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So, you meant Duncanville ......which is ONE burb. I see, a few years ago you saw a part of Duncanville and it was in decline. For this reason you posted that all the southern burbs are going downhill. Hummm........
Ok, well about three years ago I walked thru a section of Oak Lawn, looked terrible. Must mean that ALL of Oak Lawn and all the areas around there are going downhill. Haven't walked thru since then but must mean that because I personally observed a bad area. Do you really think a bad section of Duncanville represents all the southern burbs such as Desoto, Red Oak, Cedar Hill, Mansfield, Midlothian, Lancaster????
Oak Lawn has it's fair share of slums, and quite a bit of public housing too. I appreciate the diversity, and I wouldn't live in any other neighborhood in Dallas. However, the OP has a young family and wants the best environment for her kids. So, I gave information on the suburbs she was interested in. I try to give advice that's asked for. I'm not bashing Duncanville or any other south Dallas suburb. You asked for specific examples of what I saw and I gave them to you, and then you get defensive
Last edited by RonnieinDallas; 10-16-2012 at 04:51 PM..
Moving...2013, here is a link to the generic Dart Rail map. At the south end you'll see that there is only one stop south of the VA. Probably not far enough to warrant driving to, parking, and taking the rail. You can click on the station name for a look at rail station info. To note, White Rock (see Lakewooder, above) is on the Blue Line which is the line to the VA.
Bear in mind, life in Texas is fairly new to mass transit. Bus routes don't reach much further south than Lancaster or DeSoto.
You can click on the VA Station link where you'll find a link for the Dallas VA. You can look up the Dallas VA on a google map using - Satellite - view and add Transit. Zoom in and you'll see the VA Station is right at the VA.
We get a lot of inquiries on this forum, we regularly get inquiries from people planning to work at the VA on this forum, so make sure search for those discussions as you may also find additional information that may be helpful.
For starters, I am one of the few regular posters living in the southern suburbs. My family moved to the area in 1988, I grew up in DeSoto, and now live in Lancaster. The southern suburbs are one of the most under-represented areas on this forum. That makes our area more prone to blanket statements and generalizations than the better represented areas.
I read your posts and understand your concerns, but I would highly recommend you give the southern suburbs a look before completely eliminating them from consideration. Any of the following communities would give you a less hectic commute than points further north: Lancaster, DeSoto, Red Oak, Duncanville, Glenn Heights, and Cedar Hill. While these communities each have their own feel, they all have nice, safe neighborhoods that are family-oriented.
Here is a brief summary of each community I mentioned earlier:
DeSoto (population: 49,540) is the largest suburb south of Dallas. I lived there 16 years before moving to Lancaster nearly four years ago. It is a very nice, well-run community with great neighborhoods. Housing choices ranging from apartments and starter homes to high-end, estate-type homes on the northwest side of the city. DeSoto has newer apartments that fall within your price range as well as rental homes. DeSoto is the second-closest suburb to the VA Hospital, after Lancaster. Lancaster (population: 36,700) is situated east of DeSoto and southeast of the I-35/I-20 interchange. I moved here in 2006 and it is a nice place to live. After modest population growth in the 1990s, the city began to grow rapidly after 2000. Like Cedar Hill, Lancaster is one of the fastest growing communities in Dallas County. Home prices are quite affordable and that is one of the main reasons why a lot of people, myself included, chose to move here. While there are a few apartment complexes in the city, I would recommend you look at renting a house due to your price range. $1,200 can get you a rental home in one of the newer housing developments. It is also possible to commute from Lancaster to the VA without using any interstate highways. State Highway 342 (known as Dallas Avenue in Lancaster and Lancaster Road in Dallas) runs alongside the VA and is also one of Lancaster's main north-south routes. Duncanville (population: 38,610) is a mature inner-ring suburb. As it is mostly developed, there are fewer new homes there in comparison to the other southern suburbs. Many of its residential neighborhoods are