Relocating to Dallas from CHI - Middle Class Black Family (Plano: lease, high crime)

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by Denise82

Ok, so everyone is saying that $1,400 is unrealistic for SF home rental. Over the weekend, I spoke directly to the owners for the following properties:


1318 Drexel Dr, Plano, TX 75075 - $1,395
538 Ridgemont Dr, Allen, TX 75002 - $1,300
506 Willow Oak Dr, Allen, TX 75002 - $1,400
305 Ocean Dr, Richardson, TX 75081 - $1,300
1010 Wake Dr, Richardson, TX 75081 - $1,400
618 Fenet St, McKinney, TX 75069 - $1,350


And these were just the few that I actually liked, based on the aesthetics of the house! There were several more. Are these "bad" areas?

You are not commuting within your time range.

[Denise82]

Originally Posted by Threestep

You are not commuting within your time range.

Ok, that's the kind of feedback I need. Thanks!

[synchronicity]

Another Chicago relo here. FWIW, moved from Palatine. We're white, so I can't speak to racial issues with much info. I will say that in some ways there seems to be a less racism here than in Chicago, much to my surprise (yes, moving down with stereotypical views about "The South"). Interracial couples here don't seem to raise eyebrows to the extent they would up there, and a couple other things. My wife's African-American co-workers who have relocated have generally had favorable things to say about being here along those lines. All that said, no place is perfect, jerks exist everywhere, and again, I don't have day-to-day experiences so take all of this with a huge grain of salt.

Regarding diverse places to move to that are a reasonable commute to downtown Dallas - Richardson and Plano are the usual suspects given your income. You can look up tons of information on schools here: https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfre...015/index.html

Richardson is an "older" suburb of Dallas. You will be amused to know that "older" down here means a lot of houses were built in the 60's and 70's. Richardson has been having a revival the last...decade or so, and its prime location (inner-ring suburb) and new development in the area has made it attractive to many people.

Richardson ISD (note that the school districts are not along city lines, so the "Richardson" ISD may serve most but not all of Richardson as well as some adjacent areas outside of Richardson) is one of the better ones out there. The best high school in Richardson is Pearce, which is among the top 10 to 15 (by test scores) open enrollment public high schools in DFW.

The report on that school is here: https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/cgi/sa...mpus=057916004

More students here take the SAT than the ACT (opposite of Illinois, where EVERYONE takes the ACT). Ethnic breakouts are on page 14. Pearce is predominantly White (48%) and Hispanic (40%), with 6.4% African-American and the remainder either Asian or bi-racial.

Pearce HS achieves its results with a student body that is ~30% "economically disadvantaged", and has been doing so for awhile.

The other usual suspect up that way would be Plano. The joke is that every relo to DFW is steered to Plano, but there are reasons for that -it's a very large (>250,000 population) suburb with excellent schools and lots of amenities, in a generally reasonable location relative to DFW. There's also a ton of job growth going on in the "Legacy" area (where Rt. 121 and the Dallas North Tollway meet, around the NW end of Plano), so if you were looking to change employers, there are many closer to or in Plano.

Plano schools are arguably "pound-for-pound" the best in DFW, as they achieve top notch results with a student body that is not as universally affluent as the other top districts (Highland Park, Carroll and Coppell).

Plano generally has more well-off families to the west and becomes less affluent as one moves east, but the schools are very good everywhere in the district.

Here's a report for the entire Plano district:
https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/cgi/sa...istrict=043910

Plano is pretty ethnically diverse, with the student body being just under 40% white, just over 20% each Asian and Hispanic, and just over 10% African-American. Almost 30% of students are economically disadvantaged, so there is a fair degree of socioeconomic diversity as well.

Plano kinda reminds me of Naperville, but with more ethnic diversity.

Also, being in Plano would put you (most likely, it's a big place) fairly close to your family in Frisco.

There are a zillion other locations in DFW, many of which have been mentioned already.

There are many subtle differences between DFW and Chicago, at least some of which you may already have encountered if you've visited relatives in Frisco.

Good luck to you!

[Denise82]

Originally Posted by synchronicity

Another Chicago relo here. FWIW, moved from Palatine. We're white, so I can't speak to racial issues with much info. I will say that in some ways there seems to be a less racism here than in Chicago, much to my surprise (yes, moving down with stereotypical views about "The South"). Interracial couples here don't seem to raise eyebrows to the extent they would up there, and a couple other things. My wife's African-American co-workers who have relocated have generally had favorable things to say about being here along those lines. All that said, no place is perfect, jerks exist everywhere, and again, I don't have day-to-day experiences so take all of this with a huge grain of salt.

Regarding diverse places to move to that are a reasonable commute to downtown Dallas - Richardson and Plano are the usual suspects given your income. You can look up tons of information on schools here: https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfre...015/index.html

Richardson is an "older" suburb of Dallas. You will be amused to know that "older" down here means a lot of houses were built in the 60's and 70's. Richardson has been having a revival the last...decade or so, and its prime location (inner-ring suburb) and new development in the area has made it attractive to many people.

