Reform Jewish Family Moving From So Cal (Dallas, Arlington: house, neighborhood)

[nakold23]

I am very familiar with the Dallas jewish community because I have many friends in it. It's a wonderful and tight knit community, but the only problem is its not too close to Arlington. Its mostly concentrated in North Dallas (around Hillcrest and Forest) and in the suburbs of Richardson and Plano. Those are the places I would recommend for the Jewish community, however the commute to Arlington would be pretty rough...
Wonderful reform synagogue at Northwest HWY and Hillcrest is Temple Emanuel. It is the largest reform synagogue in the Southwest.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by nakold23

I am very familiar with the Dallas jewish community because I have many friends in it. It's a wonderful and tight knit community, but the only problem is its not too close to Arlington. Its mostly concentrated in North Dallas (around Hillcrest and Forest) and in the suburbs of Richardson and Plano. Those are the places I would recommend for the Jewish community, however the commute to Arlington would be pretty rough...
Wonderful reform synagogue at Northwest HWY and Hillcrest is Temple Emanuel. It is the largest reform synagogue in the Southwest.

Emanu-El is great, but there is also Temple Shalom at Alpha and Hillcrest which is a much smaller, much more intimate congregation. It just depends on what the OP is looking for.

Also the Jewish community in FND/Collin County tends to be much more conservative than the ones south of 635. The Hillcrest corridor from Arapaho through to Frankford has a LOT of Orthodox families, as does the Melshire Estates neighborhood south of 635; both are eruvim.

[SDMOMOF3]

Such a dilemma. My husband says he will be ok with the commute. People in Los Angeles do that all the time. Even people in San Diego who want "land" commute these kinds of distances.

I am wondering if there is anywhere "in between", that isn't the hub of Jewish life, but where my daughter wouldn't be the only one in her class (or grade). Where we live now, there are only 2 Jewish kids in her grade of 56 kids, but our synagogue is less than 10 miles away. I was looking at Carrollton or Coppell. Of course, they're still somewhat far from work, and they're far from the Jewish center, so then everyone isn't in the "ideal" place.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by SDMOMOF3

Such a dilemma. My husband says he will be ok with the commute. People in Los Angeles do that all the time. Even people in San Diego who want "land" commute these kinds of distances.

I am wondering if there is anywhere "in between", that isn't the hub of Jewish life, but where my daughter wouldn't be the only one in her class (or grade). Where we live now, there are only 2 Jewish kids in her grade of 56 kids, but our synagogue is less than 10 miles away. I was looking at Carrollton or Coppell. Of course, they're still somewhat far from work, and they're far from the Jewish center, so then everyone isn't in the "ideal" place.

Preston Hollow is the 'sweet spot' of liberal Judaism in DFW, I won't lie. The commute to Arlington would be a beating. That isn't to say that there aren't Jewish families in other suburbs, but I've found the overwhelming majority of them tend to settle in Preston Hollow, FND, parts of Richardson (where there is a conservative synagogue), and parts of Plano (for reasons I haven't figured out yet).

[SDMOMOF3]

Thank you for all the good info. The "data" on the Preston Hollow schools isn't great (I also know the data isn't always accurate). Do many people in that area send their kids to private schools?

With regard to the commute, how bad are we talking. People who are new to California always laugh when we refer to "distance" in units of "time" but distance doesn't tell you a thing about how long it is going to take you to get somewhere.


From what I'm looking at, if we were to move into the 75248 zip, or the north west part of 75080, he is looking at a 32 mile commute (give or take) which Google maps puts at 40 minutes, but somehow I doubt that.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by SDMOMOF3

Thank you for all the good info. The "data" on the Preston Hollow schools isn't great (I also know the data isn't always accurate). Do many people in that area send their kids to private schools?

For the most part, yes.

With regard to the commute, how bad are we talking. People who are new to California always laugh when we refer to "distance" in units of "time" but distance doesn't tell you a thing about how long it is going to take you to get somewhere.

You're looking at probably an hour each way. That may not be a big deal for someone from southern California, but bear in mind that a lot of us think you guys are nuts for the amount of time you spend in traffic. Plus with the cost of gas going ever higher, you'd be silly to not even consider areas close to your job.

From what I'm looking at, if we were to move into the 75248 zip, or the north west part of 75080, he is looking at a 32 mile commute (give or take) which Google maps puts at 40 minutes, but somehow I doubt that.

32 miles of a ton of road construction in-between, plus massive traffic jams whenever there's a game at Jerry World or the Ballpark....yeah, 40 minutes is a laugh.

[SDMOMOF3]

Ok...so I sent an email to the synagogue in Colleyville. What's the word on that area? I saw where there are good schools. The houses are still huge and "cheap" compared to here. Much closer to Arlington. What else do I need to know?

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by SDMOMOF3

Ok...so I sent an email to the synagogue in Colleyville. What's the word on that area? I saw where there are good schools. The houses are still huge and "cheap" compared to here. Much closer to Arlington. What else do I need to know?

I don't know anything about Colleyville but if there is a synagogue there, there must be a decent-sized Jewish population. I am Jewish myself but I only know about the community in Preston Hollow since that is where I grew up.

Colleyville itself has a reputation for being a nice, quiet suburb with excellent schools so if that is where you end up, I think you will be fine.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Colleyville itself has a reputation for being a nice, quiet suburb with excellent schools so if that is where you end up, I think you will be fine.

yes, that is Colleyville. Pretty suburb with large homes and great schools. It would only be a 20 minute commute into Arlington.

[Squirl]

Originally Posted by SDMOMOF3

Thank you for all the good info. The "data" on the Preston Hollow schools isn't great (I also know the data isn't always accurate). Do many people in that area send their kids to private schools?

With regard to the commute, how bad are we talking. People who are new to California always laugh when we refer to "distance" in units of "time" but distance doesn't tell you a thing about how long it is going to take you to get somewhere.


From what I'm looking at, if we were to move into the 75248 zip, or the north west part of 75080, he is looking at a 32 mile commute (give or take) which Google maps puts at 40 minutes, but somehow I doubt that.

Dallas rush hour traffic = 2-3 minutes per mile w/o road construction. Preston Hollow has high real estate costs (meaning less house for your money, too!) and you will wind up sending your child to private schools. You can certainly worship there and live further west. I live in north Irving and there are Jewish families here, but I certainly wouldn't say there's any concentration. You'll find a smattering of everything in any of the larger burbs. Colleyville is probably the best fit, tho. Nearby is Southlake (expensive but filled with transplants) and Grapevine (very family oriented, too). The ratio your daughter has of 2:56 will probably not be any greater in NE Tarrant county schools, however. And, the schools are much larger! Another thought, find a house in a reasonable commute to husband's job in Tarrant county and it will be so much less expensive you can send your daughter to Oakridge School or Fort Worth Country Day -- both nice private schools near Arlington (not Jewish but smaller than public school)....maybe check out the Arlington congregation, too and find out where the members live and where their kids go to school.