Richardson Or Garland? (Dallas, Plano, Henderson: apartments, condos, rent)

[jalopez1922]

Hello all, I am currently moving from west texas and I am looking for a good area to live in. I will be working in Garland and I really want to avoid the commute. The people at my job said that the safest bets are Richardson and Garland. I am looking to live in a loft(although I am having no luck). The one area that I have seen is on e. arapaho cornering on n. jupiter, is this a good area? Are there any areas that I should stay away from because of crime, burglaries, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

[thefatneck]

these are two of the areas we are looking at too.I will be looking for a 5BR house in a safe area and decent schools.

[MaryS80]

The Arapaho/Jupiter area is fairly nice, though the complex you are refering to never really reached it potential. Most of the intended retail space remains empty 4-5 years later. The Minyards caddy corner to it will so be closing and word is a Walmart Neighborhood Market will replace it. The area in general has a mix of blue collar, middle class, and some wealthy folks. Fairly quiet, no violent crime, but there tends to be a lot of petty crime.

The true lofts are in downtown and uptown, but you can find apartments similar to the ones on Arapaho both in downtown Plano and adjacent to Firewheel Mall in Garland. The Firewheel apartments just opened in the last couple months.

All in all the Arapaho/Jupiter area is very average. It's somewhat economically depressed, but certainly doing better then areas just a little further south.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by MaryS80

The Arapaho/Jupiter area is fairly nice, though the complex you are refering to never really reached it potential. Most of the intended retail space remains empty 4-5 years later. The Minyards caddy corner to it will so be closing and word is a Walmart Neighborhood Market will replace it. The area in general has a mix of blue collar, middle class, and some wealthy folks. Fairly quiet, no violent crime, but there tends to be a lot of petty crime.

The true lofts are in downtown and uptown, but you can find apartments similar to the ones on Arapaho both in downtown Plano and adjacent to Firewheel Mall in Garland. The Firewheel apartments just opened in the last couple months.

All in all the Arapaho/Jupiter area is very average. It's somewhat economically depressed, but certainly doing better then areas just a little further south.

I'd agree. There are also some loft apartments and condos in the downtown Plano area. The Downtown Garland area is undergoing a HUGE revitilization but no lofts yet. I see that coming after DCCCD opens their campus there. The apartments in the area of Garland by the mall are probably your best bet to stay IN Garland. You can walk to the many shops, restaurants and theater EASILY! They are called Parkside at Firewheel and from what I've heard on the rent amounts VERY reasonable.
::PARKSIDE AT FIREWHEEL::

[stargazer]

Hey I went through Garland the other day, the whole thing Mom! Got off of 190 and went through downtown.... I recognized the feed store you took a pic of... We ended up in a abandoned retail lot that had one last hold out of Aarons rent a center... I stopped there to turn on the nav to see where I was at.... It looks like that center will be torn down and have something else in it's place....Just wanted you to know Garland is indeed charming. Hope your doing good.

[momof2dfw]

Hmm, was it on Garland Ave at Miller Rd??? That whole shopping center is getting totally redone. The outer buildings are already gone. The old Eastgate Apartments over off Northwest Hwy and Saturn are HISTORY! That how couple of blocks looks totally different. Even I did not recognize some of it yesterday when I was down there. The Tom Thumb located at Northwest Hwy and Centerville went under a remodeling on the exterior as did the whole shopping center. That lil shopping center is ALWAYS packed (it's not so "lil" either). Downtown is getting ready to change even more. Dallas County Community College is building a campus at Glenbrook and Walnut. The old Kroger on Garland Ave is now the County Courts building where you go for your car taxes and all. Bakers Furniture downtown is leaving though . Some are happy as it is a HUGE chunk of downtown space they take up but I will sorely miss having them here. The restaurants downtown now are busy all the time. It is nice to see for sure.

[jalopez1922]

Thank you for your help it is greatly appreciated, one question how do i get to downtown plano coming from I-75 north, and if the better lofts are downtown to uptown, how long of a commute wouldt it be from there to garland bordering w.miller and s. jupiter, adjacent to i-635

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by jalopez1922

Thank you for your help it is greatly appreciated, one question how do i get to downtown plano coming from I-75 north, and if the better lofts are downtown to uptown, how long of a commute wouldt it be from there to garland bordering w.miller and s. jupiter, adjacent to i-635

The "downtown" area of Plano is about 1 block east of 75-Central. You would exit 15th St from 75 and go east. It is NOT big like you might be thinking of a "downtown" area. There is no "square" either. Just several streets w/ some shops (most are on the 1 block of 15th just west of Ave K w/ a few on Ave K below the lofts). There is a small "farmers market" produce stand and a park. Not a real "happening" kind of place for singles though unless you count hanging out at Kelly's Eastside on Ave K for a burger and beer.

The commute from the downtown/uptown area or even Knox-Henderson, Mockingbird Center along 75 to that part of Garland would be EASY!!! You could easily forego highways for commuting if there was a tie-up. I'd say 15-20 minutes since you would be going opposite of most traffic. The worst is going to be when your closest to your home and work w/ the lights but in between nothing.

[Lakewooder]

You could also go NW Highway to Jupiter from around here (connecting at Skillman/Abrams or Buckner). Coming home by way of Peavy to Mockingbird would give you the magnificent view across White Rock Lake to Downtown to the sunset -- glorious!

[Spree]

>> Coming home by way of Peavy to Mockingbird would give you the magnificent view across White Rock Lake to Downtown to the sunset -- glorious!<<

I have a picture of that, although not at sunset :-)