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I guess it depends on how you define kid-friendly.
If cookie-cutter neighborhood, boxes made of ticky-tacky, new, megachurch is your definition of family and kid-friendly then the very popular suburbs are perfect.
If you think real diversity (including socio-economic), non-corporate environment, less sterile subdivisions, a better outdoor experience (I'd let kids ride their bikes in 75214 much rather than in some drab zip like 75002. And no, the vast monotonous prairie that is Allen or Frisco isn't attractive for outdoor activities) is more to your liking, the nice areas of Dallas are better.
Regarding crime, schools: I think that crime risk in Dallas is very exaggerated. Look up crime in the metroplex, it is spread quite evenly. Sure, there are more run down areas inside the loop but there are also some that are as safe or safer than the suburbs. And about schools: The suburbs aren't all that great. Huge peer pressure to be popular and rich. Drab to boot. No wonder heroin and cheese are popular with the students, who are anonymous in a maelstrom of clones.
I guess it's all about how you view the world. After years of living in grittier, "non-corporate" neighborhoods of Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington DC and Berkeley, CA I've had enough and am quite happy living in my suburban-ish north Dallas 'hood (Preston and 635). With regards to the suburban schools, of course there is pressure to be popular and rich but that is preferrable to pressure to be popular and poor/low grades/drug using/gang belonging, etc. which is prevalent in most large city school districts. One's "clone" is another's honor student. To each their own.
I looked at the video that guy Avi shot of the drunks in his area and kept wondering why he bothered? Ok, I respect he is making a stand but peope have a right to bars and late night cafes. Even though I do not go out to bars and clubs anymore I respect that. It's like people who live near the airport and compain about the noise of the jets flying over (or is that only in California?). I just choose to live in a neighborhood of churches and synagogues rather than pubs and bars. I've yet to see anyone urinate on a car here in my neighborhood.
I am quite happy living in my suburban-ish north Dallas 'hood (Preston and 635).
Well, that area isn't exactly what I was thinking when I mentioned the suburbs. Compared to the vast stretches of tract housing that seem so popular for families your area is Dallas Central
If you think that Preston & 635 is thought as a family friendly part of town, I've got news for you!
We moved to Dallas two years ago. Dallas is rated #1 in crime for a reason. This is not a safe place to raise children. The DISD schools are terrible also!!! If you need to live in Dallas, you will need alot of money for a private school and a nice house. Housing and property taxes are very high! Your best bet is to move to the suburbs of Dallas so that the housing costs are less, the schools are much better and most of all you are safer and can sleep at night. By the way, we are selling our home in Dallas, and moving to the suburbs.....if you are interested.
trifan6- Where do you live in Tucson???? I'm a native and it's too bad you didn't get better advice on the schools in Tucson. I did lots of research and we are extreemly happy with our daughter's school here in Tucson.
We just finished building a home at the base of the Coronado National Forest (Northeast part of town). We have an ariel view of city lights, the most beautiful sunsets you've ever seen (I'll try to post some photos!) with wildlife sightings almost daily. We've been in our house just two months and so far we've seen....
3 bobcats
5 Deer
A racoon on the back patio this evening!
several javalina
We are surrounded by thousands of saugaro cactus. My neighbor down the street said, "I've lived in a new state every three years and Tucson is our favorite city of all.......we think we'll call it home". Several of my husbands colleges are here from the east coast and love living here. Every city has it's pro's and cons. I know the beautiful scenery in Tucson will be somthing I'm truly going to miss.
I do agree children change everything...there's no arguing that one!!! We will be in Dallas next week and I'm still at a loss on schools. One principal in Dallas today told me my husband and I could not have a school tour because they only give tours the first Tuesday of the month. She said she couldn't make an exception even for someone coming in from out of town, that we would have to fly back on the first Tuesday of the month to tour the school!!! (Lakewood Elem. DISD) So....every city and district has it's issues. I've herd very positive things (only positive) about Stonewall Jackson (DISD)and plan to visit this school next week. My husband will be working in Dallas metro area (UT Southwestern).
TUSD is spotty but I'm a former teacher and there are some outstanding schools in the district you just have to find which one's and have a look.
Good Luck with your move.
Right now we live right by the University near Speedway and Campbell because I am finishing up my degree and wanted to be close to campus. I thought the elementary school was going to be great. It is an award winning school. But they have experienced a lot of changes over the last two years and none of them are positive. One of the drawbacks to living near campus is a lot of our neighbors are students. I thought this would be a positive because before we moved over here we lived on the east side (22nd and Pantano) and most of our neighbors were middle age and complained about kids being in the neighborhood. The lady next door was pure evil. My kids would be outside at 11am playing, and she would stick her head over the fence and tell them to quiet down. They weren't even loud! She also had these huge dogs that could put their paws on the top of the fence and look over, which would make my dog bark, and she complained to the homeowners association that my dog barked to much. Then I would get letters from them. We got letters for everything in that neighborhood. From my kids riding bikes, to too many weeds in the front yard (there were 3 small ones, I took a picture!) I could not wait to move. So I thought being by the college with students would be better.
When we moved in here, all the houses around us were lived in by their owners. Then the market had the big jump and almost all my neighbors sold their houses to Californians who had students going to the UofA. I know this because the parents of these new neighbors all talked to my hubby. Then the craziness began. School started and there were parties at least 4 nights a week. I caught 2 people peeing in my front yard at 2am, a boyfriend of a neighbor pounded on the door for a 1/2 hour trying to get in. She finally opened the door and he grabbed her and pushed her. (I called the police) Our car was backed into from a party goer. Every weekend I was clearing 6-10 beer bottles and glass from my front yard and sometimes they would chuck their trash into my back yard so I had to check before the kids could go play. We called the police soo many times. Sometimes they would respond, sometimes not. After 2 months of this, the police finally red tagged them. It has been peaceful ever since. But, the red tags are only good for 6 months and they are going away next month.
