McKinney's Growth and Change - Saddens Me a Bit (Dallas: apartment, house)

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by UNT_Eagle

Don't forget "Central Expressway"..my favorite.

Or just "Central".

[UNT_Eagle]

Originally Posted by wehotex

Or just "Central".

Yep!

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Yeah, keep convincing yourself. It is just older. Same suburban layout just closer in and a couple of decades older.

Yeah...drive through my neighborhood, then drive through a neighborhood of new builds in Allen...and tell me all our houses look as same-y as the houses in Allen do.

P.S. They don't.

Originally Posted by CMC_TX

At one point in time, before Plano & Allen experienced explosive suburban growth, Richardson was the hot new suburb. Developers were building subdivisions in the area and they had model homes just like the subdivisions in Allen & Frisco do today. To that extent, you are absolutely right. Obviously the mature landscape comes with any established area. The one difference I do see is some of the newer subdivisions honestly do look like they only have a few floorplans. Those are the communities I think look the worst - where your neighbor down the street has the exact same house as you, but maybe with a window in a different spot or a different style of door. The older subdivisions do tend to have what appears to be more variation in elevations, masonry etc which gives them less of that modern day cookie cutter feel.

Yup, that's the exact point I was making. Plus, our older houses often have superior materials and superior craftsmanship compared to some newer homes.

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Yes, older areas have had time to mature and develop a sense of patina that a newer area will not have. Yes, the more affluent an area, the less cookie cutter it is. But let's not sit in our once cookie cutter Richardson one level ranch and think ourselves above the fray.

LOL

I don't think I'm above the fray, but at least I refuse to drink the new build Kool-Aid. I'd rather live in my started-out-as-cookie-cutter neighborhood (like most post-war neighborhoods in north Texas) that has had nearly 60 years to develop mature vegetation, a real sense of community, and lots of character than some soulless treeless barren wasteland in Collin County. Maybe in 60 years, that same soulless treeless barren wasteland will have as much pep and character as my neighborhood does.

But 60 years from now, I'll be dead. Can't wait that long.

Sorry pal. Enjoy your commute.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Yeah...drive through my neighborhood, then drive through a neighborhood of new builds in Allen...and tell me all our houses look as same-y as the houses in Allen do.

P.S. They don't.



Yup, that's the exact point I was making. Plus, our older houses often have superior materials and superior craftsmanship compared to some newer homes.



LOL

I don't think I'm above the fray, but at least I refuse to drink the new build Kool-Aid. I'd rather live in my started-out-as-cookie-cutter neighborhood (like most post-war neighborhoods in north Texas) that has had nearly 60 years to develop mature vegetation, a real sense of community, and lots of character than some soulless treeless barren wasteland in Collin County. Maybe in 60 years, that same soulless treeless barren wasteland will have as much pep and character as my neighborhood does.

But 60 years from now, I'll be dead. Can't wait that long.

Sorry pal. Enjoy your commute.

Again, you show your elitist attitude. Not everything revolves around Dallas. Live in Collin, work in Collin. 15 minute commute each way.

I don't mean to be snarky, I like a lot of your posts, but everytime I come to a post about Collin County, you feel some need to take a swipe at anything Allen, Frisco or McKinney as if it were some polar opposite realm of existence from yours. Like if on a scale of one to ten you are a nine and the aforementioned cities are a 2 when in reality you are a 6.9 and they are a 6.2. I prefer the 60s style ranch myself and a bit more landscaping. As a Georgia native, I especially love an area with mature trees.

But you know what? And perhaps you ought to take a drive northward and tour the city of McKinney to debunk the myth you have created in you mind's eye but it has all you mention. In fact it has more. There are no great historic neighborhoods in Richardson with beautifully restored Victorians, colonials, craftsman bungalows, Texas Prairie, etc, etc like what we have here in McKinney. There is no lively, beautiful, historic courthouse square in Richardson. McKinney is much more interesting and diverse and has the new build on the west, the historic in the center and large 60s style brick ranches like you see all over Richardson as well.

Get out of Richardson every once in a while. It will do you a world of good.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Again, you show your elitist attitude. Not everything revolves around Dallas. Live in Collin, work in Collin. 15 minute commute each way.

