Fam of 4 Moving to Dallas area from NORTH DAKOTA!! (Plano: affordable apartment, to rent)

[Peluchita8]

Hi please help!
My husband, our two kids (7&5) and myself are relocating to dallas area this July! We live in ND in Bismarck (the capital) a city of about 70k people.
Currently our kids go to a small Christian private school because otherwise they would be stuck going in the school of our district which is horrible! However, we love the small feel of the their current school and Christian education is a plus.
My husband is a CPA and currently works as the chief financial officer in our state's foundation. I on the other hand will be working as an occupational therapist. My kids will be entering kindergarten and the oldest 2nd grade.
We are looking at working in Irving, TX. Our concerns/questions and extra info are bellow:
1. Schools!!! Where our kids go, classes are a out 13-15 kids per teacher.
They have never gone to public school again due to my district having a poor school. We want the best schools. However I did research and privates in texas are a no go for us as they are too expensive. Here we pay 10K/yr for both of the kids. So what are areas with top schools?!
2. Neighborhoods: we want family friendly. Our kids are LOUD we don't want to feel out of place because they run around and are kids. They are well mannered and extremely friendly (almost a concern) they say hi and randomly talk to anyone walking by!
3. Churches. We are Christian non catholic. Currently go to the first evangelical free church here in our city and love it. We are in fact very involve with church. We have served as youth leaders and currently lead a couples bible study.
4. Not too long of a commute to irving.
5. We plan to rent a home or apartment for the first 6mo to a year to get a feel for the place. We could do with a 2 bedroom one bath place just fine for that amount of time. Budget would be about $1500 tops. Then we want to buy a 4 bedroom home. Again in a very family friendly place.
6. We are outdoors people. Although here in ND we do it only 3months/yr! We love walks and bike rides. Parks. Swimming. Playing sports.
7. My hubby and I are both 27 and love going out at least 2 times per month as a couple. Enjoy night life. Different things to so and do on. We are super fun and extremely lay back. Super friendly and just wanna hang out with others.
8. We would not want to spend too much on a house. Like 300k? To 500k MAX. We aren't fancy people as far as wanting some big house for the looks. We want a 4 bed home because we have one for each kid. One for my husband and I and one open room for people when they visit which we get all the time. But this one is not too concerning: since we won't but right away. Just an FYI. We could afford more but we absolutely love traveling and that's where we enjoy spending our money on.
9. Anything I should know?!!!! I'm so scare to be honest...
I read West Plano and Coppell. That's what we have been researching.
10. Which is is "better" using what I wrote.
*eventually I want to open my own rehab practice and my husband wants to open his own firm.
I would truly appreciate ANY words of advice and help. I'm so terrified of this move. Mainly because of the kids. I'm scare Thir school will be bad or they won't make friends.. Idk I'm just nervous. Just want them to have a positive experience you know..
Thank you

[WorldKlas]

You might like Faustina Academy -- a small Catholic school. Or The Highland School. Both in Irving.
Then you could live in Irving. Lots of nice housing choices; especially in University Hills.

[TurtleCreek80]

There ARE private Christian schools in Dallas where you can educate two kids for close to the amount you're currently paying in ND. Don't think that all private schools in Dallas are $20k+, even though the uber-elite prep schools are. Several great options are in the East or Northeast Dallas neighborhoods which would also align well with your housing budget and size needs. Would be about a 30 minute commute to Irving and not involve any tollroads.

[TheDarkSide]

Originally Posted by Peluchita8

Hi please help!
My husband, our two kids (7&5)
We are looking at working in Irving, TX. Our concerns/questions and extra info are bellow:
1. Schools!!! ... However I did research and privates in texas are a no go for us as they are too expensive.

If you don't want to pay for an expensive private school, or let your kids go to a public school,
then I suggest a military or Charter school. They have some good ones throughout the DFW.

Originally Posted by Peluchita8

2. Neighborhoods: we want family friendly.

Dallas is a Family-Friendly city. I don't know how nice the people in your area are... but you will like the
DFW. I don't see your kids having a problem.

Originally Posted by Peluchita8

3. Churches.

If you want churches...LOL ... There are almost Too Many churches in the DFW. I don't see you having
a problem with that. This question is too funny!

Originally Posted by Peluchita8

4. Not too long of a commute to irving.
5. We plan to rent a home or apartment for the first 6mo to a year to get a feel for the place. We could do with a 2 bedroom one bath place just fine for that amount of time. Budget would be about $1500 tops.

There is no shortage of apartments within your price-range.
In DOWNTOWN Dallas alone, there are Plenty of affordable apartment high-rises.
And HUGE apartment complexes that already exist as well as in ANY direction around Downtown;
and a trip to Irving should not take longer than 15 minutes. (taking into consideration, the traffic)

Originally Posted by Peluchita8

6. We are outdoors people. Although here in ND we do it only 3months/yr! We love walks and bike rides. Parks. Swimming. Playing sports.
7. My hubby and I are both 27 and love going out at least 2 times per month as a couple. Enjoy night life. Different things to so and do on. We are super fun and extremely lay back. Super friendly and just wanna hang out with others.

Uptown is where YOU want to be.

If you are a REAL outdoors type (as in hunting, etc...) you want to be in the Duncanville, Hutchins, Denton,
or Garland areas. Basically the Outskirts of Dallas and the DFW.
But just for walkability, and riding bikes, parks, etc... Uptown.

Originally Posted by Peluchita8

8. We would not want to spend too much on a house. Like 300k? To 500k MAX.
9. Anything I should know?!!!! I'm so scare to be honest...
I read West Plano and Coppell. That's what we have been researching.

PLANO. but...
Believe it or not, there are affordable housed in TURTLE CREEK, apartments too. It is seen as an "affluent"
area, but I've seen with my own eyes, houses and apartments in your price range.
(the cheapest apartments in Turtle Creek were $500) But those are hard to find at that price, in THAT area.

But basically, there are houses THROUGHOUT the Metroplex that are under your price range.

( I have a cousin that lives in a small community, and he payed $50,000 cash for a 2-story brick house on Horo Ave. & Ginger Ave., fairly new)

It's majority white & Hispanic area, but nice a quiet.

[Peluchita8]

Thanks for the info!
We are hunters. We both do target shooting as well as big game. For hunting we won't mind a drive somewhere to do it. So we don't have to live IN a hunting city like place.

What do you recommend? Plano or Coppell? We do not want to be IN Dallas. We have heard great things about those two places.

As far as being outdoors people. As long as we can live in a community where kids and us can go for walks. Go to close by parks, etc. Should work.
Thank you.

Ps: it's not that we don't want to let our kids go to public. I was just saying how that's like everything else about moving, new terrain for us and them. That's all. I hear Plano and Coppell have top schools.

[CheerBeer]

If you have jobs in Irving then try Coppell. Its right next doors.

[CheerBeer]

If you have jobs in Irving then try Coppell. Its right there.