What does "family friendly" really mean... (Dallas, Plano: low income, appointed)

[CREW747]

Originally Posted by nurse_101

Thanks everyone, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has noticed this! I joined this forum prior to moving here and I'm so glad that I listened when others said to rent before buying b/c on paper Frisco was/is everything I wanted, but the reality of living here is very different than I imagined. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place for the right family just not a good fit for mine. Half the time I feel like I'm in some odd combination of the Stepford wives, Pleasantville, and the wanna be Real Housewives of Frisco lol! I do love DFW overall and I'm confident that I'll find the right place for my family when the time comes. Thanks again for the feedback.

You will find a great fit for you and your family ....and you will find many posters on here who agree with your Frisco observations .Frisco is a safe and affordable option for many families. It really does have a certain look and vibe that does not work for everyone...

The budget version of Stepford wives with a dash of tacky....I have yet to see a mass amount of middle aged women wearing pearls and appropriate J crew style clothing in Frisco...

The Stepford wives was actually filmed in our former town of Greenwich Completely different vibe there,down to earth highly educated, charitable residents. Flaunting wealth is somewhat looked down on. Mass amount of real wealth,similar to some of the wonderful Dallas neighborhoods of Preston Hollow,Lakewood ect. Suburbs like Southlake,Westlake,Colleyville,Prosper,Flower Mound,Fairview,Park cities and Argyle,even West Mc kinney....but so not Frisco

Frisco is very Cadillac Escalade. The areas I mentioned above are more Volvo/Saab

[fratermus]

Originally Posted by galore

Family Friendly = code for middle-upper class straight majority caucasian christian demographics.

Pretty danged closed to what I was going to say. Probably could throw "conservative" in there, too, and not be far wrong.

[Lakewooder]

I hope you will visit Lakewood because we are a small town in the big city. If you aren't friendly people will talk about you! We are very close to Baylor and Presbyterian Hospitals, and not that far from Medical City, Parkland, Children's, Southwestern and Methodist et al.

Some people call us "Mayberry with Money" but really, the money is not that important. Here it's actually considered a little rude to ask someone what they do for a living before you get to know them somewhat.

[DFWMike]

That's not an uncommon feel in dfw as awhole. I will tell you I'm not like that, and I know quite a few people who aren't. But I live on the east side of the city in an established neighorhood with lots of trees and a much homier feel. But I do acknowledge there are large swaths of frisco that feel that way. Btw, peeps from prosper can be pretty snotty too so I'm not sure what that comment was about. Everyplace is what you make of it though, so good luck to you on finding your perfect spot.

[MckinneyOwnr]

One thing to keep in mind is that neighborhood demographics change with time. When I grew up in Plano as a child, there were many other families with kids my age to play with, their parents were friends with my parents, etc. However, that was in the 80's and continuing into the early 90's. Gradually, my friends and their families moved away, or traded up to a bigger house, etc. While my parents used to know just about everyone in a 300' radius of their house, they now only know a few people, as the people who moved in are either not in their age group, not friendly, or some other reason.

My neighborhood, in McKinney for example, is pretty friendly. I am friends with our neighbors across the street, next door to us, and the house next to them as well. We've all been over to each others houses for dinner and drinks, or have met up at the park with our dogs/kids. There are a few people who are nice, but keep to themselves and don't socialize with the rest of us.

I would say the biggest roadblock to being friends with neighbors is if you just have nothing in common, not the same age, you have kids and they do not, etc. So possibly any "unfriendly" vibe you may have gotten is simply because you are living in an area where you don't fit into the same demographic as the neighbors. Just a thought.

[Fawnee]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

One thing to keep in mind is that neighborhood demographics change with time. When I grew up in Plano as a child, there were many other families with kids my age to play with, their parents were friends with my parents, etc. However, that was in the 80's and continuing into the early 90's. Gradually, my friends and their families moved away, or traded up to a bigger house, etc. While my parents used to know just about everyone in a 300' radius of their house, they now only know a few people, as the people who moved in are either not in their age group, not friendly, or some other reason.

Which is exactly why time-tested neighborhoods like Lakewood are so fantastic.

I bet some 'consultant' came up with that slogan to guilt trip the middle-upper class straight majority caucasian christian's into thinking they are horrible parents for not purchasing in such a "family friendly" city.

[nurse_101]

Originally Posted by DFWMike

That's not an uncommon feel in dfw as awhole. I will tell you I'm not like that, and I know quite a few people who aren't. But I live on the east side of the city in an established neighorhood with lots of trees and a much homier feel. But I do acknowledge there are large swaths of frisco that feel that way. Btw, peeps from prosper can be pretty snotty too so I'm not sure what that comment was about. Everyplace is what you make of it though, so good luck to you on finding your perfect spot.

I know everyone isn't like that, I do live on the "west side" which seems to be much more pretentious than the rest of the city...which is crazy considering how small the city is, but there does seem to be a bit of a difference btwn the personalities on the east and west side lol!

[nurse_101]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

I hope you will visit Lakewood because we are a small town in the big city. If you aren't friendly people will talk about you! We are very close to Baylor and Presbyterian Hospitals, and not that far from Medical City, Parkland, Children's, Southwestern and Methodist et al.

Some people call us "Mayberry with Money" but really, the money is not that important. Here it's actually considered a little rude to ask someone what they do for a living before you get to know them somewhat.

I have heard great things about Lakewood and the surrounding area, in fact my husband went to a Dr.'s appt (off of Worth St.) near Junius Heights last week and said the area seemed very nice. I'm definitely interested in learning more about the area. I've never actually been to the neighborhood myself, but it looks nice online. Not sure if we'll be able to afford Lakewood proper w/ our budget, but I will check it out when the time comes. Being near all of the hospitals would be perfect!!

[hal2814]

Maybe it's the extremely long time I spent in a college town (Athens, GA) but to me family friendly means a family can live somewhere without having to worry about living next to loud parties, drunken frat guys, etc. It also means I shouldn't have to worry too much about things like burglaries provided I take reasonable precautions. To me "family friendly" doesn't mean I'm going to be pals with everyone in the neighborhood (thought I do personally enjoy getting to know my neighbors). It just means I can raise a family there in peace.

[DFWMike]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

I hope you will visit Lakewood because we are a small town in the big city. If you aren't friendly people will talk about you! We are very close to Baylor and Presbyterian Hospitals, and not that far from Medical City, Parkland, Children's, Southwestern and Methodist et al.

Some people call us "Mayberry with Money" but really, the money is not that important. Here it's actually considered a little rude to ask someone what they do for a living before you get to know them somewhat.

If I didn't have such an obsession with being very close to my work I would consider Lakewood. So I agree with the Lakewooders comment, I still persist that there is a school issue at the upper levels, but the neighborhood is one of the closer knit neighborhoods in the dfw area. I know everyone argues that DISD should be given a chance, but since the locals dont practice what they preach and send their kids to private school, that is a downside. However, seems like everyone knows each other when you go into the stores down there. Plus it's beautiful with great parks, great family run restaraunts.