know nothing about that area. Hopefully someone, particularly those who live in the city of Dallas, will provide you with additional information.

My only advice would be if you find a home that you love and feel right about, go for it! Take the comments from people on this forum into consideration, but it shouldn't be the sole factor used to determine your final decision. Its easier for rarely mentioned neighborhoods like Parkdale to be generalized one way or the other by a few, especially when there is no one from the area to actually confirm or deny the claims being made.

[FarNorthDallas]

I don't know anything about the area either. Looks like it's Pleasant Grove part of Dallas. I would look up the homeowner's association website and contact folks living there now and ask them about what it's like living there.

I've worked with a couple of people who lived in Pleasant Grove - one in the David Weekly new development called Grove Hill or something like that. They like it and feel safe since it's gated, they say the public schools aren't good and all neighborhood kids are in private school and they have a lot of foreclosures inside their development. The other person has lived in Pleasant Grove her whole life. She makes fun of it, but likes living there okay, but she says she has to drive far to a grocery store that she likes and feels safe at.

But I'm not sure what Parkdale is like specifically. It's hard to generalize about an area.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by stephorama

We have seen a few houses listed for sale on Menger Dr. Some more updated than others. We LOVE the lot sizes there. Will be coming to explore the area in person late Jan. or early Feb.

I see that many people say to stay away from this area. Can someone(s) specifically explain why?

Sorry that you haven't gotten many responses on you inquiry about Parkdale. I've driven through that part of SE Dallas within the last year and there are some nice streets with well maintained homes in Parkdale. However, quite a bit of the area surrounding Parkdale is underdeveloped and looks very low rent IMO. I don't know about crime in that particular neighborhood, so I won't comment on that. You'll just have to drive through yourself to get your own impressions.

FYI, there is a bias held by many against much of Dallas south of I-30 (especially the SE quadrant). This bias has been conveyed to newcomers for so many years that a lot of them will completely write off the southern half of Dallas even though they may have never been there. Despite their lack of knowledge, they often perpetuate this bias by just parroting the remarks of others who talk down the area. As a native Dallasite who grew up in SW Dallas, I will confirm that a lot of the southern sector IS undesirable by many standards. However, parts of it are quite trendy and bohemian (the Cedars and the Bishop Arts District). Parts of SW Dallas are solidly middle class (much of N. Oak Cliff) to very affluent (Kessler Park & Stevens Park).

[TurtleCreek80]

Hi Steph-

As a native Dallasite, I love when posters ask about in-town neighborhoods that I haven't ever heard of! So I took your post on as a challenge and did some sleuthing for you. First, I take it you are not living in the Dallas area yet, correct? Here's what I can tell you about Parkdale- the good, bad, and ugly.

Parkdale is in SE Dallas, about 2-3 miles east from Fair Park and the Texas State Fairgrounds. For other Dallasites, it is off Jim Miller Road, south of Military Pkwy (south of I-30). I looked up the homes for sale on Menger and found well-maintained 1950s ranch homes around 1600-1800sf on 1/2 acre lots. Asking prices in the $120k's. That is about $60/sf. That's the basics.

THE GOOD: proximity to downtown Dallas (~4-5 miles, 10-15 minutes); lot size and value. Very hard to find an in-town neighborhood that was developed with 1/2 acre lots that aren't in Estate neighborhoods.

THE BAD: real estate appreciation prospects. Yes, I'm sure at some point in the next 100 years, this will be a "hot" area due to proximity to downtown. I pulled appraisal records for quite a few homes in the neighborhood and lot value (for 1/2 acre) is currently $14k. This is up from $12k in 2000. So barely any gain in value over an entire decade. Compare to a desireable North Dallas neighborhood, Disney Streets in 75229, where a 1/3 acre lot is about $350k, about 3x it's value in 2000. I also looked at Hollywood Heights (also in East Dallas, located about 4 miles north of Parkdale). Lot value there has doubled in the past 10 years, and homes built about a decade before Parkdale are on the market at $200/sf.
More of the bad: Not a lot of retail/economic development in the area. Farther east are areas known for being seedy/redneck. Your closest "safe" grocery store is about 5 miles north in Lakewood or Casa Linda.