Some people love it here and that's great for them. My mom and dad, sister, aunt, uncle, and grandma all live here and for the most part they like it. My mom and dad live out in Vail. It is nice, but they have to drive 11 miles to the closest gracery store. That is too rural for me. The sunsets are beautiful. I will give you that. For me, and though my experiences here, this city is not a good fit for my family. I haven't found a family friendly area here yet.
Avi -- people around here know about Avi -- he is a grandstander whose only interests are his personal agenda/publicity machine. He's like the guy who moved next to Lee Harvey's in Cedars/Southside and is raising hell because it's a bar.
Victoire - I understand your need to defend your decision to use a private school when there is a lot of pressure from longtime residents to support the public schools. Perhaps that is right for some kids - but tell me the last time Lakehill produced a National Merit Semi-Finalist. Did Bishop Lynch or even McKinney or Frisco produce more than Woodrow, TAG or Hillcrest? No.
And whoever succumbed to that "DISD is terrible" quote - I guess you haven't done your homework. Check the Newsweek Best Schools rankings. Yes there are many bad schools in bad parts of town, just as there are bad schools in bad parts of suburbs. Writing off 220 schools and 160,000 students is unfair and it borders on racism because you know the makeup of the district.
So keep moving further and further north, y'all. Pay and pay and lose money on your houses and hope that your school doesn't go minority. Keep running.
But don't be surprised if your kids grow up to reject all that and move to Deep Ellum. Only they won't know how to deal with a homeless person or a minority person. The kids raised around here will have to teach them.
Avi -- people around here know about Avi -- he is a grandstander whose only interests are his personal agenda/publicity machine. He's like the guy who moved next to Lee Harvey's in Cedars/Southside and is raising hell because it's a bar.
Victoire - I understand your need to defend your decision to use a private school when there is a lot of pressure from longtime residents to support the public schools. Perhaps that is right for some kids - but tell me the last time Lakehill produced a National Merit Semi-Finalist. Did Bishop Lynch or even McKinney or Frisco produce more than Woodrow, TAG or Hillcrest? No.
And whoever succumbed to that "DISD is terrible" quote - I guess you haven't done your homework. Check the Newsweek Best Schools rankings. Yes there are many bad schools in bad parts of town, just as there are bad schools in bad parts of suburbs. Writing off 220 schools and 160,000 students is unfair and it borders on racism because you know the makeup of the district.
So keep moving further and further north, y'all. Pay and pay and lose money on your houses and hope that your school doesn't go minority. Keep running.
But don't be surprised if your kids grow up to reject all that and move to Deep Ellum. Only they won't know how to deal with a homeless person or a minority person. The kids raised around here will have to teach them.
I'm a product of the DISD and it was bad when I was there; it's known as one of the US's worst school districts for a reason. I think it's shocking how a rich city like Dallas consistently fails its students over and over again, and how some high schools have dropout rates of over 50%. It's completely freaking unacceptable the way the city fails its children.
The Newsweek rankings don't mean much to me to be honest; how many national merit semi-finalists a school produces or how many of its students take (doesn't indicate how many PASS) AP/IB tests is important, but so is a safe and nurturing environment where learning is valued and where the kids don't have to constantly put up with political BS. Also, the fact that the DISD has the top two schools in the country (according to this rather unscientific ranking method) means very little because both of those schools have selective admissions and they take race into consideration when admitting students, which I don't like. I feel the admissions should be purely merit-based.
I remember how when I was a child, the neighborhood kids were all in the TAG program and the kids bussed in from West Dallas never were. The neighborhood kids were put in the pre-honors program in junior high and the bussed in kids were not. The neighborhood (i.e. white) kids were gently encouraged to apply to college and take AP classes; the bussed in kids from Oak Cliff weren't in my honors/AP classes.
To me that's not acceptable. The DISD needs to get its ***** together.
We moved to Dallas two years ago. Dallas is rated #1 in crime for a reason. This is not a safe place to raise children. The DISD schools are terrible also!!! If you need to live in Dallas, you will need alot of money for a private school and a nice house. Housing and property taxes are very high! Your best bet is to move to the suburbs of Dallas so that the housing costs are less, the schools are much better and most of all you are safer and can sleep at night. By the way, we are selling our home in Dallas, and moving to the suburbs.....if you are interested.
I grew up IN dallas and went to a Dallas school(yes I agree that they are not the best but if the parents are worth a lick the kid will be fine)...I turned out just fine. Actually much better then most of my friends that went to suburban high schools...Most of them got lost in the shuffle. About crime, yes there is crime just like any other city. But it is mostly concentrated in certain areas that can be easily avoided.
ND, if I turn your first sentence around, "I am a product of DISD and it was good" - is it any more convincing then your position?
Lakewooder, some kids will succeed in almost any environment; I like to think I was one of those kids. The DISD lets down the marginal and average students, and the institutionalized racism that was present in the system when I was a student was jaw-dropping. I don't believe for a second that they've turned all that around in the time I've been gone.
If I sent a child of mine to a DISD school, they'd probably be fine; but would I want to pay taxes to a system that doesn't give a ***** about poor kids?
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Don't live in Dallas, live in the suburbs