well-established. If you are interested in Duncanville, I would recommend looking at rental homes instead of apartments. Of all the school districts in the south of Dallas, Duncanville is the largest with approximately 13,000 students. Cedar Hill (pop. 45,360) sits on the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and hosts a popular state park. It is one of the most scenic parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area with lots of trees and rolling hills similar to what is found in the "Hill Country" region of central Texas. Cedar Hill has developed into a major retail hub for the southern suburbs with an open-air mall, many 'big box' chain stores, and a number of restaurants. The city is ethnically and socio-economically diverse, although most families are middle and upper-middle class. Cedar Hill's rapid growth began in the 1990s and it remains one of the fastest growing cities in Dallas County. The city has apartments and homes within your price range as well. Glenn Heights (population: 11,330) is located south of DeSoto and is situated on the Dallas/Ellis County line. It is a primarily residential community with a small-town feel. There aren't that many businesses in the city, so you would have to regularly travel to nearby communities for groceries and other items. It is demographically diverse. The Dallas County portion of Glenn Heights is part of the DeSoto Independent School District. Two elementary schools, Frank D. Moates (in Glenn Heights) and Woodridge, serve students living in the city. The Ellis County portion of Glenn Heights is part of the Red Oak Independent School District. Donald T. Shields Elementary serves this part of the city. Red Oak (population: 11,090) It is currently undergoing a transition from small town to a city that is more suburban in character. Its still mostly residential, so for a variety of shopping/restaurants, you would have to travel south to Waxahachie or the larger cities further north. State Highway 342 also runs through Red Oak, so it is possible to commute from there to the VA without using any interstate highways.
Public transportation isn't available in most of the suburban areas south of Dallas. The one exception is Glenn Heights, which has a DART Park and Ride Station.
There are also decent schools in the suburbs south of Dallas. Here are the latest accountability ratings for elementary schools in the area. The highest rating is Exemplary, the second highest is Recognized, followed by Academically Acceptable, and Academically Unacceptable. No schools in the area have the lowest rating of Academically Unacceptable. A new standardized test was introduced last year, but it will be August 2013 before any new ratings will be released.
Cedar Hill ISD
Exemplary campuses: 2
--Bray Elementary and Highlands Elementary
Recognized campuses: 3
--High Point Elementary, Lakeridge Elementary, and Waterford Oaks Elementary
Academically Acceptable campuses: 1
--Plummer Elementary
DeSoto ISD
Exemplary campuses: 1
--Cockrell Hill Elementary
Recognized campuses: 6
--Ruby Young Elementary, Amber Terrace Elementary, Northside Elementary, The Meadows Elementary, Moates Elementary, and Woodridge Elementary
Duncanville ISD
Recognized campuses: 5
--Central Elementary, Fairmeadows Elementary, Smith Elementary, Hyman Elementary, and Bilhartz Elementary
Academically Acceptable campuses: 4
--Alexander Elementary, Hastings Elementary, Merrfield Elementary, and Action Elementary
Lancaster ISD
Recognized campuses: 6
--Houston Elementary, Lancaster Elementary, Pleasant Run Elementary, Rolling Hills Elementary, Rosa Parks-Millbrook Elementary, West Main Elementary.
Academically Acceptable campuses: 1
--Belt Line Elementary
Red Oak ISD
Exemplary campuses: 1
--Red Oak Elementary
Recognized campuses: 3
--Eastridge Elementary, Shields Elementary, and Wooden Elementary
Thanks for your inputs "TurtleCreek80" , "Squirl" & "Considering coming back" - we are used to suburban living, cant think of living in downtown Dallas; with two kids, prefer a large home and backyard with pool, that's when we think of buying a house.
How about public transportation from Cedar Hill, Duncanville and other far away south suburbs; Does DART rail system extend all the way to these cities?
FWIW, the neighborhoods in the city of Dallas are MUCH more suburban and less dense than the urban neighborhoods of Chicago (Wicker Park, Gold Coast, etc). We're talking winding tree lined streets and lot sizes in the .2-.25 acre range for the North Oak Cliff neighborhoods. Some of the more expensive homes there are on .5-1 acre lots! There are even two public golf courses nestled into the neighborhoods there.
