Executive relocation - University Park or West Plano? (Dallas, Parker: extended stay, transplants)

[anniemamma]

hello all,

my family is considering relocating from calif. to dallas. we're looking into "executive" type housing. We don't consider ourselves conservative. We have two young, school-age kids and my husband will be working downtown. We are both jewish and while we don't feel a need to live in a jewish community, we'd like to live in a town where we feel welcome. Our preference is to be in a town with good public schools instead of having to do private. The two main options we're researching are University Park and West Plano. I know that Univ. Park would be much closer to my husband's work. But based on the research I've done, you get a newer, much bigger/nicer house for your money (in the $900K+ range) in West Plano. And you can live in a neighborhood with a community pool, tennis courts, playground, etc. All things equal, we'd definitely prefer live in the West Plano planned community type setup. I just wonder if either of these towns has a better reputation for welcoming transplants and not being too conservative.

thanks (in advance) for your thoughts!

[galore]

Don't rush into UP or West Plano. If somehow possible explore the area (extended stay hotel or rent) before.

For 900k+ and in your situation (not WASP conservative, well-off financially, kids, downtown job), I'd definitely look into the Lakewood area around Lakewood Blvd and Lakeshore Dr. This area has many spectacular homes in your price range, is right next to White Rock Lake in a gorgeous park setting, quiet, not ultra conservative and rather close to downtown Dallas. Also has some of the best appreciation potential in this price range in Dallas.

[unexpected]

I live in West Plano, in one of the neighborhoods you're looking for. I'm not Waspy or conservative by any means. (I'm South Asian), and feel totally welcome. A lot of West Plano is East Asian/South Asian/Jewish, and there's a synagogue right up Parker Road (to give you size of the Jewish community). Plano West is a really good school (even though they're my arch rivals as a PESH alum), and they have a sizeable jewish contingent.

[ChristieP]

I cannot imagine commuting from West plano to downtown Dallas every day! The traffic is very heavy, and you'd be spending an hour each way in the car on a toll road! I'd look in the Lakewodd and Preston Hollow areas to shorten the commute...

[FarNorthDallas]

My son has a good friend who is Jewish and lives in West Plano in a home worth over a million. This boy is sortof a bonus baby, there are older sibs, big age gap and then they had this boy. The older sibs went through Plano schools graduating from Plano West. The bonus child, however, they are putting through private school. The mom told me if she could do it over again none of her kids would have gone to Plano West. She said it was way too big and the focus was on the special ed kids and the super gifted highly competitive academically kids and her older 3 kids were just regular kids, average, now attending university out of state.

[anniemamma]

Your comments are all very helpful - thanks so much. But would the commute from (lower) West Plano into downtown really be an hour on the tollway? My husband would probably go into work super early (6:30am); but be wanting to come home around 6pm or 6:30pm. We were hoping for a sub 45-minute type commute.

[FarNorthDallas]

I live near Arapaho and Preston and work downtown. I take Central/75 though (Coit to Central) and not the tollway. It takes me 30-35 minutes each way.

[anniemamma]

That helps...and actually my husband would be working just north of University Park (not downtown as I was thinking). So I guess that would be even closer to Plano. But it's good to know the tollway is not the only good commuting option.

[FarNorthDallas]

You mean he'll be working on Northwest Highway? Or where? He could even go up Hillcrest to get home. I do, that, too. (Hillcrest is called Ohio in Plano.) Preston is another option but Hillcrest moves faster than Preston.

ETA another option is Inwood Road.

[anniemamma]

ah yeah - that's right around where it will be (Hillcrest)! that definitely looks like a better route - thanks!!