Dart red line from horse country and black gumbo (Houston: houses, live)

[morgansforme]

Ok guys - multi-part question. My husband WILL NOT commute more than 30 minutes (driving, especially) to where he might work (near Park Ln. Dart station, Red Line). However, I desperately want my horse property.

So... my dream of sandy loam is likely out because there is no reasonable rapid transit from areas with such soil to where he would work - and to drive is an hour in heavy traffic.

Does anyone commute on the Red Line from the McKinney area, or is the drive to the nearest DART station, north of Plano, too much of a bother?

How is ranchette life on the black gumbo/limestone? I know black clay is pretty much of a mess on farms in the Houston area (where we live now). Subjective question, but better than no ranchette at all?

How is the Dallas North Tollway - congested and expensive?

Thank you!

[TurtleCreek80]

You would not take the Dallas North Tollroad from McKinney to 75&Park Lane- that's driving about 20+ miles out of the way- and adding the toll expense to your commute.

I don't know that many people drive from McKinney to the Parker station in Plano & then DART to work. It's going to be 20-30 minutes to the station from your home (depending where in McKinney) and then a 30 minutes on the train, and then walking from train to office. It's about a 50 minute driving commute to Park Lane so the train isn't a time saver (though the DART pass may be less $ than driving from Parker down to Park 2X daily).

Can't tell you about the "ranchette" life (???), but there are properties large enough for a horse or two in Allen, Lucas, Murphy, and Parker. These are all east of 75, north of George bush Tollroad (190). They are definitely closer in than McKinney. But may be too $$$ since you didn't mention a budget.

[pepper131]

There are some properties in East Dallas - over by White Rock Lake that are large enough for a horse. Some off Oates that need a lot of work. Also look on Bella Vista between Redondo and Hermosa. There's a house on Buckner at Hermosa with horses in the back. From this area, your husband would have a 15 minute commute. Not sure about zoning, but also look along Barbaree.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by pepper131

There are some properties in East Dallas - over by White Rock Lake that are large enough for a horse. Some off Oates that need a lot of work. Also look on Bella Vista between Redondo and Hermosa. There's a house on Buckner at Hermosa with horses in the back. From this area, your husband would have a 15 minute commute. Not sure about zoning, but also look along Barbaree.

What's your budget? Those houses would be perfect, but they are not cheap. There is also nowhere to ride in the area that doesn't require a trailer to get there due to busy streets (Buckner and Garland Rd) that you'd need to cross.

Horsekeeping on the black clay is just a little extra work. #1 rule: find a good farrier and keep him on speed dial. Your horses will most likely need 4 shoes all the time. The clay is like concrete when it is dried out and hard (like it has been here all summer), and when it gets thoroughly wet, it is well-known to pull shoes off man and beast alike! A set of 4 cold shoes here is about $75.