Yes, the only dense areas are Downtown and Uptown/Oak Lawn, and several adjacent areas are becoming/will become more dense over the years. Some of those have TOD on DART rail. Lakewood and North Oak Cliff would be more like an older Chicago suburb with shops concentrated in the middle, like a small downtown. We call them 'streetcar suburbs' here, especially the older (1900-1930s) parts such as Winnetka/Bishop Arts in Oak Cliff and Old East Dallas (Munger Place/Swiss Avenue/Junius Heights and Cochran Heights/Vickery Place/M-Streets - which include Henderson and Lower Greenville). Lakewood Proper and Kessler Park are even more residential, as TC says some of the homes are on acreage.
You will just have to do some driving - that's the only way you can get a feel for what we are posting...
Oak Lawn has it's fair share of slums, and quite a bit of public housing too. I appreciate the diversity, and I wouldn't live in any other neighborhood in Dallas. However, the OP has a young family and wants the best environment for her kids. So, I gave information on the suburbs she was interested in. I try to give advice that's asked for. I'm not bashing Duncanville or any other south Dallas suburb. You asked for specific examples of what I saw and I gave them to you, and then you get defensive
I don't want to feel that i have asked questions that is causing people to feel biased to a particular area; I appreciate everyone's perspective based on what they know and suggest or advice that don't hurt others. I really appreciate "RonnieinDallas" views and perspective based on the information that he has and is aware of. No offense on the people that has a different view and people that would go defensive to the places or interests they like. I really appreciate everyone pitchin in with the information and help that you have been sharing.
We get a lot of inquiries on this forum, we regularly get inquiries from people planning to work at the VA on this forum, so make sure search for those discussions as you may also find additional information that may be helpful.
For starters, I am one of the few regular posters living in the southern suburbs. My family moved to the area in 1988, I grew up in DeSoto, and now live in Lancaster. The southern suburbs are one of the most under-represented areas on this forum. That makes our area more prone to blanket statements and generalizations than the better represented areas.
I read your posts and understand your concerns, but I would highly recommend you give the southern suburbs a look before completely eliminating them from consideration. Any of the following communities would give you a less hectic commute than points further north: Lancaster, DeSoto, Red Oak, Duncanville, Glenn Heights, and Cedar Hill. While these communities each have their own feel, they all have nice, safe neighborhoods that are family-oriented.
Here is a brief summary of each community I mentioned earlier:
DeSoto (population: 49,540) is the largest suburb south of Dallas. I lived there 16 years before moving to Lancaster nearly four years ago. It is a very nice, well-run community with great neighborhoods. Housing choices ranging from apartments and starter homes to high-end, estate-type homes on the northwest side of the city. DeSoto has newer apartments that fall within your price range as well as rental homes. DeSoto is the second-closest suburb to the VA Hospital, after Lancaster. Lancaster (population: 36,700) is situated east of DeSoto and southeast of the I-35/I-20 interchange. I moved here in 2006 and it is a nice place to live. After modest population growth in the 1990s, the city began to grow rapidly after 2000. Like Cedar Hill, Lancaster is one of the fastest growing communities in Dallas County. Home prices are quite affordable and that is one of the main reasons why a lot of people, myself included, chose to move here. While there are a few apartment complexes in the city, I would recommend you look at renting a house due to your price range. $1,200 can get you a rental home in one of the newer housing developments. It is also possible to commute from Lancaster to the VA without using any interstate highways. State Highway 342 (known as Dallas Avenue in Lancaster and Lancaster Road in Dallas) runs alongside the VA and is also one of Lancaster's main north-south routes. Duncanville (population: 38,610) is a mature inner-ring suburb. As it is mostly developed, there are fewer new homes there in comparison to the other southern suburbs. Many of its residential neighborhoods are well-established. If you are interested in Duncanville, I would recommend looking at rental homes instead of apartments. Of all the school districts in the south of Dallas, Duncanville is the largest with approximately 13,000 students. Cedar Hill (pop. 45,360) sits on the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and hosts a popular state park. It is one of the most scenic parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area with lots of trees and rolling hills similar to what is found in the "Hill Country" region of central Texas. Cedar Hill has developed into a major retail hub for the southern suburbs with an open-air mall, many 'big box' chain stores, and a number of restaurants. The city is ethnically and socio-economically diverse, although most families are middle and upper-middle class. Cedar Hill's rapid growth began in the 1990s and it remains one of the fastest growing cities in Dallas County. The city has apartments and homes within your price range as well. Glenn Heights (population: 11,330) is located south of DeSoto and is situated on the Dallas/Ellis County line. It is a primarily residential community with a small-town feel. There aren't that many businesses in the city, so you would have to regularly travel to nearby communities for groceries and other items. It is demographically diverse. The Dallas County portion of Glenn Heights is part of the DeSoto Independent School District. Two elementary schools, Frank D. Moates (in Glenn Heights) and Woodridge, serve students living in the city. The Ellis County portion of Glenn Heights is part of the Red Oak Independent School District. Donald T. Shields Elementary serves this part of the city. Red Oak (population: 11,090) It is currently undergoing a transition from small town to a city that is more suburban in character. Its still mostly residential, so for a variety of shopping/restaurants, you would have to travel south to Waxahachie or the larger cities further north. State Highway 342 also runs through Red Oak, so it is possible to commute from there to the VA without using any interstate highways.
