Recommendations for liberal family with child relocating to Dallas area (Irving: house, neighborhood)

[synchronicity]

Re: politics, as another liberal relo (from Chicago) - it's really "background noise", in that most people will rarely if ever discuss politics (of course, there's always That One Person to whom everything is political and lets you know it, but that's found everywhere), and even though you can probably figure out the political views of your neighbors over time, as long as you're generally nice and friendly and helpful and don't let your property become an eyesore, nobody really cares (and if you're not and don't, they won't care if you agree with them on politics). Along similar lines, I've been asked "what church do you go to?" or variants on that question about 5-6 times over the almost 4 years I've been here, which is 5-6 times more than I was ever asked in Chicago...but still, we're talking once or twice a year. So yes there are some things that are different, but they have minimal impact on your day to day life.

Regarding "cookie cutter homes", you'll see a lot of this in the DFW area because it is generally much newer. The metro has really exploded in growth over the last 30 years, and "old" here often means "built in the 90's". There are exceptions to this but you'll still see a LOT of newer construction.

Affordable homes - don't know how expensive Indianapolis was, but compared to Chi homes are CHEAP down here. That said, homeowner's insurance is more expensive and property taxes are higher than many areas (generally 2 to 2.5% of house value annually, so a 250K home could easily have annual property taxes of 5K to 6K).

Education - lots of threads on this. In general, more expensive areas have higher "rated" schools, just like the entire rest of the country. As already pointed out to you, Flower Mound HS and its feeders are excellent, as is Grapevine-Colleyville ISD (which encompasses most but not quite all of those two cities, as well as a small part of Euless IIRC). Coppell ISD also ranks extremely highly if you can find something there in your price range. I'll note that Colleyville generally is in a price range similar to Coppell's. Grapevine has more of a mix of housing price points.

I'd avoid Argyle, as it's further out (long commute) and doesn't really offer anything you can't get much closer.

ETA- the ever-knowledgeable TC80 noted Richardson, it has some older homes, a lot of diversity and assuming the commute to Irving works for you (I think that's a rough commute, not necessarily distance but traffic and roads) then it would be an option. Pearce is a top 10 DFW high school academically.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by synchronicity

ETA- the ever-knowledgeable TC80 noted Richardson, it has some older homes, a lot of diversity and assuming the commute to Irving works for you (I think that's a rough commute, not necessarily distance but traffic and roads) then it would be an option. Pearce is a top 10 DFW high school academically.

Richardson sounds like it would be a terrific fit for the OP, except for the commute; depending on where home is and where the job is in Irving...and depending on traffic conditions and the time of day...you could be looking at a commute much longer than 30 minutes.

[jenie25]

Alastrian2 - thanks for your helpful input! Had some clarifying questions:

1. So you're saying you are considering North Dallas or Far North Dallas if needed for the school situation? I was unclear. And, if it is North Dallas, you are recommending Preston Hollow? Are there public school options there?
2. Lakewood sounds like an option for consideration - will look into the school situation.

[jenie25]

Synchronicity! We lived in Chicago for 10 years and LOVED it - great to hear a Chicago transplant has survived in Dallas! Pearce sounds like a great fit that we will consider in the event we can find a house near enough not to have a miserable commute.

TC80 - thanks for your feedback on Richardson - so helpful!

BigDGeek - how much longer of a commute than 30 minutes?

[alastrian2]

Far North Dallas will be great for schools- as someone else mentioned, Richardson ISD is very well regarded. Lake Highlands has homes are in Dallas but utilize Richardson ISD. Unfortunately, my personal experience has mainly been with megachurch conservatives from the area. North Dallas (Preston Hollow-ish), I recommend because the people are more open minded, at least socially, and the DISD options are good for DISD. The JCC is also fairly close.

[jenie25]

Ok, so to recap, for homes in mid-300s, with 30-minute commute to Irving, with good public schools, with some diversity of thought/people and potentially homes in the 60s/70s vintage we should consider:

1. Grapevine
2. Richardson
3. Homes feeding into Pearce High School (can someone clarify whether this this in Richardson or Far North Dallas?)
4. Lakewood (though navigating magnets sounds daunting - it certainly is in Indianapolis)

Does anyone object to these ideas and/or have anywhere else to add?

Thanks again so very much - you all have been extremely nice and helpful. Really, really appreciate it!

[jenie25]

P.S. Also we should consider Preston Hollow area of North Dallas - thanks, Alastrian2!

[UNT_Eagle]

To the original poster: You should also look into Coppell. With your price range, you can definitely afford living in that community. It's just north of Irving, where you'll be working. It's a great community with a wonderful family environment and convenient to other parts of the metro area.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by jenie25

P.S. Also we should consider Preston Hollow area of North Dallas - thanks, Alastrian2!

With a $300k budget, PH is pretty much out of your price range. You'd have to bump it up to $500k.

[alastrian2]

We looked last week and found a couple diamonds in the rough in the mid 3's. I also said Preston Hollow-ish versus Preston Hollow