Opinions on Euless/Bedford (Dallas, Austin: apartments, rentals, condo)

[Maggie02]

We're moving to Dallas from another state. In a couple of weeks we'll make a trip to Dallas to find a place to live. Initially, our budget will be small (less than $1200/month). It's just us and a dog so we don't need much, but we'd prefer a house/townhouse over a condo/apartment. We'd also like to keep his commute to less than 30 minutes, keeping in mind he'll work off-hours (not 9-5).

The Euless/Bedford area looks like it might work: 2/2/2 townhouses for $1100/month and 20-25 minute commute.

I'm guessing the area has a small town feel, and the shopping is in Las Colinas and Grapevine -- True?
Is there much noise from DFW?
What about crime? Could I walk my dog in the evening and feel safe?

Any input is welcome! Thanks.

[ChristieP]

That's a good price for a rental town home. You better jump on it before someone beats you to it!
Yes, the area is safe and you can walk your dog without fear.
No, Euless and Bedford don't have much airport noise since the runways do not send flights over those cities.
Yes, shopping will be mostly in Grapevine and Hurst. Honestly, there's not much shopping in Las Colinas, and its easier to stay on the same side of the airport. NE Mall in Hurst is one of the biggest in the area.

Unfortunately, those areas really don't have a small town feel at all. They are just normal, anonymous suburbs.

[Squirl]

Where is the job? Commute is a very important factor in what life is like here in DFW.

[Maggie02]

Originally Posted by Squirl

Where is the job? Commute is a very important factor in what life is like here in DFW.

Oops! He'll be working at Love Field.

[Squirl]

There's a townhouse for rent in Beverly Oaks, in Irving on Wilshire in your budget, quite nice and about 8 miles from Love Field. Drive thru the area, there may be a couple of more for rent. I saw that one on Padmapper.com. They are townhouses with fenced in backyards and 2 car attached garages.

If he's working in non-rush hour traffic he probably can manage living in Euless. Carrollton and Addison would also be a vgood options, also Irving. Zillow.com is a pretty good source for rentals.

[Maggie02]

Originally Posted by Squirl

There's a townhouse for rent in Beverly Oaks, in Irving on Wilshire in your budget, quite nice and about 8 miles from Love Field. Drive thru the area, there may be a couple of more for rent. I saw that one on Padmapper.com. They are townhouses with fenced in backyards and 2 car attached garages.

If he's working in non-rush hour traffic he probably can manage living in Euless. Carrollton and Addison would also be a vgood options, also Irving. Zillow.com is a pretty good source for rentals.

Okay, I'll just say that we're originally from southern California, and the names Beverly Oaks and Wilshire have me interested already. : )
Thanks.

[firecat94]

Joined this forum just for you! I actually live in Euless, and YES the planes DO fly over this city because it's located at the south entrance of DFW airport. Bedford, not so much because it is a few miles away. Irving - south & east near DFW airport, yes, you'll see planes & hear a few because those areas are near the north & east sides of the airport.

When I first visited Euless and was spending weekends with a friend, I noticed the noise of jets during the day and night, although not incessantly and not to the point of irritation. But that was in the Bear Creek area near Hwy 360 & 10, 360 is practically on airport property. Out near Hwy 121 or 183, you're away from the runways, so planes aren't heard much. You'll definitely see them most areas, though - sometimes it's like a jet is trying to land on the road!

I moved here in 2005, also Bear Creek area, but even closer to the airport than my friend. I never hear the planes - it's like living near a train track or on a street that sees moderate traffic - your ears adjust & it's part of your environment within a week. When my relatives visit and spend the night, they can hear the planes in the night before bed but say they aren't awakened by them, so the decibels must not be that loud. I grew up on Lake Erie and never noticed the sound of lapping water, but I sure do now when I go back! You adjust, so don't worry. Your dog will think it's thunder, like mine did, so that could be a problem is she's really sensitive - but the planes are absolutely not as loud as thunder- just a slight noise in the background that a dog may detect. My second dog never noticed them. Every now and then, like a couple times a year, you may be at home when a plane flies low over your house and it's louder than the others, but it rarely happens - and I live under the common most used flight paths and under the route opened on some Sundays when they experience super high traffic and open extra runways.

My brother lives near Love Field. Lovely older home but the Love Field part of Dallas is not really a safe place. Lots of vandalism, car break-ins, garages robbed, not a place to walk around after sundown. Did I mention the hobos? Euless has its sketchy parts, too, but not like Love Field or Dallas overall. The Bear Creek area is full of apartments & town homes and it's very safe. You'll see young women walking puppies after dark. It has some parks and a dog park, soccer fields. A few years ago, a female jogger WAS attacked while running late at night alone in an isolated, off the beaten path section of a park that has trails in the woods. So it can happen. But I'd say that if you're walking Fido along the well lighted streets after dark, you'll be fine. I did so often and never had a problem. My teen girl also jogged the streets in the early morning hours and was never mugged .

Living in Euless, you will actually end up shopping in Euless itself or the next closest towns of Grapevine and Southlake. Las Colinas is a business center with some pricy apartments & homes, no mall, etc. it's not even a real town, just the swanky part of Irving that's built up with high rises and has a little canal with gondolas and some decent eateries. I worked there for years Northeast Mall is okay, but I prefer Southlake. You'll be tempted to go to Grapevine Mills Mall, but I can only tolerate it 1 or 2 times a year, and even then it's usually only for a movie. It's a gigantic "outlet" mall, but the crowds are insane, the prices aren't that cheap (beware the irregulars and seconds when buying clothes - that's often why it's in the outlet store), and parking sucks. Euless is building a "town center" modeled after Southlake's that will have shopping, theatre, and dining. Even without the town center yet, we have everything you need in town or within a 5 - 10 minute drive.

You will miss CA, but we can't wait for you to become Texans!

[Maggie02]

Thanks so much, ChristieP, Squirl, and Firecat. I appreciate the information!
And Firecat, my dad is from Austin, so I'm already half-Texan. : )