I don't mean to be snarky, I like a lot of your posts, but everytime I come to a post about Collin County, you feel some need to take a swipe at anything Allen, Frisco or McKinney as if it were some polar opposite realm of existence from yours. Like if on a scale of one to ten you are a nine and the aforementioned cities are a 2 when in reality you are a 6.9 and they are a 6.2. I prefer the 60s style ranch myself and a bit more landscaping. As a Georgia native, I especially love an area with mature trees.

But you know what? And perhaps you ought to take a drive northward and tour the city of McKinney to debunk the myth you have created in you mind's eye but it has all you mention. In fact it has more. There are no great historic neighborhoods in Richardson with beautifully restored Victorians, colonials, craftsman bungalows, Texas Prairie, etc, etc like what we have here in McKinney. There is no lively, beautiful, historic courthouse square in Richardson. McKinney is much more interesting and diverse and has the new build on the west, the historic in the center and large 60s style brick ranches like you see all over Richardson as well.

Get out of Richardson every once in a while. It will do you a world of good.

You're reading waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much into what I write.

Do I like living in Richardson? Sure, it's OK. Beats a lot of other places.

Do I think Richardson is the best suburb EVER? No. Not sure what is, to be honest. I don't really like suburbs. But this fit my budget.

Would I live here if I had millions of dollars? Nope.

Do I even like Dallas? Hell no. As soon as I no longer have elderly relatives here, I'm a dot on the horizon and been nice knowing you.

I'm just making the best of a crappy situation.

And while McKinney certainly does have some charming streets, most of what I've seen of it is not really worth mentioning.

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by JoeSiczpak

1. Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

2. And the people in the houses
All go to the university,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
And there's doctors and there's lawyers
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

3. And they all play on the golf-course,
And drink their Martini dry,
And they all have pretty children,
And the children go to school.
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
And they all get put in boxes
And they all come out the same.

4. And the boys go into business,
And marry, and raise a family,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

I miss Weeds.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by thenewtexan

I miss Weeds.

I dunno, it kind of jumped the shark in the last couple of seasons. And I started to really hate Nancy.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

You're reading waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much into what I write.

Do I like living in Richardson? Sure, it's OK. Beats a lot of other places.

Do I think Richardson is the best suburb EVER? No. Not sure what is, to be honest. I don't really like suburbs. But this fit my budget.

Would I live here if I had millions of dollars? Nope.

Do I even like Dallas? Hell no. As soon as I no longer have elderly relatives here, I'm a dot on the horizon and been nice knowing you.

I'm just making the best of a crappy situation.

And while McKinney certainly does have some charming streets, most of what I've seen of it is not really worth mentioning.

I'm sure I'm reading more into it, but this reveals a lot. You have the opposite color of rose in your pair of glasses. It puts one on the defensive when you attack their area. I personally like Richardson, I like Dallas but life has put me in McKinney and I like it. I have had to CHOOSE to like it and find the good many times because I am a transplant to the area.

I responded because it gets wearying and the first post I found a bit humorous, the response to the ticky tacky line. Yes, much of this area is like that. The newest builds in Frisco are exactly this. Would never buy there. But it works for some folks and they love it. But why denounce another area when your own area (and mine too) is really, in all actuality, not that much different.

Here's to you finding a pair of rose colored glasses and the ability to appreciate the half of your glass that does have water in it. Makes life a little easier to bear.

[TheOverdog]

For everyone who thinks that their neighborhood didn't start out as ticky tacky, check out 3401 Caruth Blvd, Dallas, TX 75225. Approximately Caruth & Hilcrest. This is the most common house built in DFW between 1945 and 1975, and the exact same model stretches well into Collin County including Richardson, Plano, McKinney, and Allen. This particular one was built in 1955.

Check what's around it. They may be millions of dollars now, but they all used to be ticky tacky houses and have since been upgraded. You can also see its sister at 3317 Caruth Blvd on Zillow or google maps or wherever, which has since been knocked down I think.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Here's to you finding a pair of rose colored glasses and the ability to appreciate the half of your glass that does have water in it. Makes life a little easier to bear.

Thanks, but my glass won't be full until I get the hell out of north Texas.