Overwhelmed with Tons of Research Under My Belt - Help? (Dallas: to rent, condo)

[SimplyDeb]

Can somebody help?

We'll be relocating to Dallas. My husband will be working in Downtown Dallas not far from Akard St. We are not city people. I get city anxiety when it's "too crowded" - and living in NJ, I avoid NYC like the plague. He currently commutes between 30-45 minutes to work, based on traffic and when he leaves. He doesn't mind leaving early -- and expects a commute up to an hour. DART if available would be a great option.

SO, I've been buried in research, have friends in the different areas, and I'm still overwhelmed. I'm hoping someone can help me understand different areas a bit more. Safe neighborhood comes first. I work from home, we are in our late 40s/early 50s - and my kids are grown, so school is a non-issue. I don't need fancy restaurants and prefer a small town feel. My town has 3k people, and my post office has 2 parking spots in NJ. Seeing that the small towns I'm looking at have close to 50k people is what is starting to overwhelm me. And yet, they still seem like maybe Wylie/Rowlett/Forney have that feel. Are they safe, nice?

Many of the people who have made the transfer from up here are now in Allen and Plano. We can't afford the Univ/Highland Park area where a lot of the big execs are.

I don't need fancy restaurants. McDonalds/Chili's and Walmart/Target are fine. A chain restaurant works for me, just as well as local family restaurants. We're quiet people, and will rent for the first year. I don't need fancy malls. I can drive to one if I want. Everything is up to an hour away where I live now, so that's a non-issue. I don't mind driving.

My desire for small town has me looking east. My current suburban areas are middle to upper middle class, and we were pointed to West Plano and Allen...and then I see the population and wonder if every place we go will constantly be crowded. Overcrowded overwhelms me. Ha, so I'm in a pickle.

Safety is first. I don't want a big home, I realize the lots are smaller and that's fine. A one story 3 bedroom is what I've been finding on Ebby.com that suits my needs. Trees, no trees, I don't care. As long as it's fenced. I have two small dogs. We won't buy until we're more familiar with the area.

Any input into what might be a comfortable location for two quiet people, with no worries about schools, and live a pretty basic, simple life.

I did look into Coppell as well, but wasn't finding much in our price range. We'd like to rent in the 1600-2100 range. Single house - not condo or townhome, please.

Thank you for your time and any help you can offer. I'm not SimplyDeb...I'm SimplyOverwhelmed.

I'll be flying down in the next two weeks or so to drive through neighborhoods which will help, but I need to secure a place and we will be making the shift in December. I've read about every thread I could find, and now I have analysis paralysis.

Thank you again.

[bencronin04]

I'd look in Forney, Lavon and Sunnyvale(depending on budget) and if you want to go even a little more rural Nevada & Josephine.

[BigDGeek]

If you can deal with suburbia, Richardson might be a good fit. It's close enough to Dallas that you can get downtown pretty easily (especially compared with the likes of Allen, McKinney, etc.) but it's a safe, quiet suburb. We also don't have nearly as much surface traffic as some other areas (Plano, Frisco).

It's not fancy and it's certainly not rural but it's safe, close-in, and checks most of your boxes. Food for thought.

[SimplyDeb]

Oh, thank you so much for those suggestions. I'll add them to the list and dig into research. I'd like to narrow down to about 3 areas to drive through before I make a choice. Thank you again for your input. It's truly appreciated.

[LookingInRichardson]

You actually have a lot of options since schools aren't an issue. Unfortunately, just about everywhere DART serves is going to fall into the crowded category just by its nature - public transit doesn't tend to serve areas that aren't densely populated. For people looking rural who have to commute to downtown I always suggest to look South and East as the rural starts a lot quicker in those directions. I'd say to search in Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall, and maybe even Hunt counties. I've worked a lot in these areas and if I had your wish list here would be the cities I'd look at:

Midlothian, Waxahachie, Ovilla, Red Oak, Ennis, Crandall, Kaufman, Heath, unincorporated Rockwall County.

Keep in mind that you can live just outside of town in most of these areas and you're basically in the country. All of the above towns are generally going to be within 30-45 minutes of Dallas and though there may be traffic, it isn't like commuting from the North or West. Rowlett and Wylie are a little bit less suburban, but still probably "crowded" for your tastes.

Good luck - again, since schools aren't a need you should have a wide range to choose from! Welcome to the area!

[ETex2]

Forney is a great little town, but the commercial areas around FM 548 and Highway 80 can get extremely congested on weekends. Add the railroad tracks to the mix (a long train will come through several times a day), expect major traffic headaches especially if you live south of Highway 80. Wylie is a good choice but commercial growth has also led to lots of traffic especially along FM 544. Sachse and Rowlett would also be on my list.

[Barefoot Daisy]

OP, I share your feelings about being too crowded.

We came from a small North Texas town and rented in Plano the first year. We found an older neighborhood just north of the Bush Tollway and east of Preston. It was very quiet, no issues, three bedroom, one story, smallish back yard. It's near shopping, etc, without being too crowded. It's not small town feel, but it worked well for us. I work in the Preston Center area, and it was a 20-minute commute without the Tollway. ... I've found pockets of older neighborhoods like this in several areas in Plano and Richardson. It's possible without having to go too far out.

It was an adjustment, but we made it! I really loved the area there in Plano. All shopping was very close, but in a few blocks, it was like being back in my little town.

Best wishes!

[SimplyDeb]

Thank you for all of the new updates. I'm okay with suburbia feel, as I grew up in that, but I think as I get older I'm more comfortable with quiet. I've got my work cut out for me. Thank you again for your input. It's greatly appreciated.

[Johnhw2]

Plano is quiet where I live yet c.ose to jobs and shopping needs. We are similar having grown up in a small town and lived in Somerset county NJ for six years. The town we lived in was less than 100 in population in NJ but felt crowded to me more so than west plano where I now live. Give parker of lucas a look too much slower feel than west plano but tends to have larger loss that helps create tat feel even though you don't want a larger lot.

[MckinneyOwnr]

I'd second Parker, Murphy, Lucas, and possibly Sachse and Rowlett.