THE UGLY: The local schools are horrible. The elementary school is about 95% Hispanic and only 37% of the fifth grade passed all sections of the state standardized tests. Again, compare to Hollywood Heights neighborhood I referenced above, where home values are rising and the local elementary school is a "Blue Ribbon" school where almost 80% passed all sections. That school is about 45% white, 30% Hispanic, and 25% black/ Asian/ other.

More ugly- and pay close attention here. CRIME!! Get out your map of Dallas. The area between I-45 and the train tracks (surrounding Fair Park) is one of the top 3 worst neighborhoods in Dallas. Tons of poverty, high crime. This is 2 miles from Parkdale. Last year (2008 stats), there were over 25 murders in the area, and hundreds of assaults and gunpoint robberies. In the Parkdale neighborhood, there were 0 murders south of Military Pkwy and 5 north of it. South of Military, there were 13 assaults IN the neighborhood and 12 robberies at gunpoint. This does not include multiple other assaults and robberies on Jim Miller and areas east of Jim Miller. Again, compare to Hollywood Heights with 0 murders, 1 assault, and 0 armed robberies.

As with any home purchase, you should drive the neighborhood to see how you feel there, but recognize what you're working with here.

I'm guessing you are looking for a home on a nice sized lot, about 1500-2000sf, and under $150k. My suggestions to you for older, safer neighborhoods are Wynewood North in North Oak Cliff, Ravina Heights (also North Oak Cliff), Little Forest Hills (East Dallas, east of White Rock Lake), and the neighborhood behind Casa Linda (Southeast corner of Peavy and Buckner). Public schools are a challenge in all areas except Little Forest Hills (I hear Sanger is improving). But the neighborhoods are well-maintained, close to downtown, and safe. Lots are not as big as Parkdale. Wynnewood North's are probably the biggest at around 1/3 acre or so.

Good luck & come back with any other questions you think of.

[ChristieP]

I'm somewhat familiar with this area since my Dad grew up there and worked at the (now closed) Dallas Power & Light Parkdale generating station for many years. I'm glad that other posters did some research and told you the truth so I wouldn't get the usual criticism about how I always bash that part of town.

Please do listen to what TurtleCreek says about the crime. Pleasant Grove has been this way since the 1970s and isn't likely to improve any time soon. The iron bars on many homes down there are not ornamental.

FarNorthDallas also makes a good point about having to drive a long way for a safe, decent grocery store. I have stopped at the Wal-Mart at I-30 and Buckner and it was just awful.

If you are looking for somewhere that your home will increase in value, and somewhere that you will be able to feel safe and put down roots, I'd venture a guess that Parkdale isn't it...

[stephorama]

TurtleCreek - wow! I thought I had done a lot of research but you really nailed everything I had wondered about, quite objectively!

The city we live in now has been rated one of the safest big cities (1,000,000 people). I really like the safe feeling I have here and want to keep feeling safe.

Schools aren't an issue for us. Woo Hoo! But safety is. I just love the lot sizes in the area. We are looking for a forever home, a place to be happy and live till the end so I am not concerned about property value going up or anything. It's just going to be our home, not a stock.

I will move my search to the various areas suggested.

I really appreciate all your responses, thank you!

[BrownFox]

TurtleCreek, 2 miles in the city is vast. Look at what surrounds Munger Place and that other high dollars neighborhood in East Dallas. I was a docent on the home tour and can't even call the name of it. Look at the crime stats for Parkdale, at least when I left in 2006 and you'll see it has one of the lowest crime rates in the city. If I had the choice between Little Forest Hills and Parkdale, I'd choose LFH every time. But finances dictate where people are able to live sometimes and I don't think you should scare them away. BTW, a friend of mine sold in CA and bought in Turtle Creek cash. Bet you still have a mortgage. Oh, my Parkdale jewel was paid off in 9 years. Bought for 56K sold 10 years later for 115K cash.

[BrownFox]

Oh, and Christi, if your dad worked there, you know its NOT Pleasant Grove. It's Parkdale.