Need Help: Relocating with jobs in Grapevine & Richardson (Dallas: apartments, to rent)

[EMariRod26]

Hello!

I've been lurking for a while and first want to thank you for all of the knowledge shared on these forums!

Now that my husband and I have checked out the city, lined up jobs, and researched schools, the time has finally come to ask for more help.

We will be relocating to Dallas in the next month and our jobs will be in the cities of Richardson (mine near UTD) and Grapevine (his east of DFW airport).

We visited Richardson and really liked the apartments near Renner Rd. However, I know this choice would leave my husband with a (possibly) 45 minute commute.

He says he doesn't mind, but I'm wondering if we should consider somewhere like North Carollton instead and split both of our commutes (20 minutes each?). Thoughts?

We'll be renting for 1-2 years (up to 1,400 a month), but still want to settle in a mostly owner-occupied neighborhood within our housing budget (around 250k). This way, we can try to keep our children in the same school district once we buy a home.

Does Richardson have enough appeal to warrant his commute? Or, should we look for something in between?

To give you some perspective, we're coming from the snowy mid-west where both of our commutes are 20-30 minutes in the summer and 45-75 minutes in winter weather.

Also important to us is to be in proximity (no more than 20 minutes) to a less expensive (but still safe) neighborhood, my mom is also considering moving, but would be looking to rent for no more than 1k per month.

Lastly, we're leaving most of family and friends behind, so being close to an active community with local events, classes, meetups, etc would be ideal.

Thanks so much for your help!

[EMariRod26]

Thanks for your votes! We found a great apartment in Richardson and are gearing up for our move.

What activities/events/etc would you recommend for young family with a toddler and a 7 yr old to start integrating into the Richardson area?

[SilverGold]

Enroll your 7 year old in a soccer team through PSA, toddler into a mommy & me program, join YMCA, local library and church activities. Participate in neighborhood Easter egg hunt, cottonwood festival and 4th of July at Breckenridge Park are coming up. Arboretum is nearby. Hop on DART and explore Dallas. Go on family walks to explore the area and greet neighbors. Hang out at playground of your local elementary school to find school friends for school age kid. Spring is the perfect time for moving to DFW.

[clickbear]

Be sure you are aware the apartments on Renner could feed to Plano ISD and not Richardson ISD.

[EMariRod26]

Thanks!

Yes, our apartment does feed to PISD.