Best areas for commute to Love Field (Dallas, McKinney: real estate, apartment)

[bdlee73]

Hello! I used to live in Dallas in the nineties and may return to the area due to my career and would be working near Love Field.

I'm 33 and my wife is 29; we have no kids yet. A new or newer home in the 120k-140k range would be the most ideal. The area has changed quite a but since I lived in Dallas, so I need some help in choosing the right area. I don;t mind commuting, but hope to keep the time to no more than 45 minutes each way. Any areas we should check out? South Dallas County and towards Ellis County appears to have a lot of affordable housing, but how bad is the commute, crime and schools? Are there any areas in the city of Dallas worth considering? North Dallas would be nice, but probably out of our price range and the northern suburbs are probably a nasty commute. Thanks for any help!

[momof2dfw]

bdlee,
I would check around the Lake Highlands and Lakewood areas if you are wanting a single family home. You should be able to find some homes in your price range. Of course the M Streets off of Greenville Ave are nice and close to some places to hang out for music. These would all give you several options to get to Love Field if there are any traffic tie-ups. If you are looking at townhomes/lofts/condos then there are probably A LOT more around since you left in the 90's. The State-Thomas, McKinney Ave area has grown as has the area around Knox-Henderson, Mockingbird Station, and around the new AAC (American Airlines Center).

This is from a friend that I asked about the LH area for someone else to look at. They live in the Lake Highlands w/ school age children if that area is of interest to you.

"Although all the Junior Highs and the High School are very good, since they have small children, they will want to shop elementary schools because some are much better than others. Merriman Park and Moss Haven are the best (always recognized on the TAKS test, lots of parent involvement, etc). Plus if you move into either school district, the principals have an agreement that you can choose which school you want. We made sure that we moved into one of those areas. The others are all good with the exception of Sky View. The Sky View neighborhood all goes to private school so the school is basically left with all the apartment kids. However, the houses that feed to Sky View are beautiful and cheaper. So that is definitely a choice if they are going to do private school. But I would recommend trying the public schools."

[bdlee73]

Thanks for the info- I looked at some real estate in the areas you mentioned and it appears to be a little out of our range. I was doing some research tonight and found some reasonably priced homes in the area of Red Oak, Cedar Hill, etc. How nice are these areas? How about traffic? Thanks!

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by bdlee73

Thanks for the info- I looked at some real estate in the areas you mentioned and it appears to be a little out of our range. I was doing some research tonight and found some reasonably priced homes in the area of Red Oak, Cedar Hill, etc. How nice are these areas? How about traffic? Thanks!

There so-so. All around the Dallas area even to the South it is growing. You may want to look at the archives on the Dallas Morning News website, dallasnews.com and find the article about some big development from a developer out of California that just bought several hundered acre's on that side of town to make sure you don't get next to a huge industrial park. I thought I posted something about it on here so you might use the search at the top of the Texas page, I think it mentioned Lancaster . It seems like I-35 South has been under construction since the 80's. Are they done yet??? LOL!!! There are some REALLY nice areas in Oak Cliff, try the Kessler Park area. Lots of older bungalows & arts & crafts type homes. There are some good parts on that side of town if you look. On the North side just about anything along Midway South of LBJ is pretty nice. Older ranch homes on larger lots.

[curlytop]

If you want to be 10 minutes from Love Field, OakCliff is your best bet. I live in Stevens Park Village, very nice austin stone cottages...but the price may be at the top of your range. Winetka Heights is filled with bungalows and 4square homes...some may be still in your range. Area is very mixed...crime is always a problem in most parts of dallas. Look at OOCCL.org old oak cliff conservation league website for more info on neighborhoods around dallas.

You might try Grapevine, Euless and GrandPrarie further out west...more of a commute, but better schools.

Best wishes.

[bdlee73]

Thanks for the info curlytop. When I lived in Dallas in '95, a mention of Oak Cliff = crime. I've read that the area is improving, but is there any new housing going up in the area? Are there still legitimate safety concerns? I'm afraid of an old house being a money pit plus living in a safer area is a priority.

Thanks!