Richardson ISD (note that the school districts are not along city lines, so the "Richardson" ISD may serve most but not all of Richardson as well as some adjacent areas outside of Richardson) is one of the better ones out there. The best high school in Richardson is Pearce, which is among the top 10 to 15 (by test scores) open enrollment public high schools in DFW.

The report on that school is here: https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/cgi/sa...mpus=057916004

More students here take the SAT than the ACT (opposite of Illinois, where EVERYONE takes the ACT). Ethnic breakouts are on page 14. Pearce is predominantly White (48%) and Hispanic (40%), with 6.4% African-American and the remainder either Asian or bi-racial.

Pearce HS achieves its results with a student body that is ~30% "economically disadvantaged", and has been doing so for awhile.

The other usual suspect up that way would be Plano. The joke is that every relo to DFW is steered to Plano, but there are reasons for that -it's a very large (>250,000 population) suburb with excellent schools and lots of amenities, in a generally reasonable location relative to DFW. There's also a ton of job growth going on in the "Legacy" area (where Rt. 121 and the Dallas North Tollway meet, around the NW end of Plano), so if you were looking to change employers, there are many closer to or in Plano.

Plano schools are arguably "pound-for-pound" the best in DFW, as they achieve top notch results with a student body that is not as universally affluent as the other top districts (Highland Park, Carroll and Coppell).

Plano generally has more well-off families to the west and becomes less affluent as one moves east, but the schools are very good everywhere in the district.

Here's a report for the entire Plano district:
https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/cgi/sa...istrict=043910

Plano is pretty ethnically diverse, with the student body being just under 40% white, just over 20% each Asian and Hispanic, and just over 10% African-American. Almost 30% of students are economically disadvantaged, so there is a fair degree of socioeconomic diversity as well.

Plano kinda reminds me of Naperville, but with more ethnic diversity.

Also, being in Plano would put you (most likely, it's a big place) fairly close to your family in Frisco.

There are a zillion other locations in DFW, many of which have been mentioned already.

There are many subtle differences between DFW and Chicago, at least some of which you may already have encountered if you've visited relatives in Frisco.

Good luck to you!

Thank you!!!! This is extremely helpful. Knowing that Plano is a lot like Naperville definitely puts it into perspective. I love Naperville! And yes, the research shows that Plano is definitely the place to be for schools. Our daughter is only 8 months right now so we just want to "land", so to say, and get started living and learning the city. Over the next few years, we'll have plenty of time to move to an area with better schools, but this info. is so good to have.

I also find it surprising that people there consider homes built in the 60's and 70's to be old, LOL. The home I live in now has been remodeled, but was built in 1925, hahaha.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Denise82

Thank you!!!! This is extremely helpful. Knowing that Plano is a lot like Naperville definitely puts it into perspective. I love Naperville! And yes, the research shows that Plano is definitely the place to be for schools. Our daughter is only 8 months right now so we just want to "land", so to say, and get started living and learning the city. Over the next few years, we'll have plenty of time to move to an area with better schools, but this info. is so good to have.

I also find it surprising that people there consider homes built in the 60's and 70's to be old, LOL. The home I live in now has been remodeled, but was built in 1925, hahaha.

My house in Richardson was built in the late 50s and people are always ooh-ing and aah-ing about how "old" it is. Pffffffffft. That's not old at all!!!

[Denise82]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

My house in Richardson was built in the late 50s and people are always ooh-ing and aah-ing about how "old" it is. Pffffffffft. That's not old at all!!!

Hahahaha! I guess most natives are accustomed to having everything big and new.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Denise82

Hahahaha! I guess most natives are accustomed to having everything big and new.

I've found it's the opposite...the transplants want everything shiny and new, the people who grew up here aren't as fixed on it. I find a lot of the people who move to my neighborhood are fellow Texans rather than from out of state...or if they're transplants, they're fellow Southerners (usually LA or OK).

Full disclosure: I was born and raised in Dallas.

[Denise82]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I've found it's the opposite...the transplants want everything shiny and new, the people who grew up here aren't as fixed on it. I find a lot of the people who move to my neighborhood are fellow Texans rather than from out of state...or if they're transplants, they're fellow Southerners (usually LA or OK).

Full disclosure: I was born and raised in Dallas.

Good to know.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Denise82

Good to know.

I will say this though...we've seen a lot more Illinois plates than normal around here lately, most likely due to the big State Farm office they just built down the road.

[MurphyPl1]

FWIW there's a difference between Easy Plano being more lower income and the east portion of Plano ISD being so. Richardson, Parker and Murphy are the eastern portion of the district and not what any one would consider low income.

On a separate note the Murphy City Council at one time had transplants from Schaumburg, Palatine and Elk Grove. And the reporter who covered Murphy was also from Schaumburg