Public transportation isn't available in most of the suburban areas south of Dallas. The one exception is Glenn Heights, which has a DART Park and Ride Station.
There are also decent schools in the suburbs south of Dallas. Here are the latest accountability ratings for elementary schools in the area. The highest rating is Exemplary, the second highest is Recognized, followed by Academically Acceptable, and Academically Unacceptable. No schools in the area have the lowest rating of Academically Unacceptable. A new standardized test was introduced last year, but it will be August 2013 before any new ratings will be released.
Cedar Hill ISD
Exemplary campuses: 2
--Bray Elementary and Highlands Elementary
Recognized campuses: 3
--High Point Elementary, Lakeridge Elementary, and Waterford Oaks Elementary
Academically Acceptable campuses: 1
--Plummer Elementary
DeSoto ISD
Exemplary campuses: 1
--Cockrell Hill Elementary
Recognized campuses: 6
--Ruby Young Elementary, Amber Terrace Elementary, Northside Elementary, The Meadows Elementary, Moates Elementary, and Woodridge Elementary
Duncanville ISD
Recognized campuses: 5
--Central Elementary, Fairmeadows Elementary, Smith Elementary, Hyman Elementary, and Bilhartz Elementary
Academically Acceptable campuses: 4
--Alexander Elementary, Hastings Elementary, Merrfield Elementary, and Action Elementary
Lancaster ISD
Recognized campuses: 6
--Houston Elementary, Lancaster Elementary, Pleasant Run Elementary, Rolling Hills Elementary, Rosa Parks-Millbrook Elementary, West Main Elementary.
Academically Acceptable campuses: 1
--Belt Line Elementary
Red Oak ISD
Exemplary campuses: 1
--Red Oak Elementary
Recognized campuses: 3
--Eastridge Elementary, Shields Elementary, and Wooden Elementary
I hope this helps. Welcome to the area!
"Acntx" thanks for pulling all this information; really good information on the areas, schools and properties in the areas; I surely will take a shot at lookin at these areas as well.
Again, thanks for the information.
Yes, the only dense areas are Downtown and Uptown/Oak Lawn, and several adjacent areas are becoming/will become more dense over the years. Some of those have TOD on DART rail. Lakewood and North Oak Cliff would be more like an older Chicago suburb with shops concentrated in the middle, like a small downtown. We call them 'streetcar suburbs' here, especially the older (1900-1930s) parts such as Winnetka/Bishop Arts in Oak Cliff and Old East Dallas (Munger Place/Swiss Avenue/Junius Heights and Cochran Heights/Vickery Place/M-Streets - which include Henderson and Lower Greenville). Lakewood Proper and Kessler Park are even more residential, as TC says some of the homes are on acreage.
You will just have to do some driving - that's the only way you can get a feel for what we are posting...
P.S. excellent info, Acntx.
Lakewooder - I sure will visit for a few days and drive around to see how the areas look like and be able to decide the place that we would like to move in and call our future home.
I would tend NOT to move to Richardson. Could look at Fort Worth side or even at the Sunnyvale side. Sunnyvale is a best kept secret of texas. A wonderful community to raise kids in and a safe homey atmosphere. It is situated on 635 and close to 20. I know a NP that lives out his way and works at the VA.
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