Relocating Boston to Richardson (Dallas, Plano: transplants, apartment, rental)

[MAMOMOF2]

Thank you for this info - I have gone on-line and looked at the private and public schools you mentioned and taken notes for our trip.

Wondered if you had any thoughts on the Catholic school versus private - the class sizes look pretty small at both - in the Boston area here while there is certainly a faith based component to the choice a lot of it is also driven by many for the smaller class size (16-18 vs. 22-26 in some areas). Having said that, the knock on the Catholic schools here is that they tend to lag behind the public schools in the area of math.

I am getting from your message that the Richardson ISD and Plano ISD are pretty comparable - I have searched on-line for some homes - most that I come across are in the Plano ISD district - any strong feelings one way or the other? I know I can narrow this down when I talk to a realtor in person versus browsing on-line.

My husband's company has a "relocation specialist" - in addition to that person is there a particular realty company for the Richland area we are looking at that you would reccomend? I do not want to be obligated to one person - particularly the ones whose primary interest is to just get us out there.

Last thing - any helpful pointers for when we get there - things/places to steer clear from that might look good on the surface but not be so great when we are living there?

As I said, this is completely new to me and I want to make this the best transition/experience for my children especially.

[momof2dfw]

If class size is of a major concern then I'd steer clear of the Plano ISD. There are only 3 high schools in PISD and there are no intentions of building another. The high schools are broken up into high schools and sr high schools. Three are sr high schools and they have massive graduating classes, over 1000. A kid in the middle can easily get left out. If your not THE best player then there is no chance of making the team. When you have such a large pool to draw from in order to have a super competitive sports team then it is harder for average kids to get a chance. Allen is the same way with only 1 high school for the entire district.

[MAMOMOF2]

What are your thoughts on the elementary and middle schools - my kids are in K and 2nd grade - My daughter is on the shy side. We are anticipating that this is a 3-5 year committment before moving on again.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by MAMOMOF2

What are your thoughts on the elementary and middle schools - my kids are in K and 2nd grade - My daughter is on the shy side. We are anticipating that this is a 3-5 year committment before moving on again.

If you are only going to be in the Dallas area for 3-5 years I would steer clear of brand new developments or suburbs that still have a lot of growth. Trying to sell a home in a neighborhood where they are still building is NOT easy. Stay in closer to Dallas for sure. Even Richardson has some great areas that have great resale and their schools are just as good and I personally prefer them over PISD. Another thing to consider since your daughter is shy if you are in one of the areas that opens a new school every year they change the boundries and kids have to change schools. Frisco is a prime example of this. If you want the Plano elementary schools then I'd stay in the Richardson area around Canyon Creek.

[MAMOMOF2]

Your point about the newer developments is a great one - never would have thought of that at all.

An earlier poster reccomended in Richardson: Canyon Creek, JJ Pearce Addition and Reservation.

On the Dallas side: Highlands North, Hillcrest Manor, Prestonwood/East, Estates West and Holiday Park.

Not sure what feeds which school districts....

Schools in addition to the Catholic schools were: Brentfield, Bowie, Mohawk, Canyon creek and Prarie Creek.

Thoughts??

I am seeing Lake Highlands mentioned on similar threads - thoughts?

My husband will be working on Waterview Parkway so we are trying to stay as close as possible and still meet the housing/school/community needs too.

[FarNorthDallas]

Originally Posted by MAMOMOF2

An earlier poster reccomended in Richardson: Canyon Creek, JJ Pearce Addition and Reservation.

On the Dallas side: Highlands North, Hillcrest Manor, Prestonwood/East, Estates West and Holiday Park.

Not sure what feeds which school districts....

These are all neighborhoods that feed into Richardson ISD (school district), except some of Canyon Creek feeds into Plano ISD.

Richardson schools are smaller than Plano schools.

[DallasDreamer]

I don't have any experience with the schools, but my parents' families are originally from the Boston area. (I've lived in Natick and Salem personally.)

My husband and I recently moved to Richardson. Even though it is very different from the NE, for me it has a very "homey" feeling, with well-established neighborhoods with sidewalks, brick houses, and many independent businesses. One interesting thing is that even the areas with extremely affordable houses are uncommonly pleasant! Several nearby cities and areas in Dallas seem really nice, too.

So, it will be a change for you to move the the Dallas area, but moving here can be really good if you let it! This is a good place to live.

[loves2read]

DallasDreamer--what a nice comment to make about our area...glad that you found someplace that feels like home now...

MAMOMOF2---think that if you are very likely to relo in 5 years or so--your best bet would be to stay inside the loop and try to buy in area that has very highly rated elementary schools and high desireability--which means people want to live there (which sounds like what you are trying to do I know)--have your husband's relo agent do some indepth surveys for you for subdivision where homes have the shortest time on the market (because Dallas/Richardson/Park Cities can all vary...and appreciation rates in past 18 months...Lakewooder could probably help out with that...
Many of the local subdivisions in Dallas area have their own web sites--very interesting to see what they post, any photos of their activities, what they consider to be of primary important to their homeowners...Trashcan timing loomed large on one of the ones I saw recently...
you can check attendance zones for most ISDs on their web sites--but call specific schools to make sure a house is in the boundary zone because some years schools can be crowded and late registrations might get shifted to another school for a year...
Make yourself a list of tangible factors that are high for you--like sidewalks (because not all subdivision have them--and most of the time you can see from MLS photos if they are there)...
be aware of the tax rates that will raise your mortgage costs and home insurance which most people feel is high compared to other states...
know that public transportation is not readily available in some areas of the Metroplex and certainly not outside it...

I know that in my area of Tarrant county most children in Catholic schools are Catholic---there are enough other private and/or religious schools that parents do not have to send their children to a Catholic school per se --and there is still some kind of a stigma I think associated with Catholic education from many native born Texicans' point of view...my sister is asst principal for girls middle school in San Antonio--from talking to her, I think they work hard to have strong academics--but they are also not required to take the TAKS tests so standardized test info might not be easy to get to compare schools' scores...but you can check out the Blue Ribbon Schools list and see if there are any Dallas Catholic schools on it--pretty prestigious national award and not many schools qualify...
and by the way--Go Sox...but not so hot about the Pats...

[FarNorthDallas]

St. Paul in Richardson is a Blue Ribbon Catholic School.

[MAMOMOF2]

I have not been able to get to any subdivision websites - any suggestions?

I am leaning toward the Richardson ISD but my MLS searches cannot get that specific from what I can see - again, any suggestions to do a more narrow search?

Thanks for the encouragement - this relocation is beng made with much trepidation and it is nice to hear from some former Bostonians and hear their thoughts - I will take the "Go Sox" sentiment - one out of 2 is not bad Must also confess to being a huge Pats fan too - those native NY roots did not take hold apparantly...