Richardson & Rockwall (Dallas, Garland, Rowlett: houses, transfer, neighborhoods)

[Dorothy1960]

Does Richardson have a "downtown" area, with shops & restaurants? Kind of like a "town?"

And, does Rockwall have a "downtown" etc., ??


When is the construction of the big new road starting, the one that I've seen mentioned here, which is supposed to be to the East of Dallas, like around Rockwall area? Can anyone tell me WHERE exactly its supposed to be, i.e., towns & counties, and where its going TO and WHEN the construction is supposed to start?

Yes yes yes I'm full of questions. My husband is going to be meeting with a Realtor in Dallas very soon, with a limited time frame-only a few days to look around this trip, so we need to have all the data & strategy for looking at neighborhoods mapped out....

Thanks....

[momof2dfw]

Dorothy,

Richardson sorta has a downtown but not really. Rockwall has a downtown square w/ the county courthouse (they are the countyseat). A few shops and restaurants but that is it. Can get very crowded and congested w/ auto traffic as this is the main way thru town from every direction and some of the roads are only 2 lanes.

For more info on the Trans Texas Corridor go to www.keeptexasmoving.org and also google "Trans Texas Corridor" and you should be able to get just about any info you are looking for. No body knows "when" this will be built as it is still just basically a dream. Nothing has been done to acquire the property or anything.

If you have any specific questions about the Rockwall/Richardson area I can probably answer them for you. I live in this area and drive in it daily.

[Dorothy1960]

Well I am looking at the location of Rockwall -- looks kinda far out & away from everything, almost rural... is this so?

Doesn't Richardson have a high Asian population?

I've been reading the realestate listings the agent sends us with a renewed interested! The Firewheel area of Garland does look promising.

Do all of the houses in the Dallas area have foundation issues ?! How is that resolved so that the houses are safe to live in?

Also, I would think a house 10 years old or so would have settled by now. True??

many many thanks for the GREAT info!!!

[momof2dfw]

Rockwall w/in the city limits is not really "rural" anymore. Lots of development going on in Rockwall. There are a few areas of Rockwall that are larger acreage lots and then outside of the city limits there are plenty. Rockwall is BOOMING! Lots of shopping and restaurants (well, lots for that area ). Far from where? Interstate 30 goes right thru town and hop on 30 and you can be in downtown Dallas in no time at all (20-30 minutes). Now if you live way out off of Hwy 205 then I-30 is not so convenient.

If your husband is working in Garland it depends on what part of Garland and where in Rockwall you live can make the difference from a 10 minute commute to close to an hour.

I like Firewheel. Really nice area with lots of activity always going on yet feels like its own town. Lots of stay at home moms in the area and dads that work from home in the area. The new mall, Firewheel Town Centre is close by as is SuperTarget and lots of restaurants. The mall is an outdoor mall so it is nice with the pretty weather to go eat and stroll around. The golf course helps keep lots of land around the homes so that development does not get built right up on top of them. You can be to just about anywhere in Garland from this area in no time at all. With Hwy 190 (aka George Bush Turnpike) right here it is easy to get anywhere in the Dallas area. What I see as congestion around here is nothing compared to the traffic in other areas of the metroplex. LOL!

As for the foundations........ no, not every house has foundation problems. There is one area in Garland around Eastern Hills Country Club that does see more homes w/ cracks and foundation problems but the terrain is kind of "rolling hills". Plus the homes are older but still rather nice. Right now w/ the drought and hardly any rain we have been on water rationing for our lawns. What a lot of people do not understand is that soaker hoses around the foundation are allowed at anytime. But then there are still people that have never done any kind of water around their foundation. I think that is why I like the areas like Firewheel where sprinkler systems are pretty much standard so for the "dumby proof" type they are watering their foundation w/o having to do anything. What to watch for are large cracks in the walls and sheetrock, doors and windows that do not close or open and are not "square". Walk around the outside of the house and look for cracks in the brick and foundation. If the yard and trees/shrubs around a house look like they are dead or dying then they probably have not watered the foundation either. If a house has had foundation problems and repaired by a reputable company, the warranty is a lifetime warranty and transferrable to each owner then there should not be any problems come up. Maybe some minor issues but nothing requiring major foundation work if all was done properly the first time. In some cases it can make the homes foundation stronger, in some cases.

After 10 years, yes most "settling" should be done. What can happen AFTER that is in cases of severe drought like we are experiencing and the owner does not water at all, then there can be problems. I would not call this "settling". These would be the ones that could have more problems that are not seen yet and may not for awhile.

Good luck

BTW, I'm sending you a pm (private message).

[law]

Originally Posted by Dorothy1960

Doesn't Richardson have a high Asian population?

If the answer is yes, is that a good thing?

[AngTexas]

HUGE!!!!! One side is middle eastern, one side is very very hispanic, one side is old settled homes, downtown is Chinese, Vietnemese and any other region over there. Then there is the "Little Saigon" intersection in bordering Garland. The "downtown" is RIGHT near a mosque and has hookah stores lined up in it! It's NOT a place for anyone who wants a "downtown" to hang out in.

I LOVE it b/c I am 20-30 mins from anywhere in Dallas, but I am a hermit and love to go HOME... as far as hanging out... no, it's not good for that.

Rockwall is nice, quaint, but can be snobbish, ritzy, and it is growing too fast for its streets so there's ALWAYS construction. It is quite far (45 mins) from Dallas... and that's with no cattle on the highway or wrecks from hell... there are only 2 ways into Rockwall from Dallas. I found it very remote feeling... as far as being dry.. Rowlett which is a spit away from Rockwall is now wet and sells alcohol.

The traffic... it's bad anywhere, but in Rockwall, it's horrible.

[MaryS80]

There are a couple of restaurants in downtown Richardson, a handful of shops and a bar I believe. I believe the old Nortel Campus is being redeveloped into some sort of mixed use project. At one point a Home Depot was going to go in but that deal fell through. Richardson Heights shopping center is receiving a face lift.