Grand Prairie Vs. Coppell (Dallas, Arlington: how much, homes, employment)

[WorldKlas]

This post is about considering other areas. And if you are still considering other areas, I do suggest you look in the M Streets and surrounding areas in Dallas — zip code 75206; served by Stonewall Jackson Elementary. It has lots to offer a professional couple, is a decent commute for UTSW and VA, and has a good elementary school.

Coppell doesn’t have a small town feel. I have lived in Coppell and Valley Ranch. It can be a tight knit community if you have kids participating in school, or belong to a local church. In your price range, your neighborhood street will be no more charming than small, outdated homes built in the 70’s and 80’s in neighborhoods all over the DFW area. Generally, its a suburb and you will find you are doing most of your shopping outside of Coppell — either in Southlake or along the many retail laden corridors in the area that are in Irving, Lewisville or Flower Mound. If you like the general vicinity, don’t get hung up on a Coppell address. Look in North Irving, too. Similar commute and same experience as a homeowner. Also go ahead and think about Euless in zip 76039 — one burb west.

If you are still open to GP, take a look at zip code 75060 (south Irving, bordering North GP) which would be desirable from a commute perspective. I own 2 rent houses in that zip code and have never had a single complaint or issue about crime. It is generally a working/blue collar area with sections of nice homes — just like Grand Prairie. Downtown Old Irving is experiencing a resurgence of gentrification.

[ChristieP]

If you don’t even have kids yet, then don’t even consider the schools! You are at least 6 years away from needing an elementary school! Based on that, I’d look in Las Colinas, or even the part of NW Dallas closer to UTSW. There’s no reason to even get into the bidding wars in Coppell. Just buy a house that’s in your price range and help your husband get through his residency.

[mdeedub]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

This post is about considering other areas. And if you are still considering other areas, I do suggest you look in the M Streets and surrounding areas in Dallas — zip code 75206; served by Stonewall Jackson Elementary. It has lots to offer a professional couple, is a decent commute for UTSW and VA, and has a good elementary school.

Coppell doesn’t have a small town feel. I have lived in Coppell and Valley Ranch. It can be a tight knit community if you have kids participating in school, or belong to a local church. In your price range, your neighborhood street will be no more charming than small, outdated homes built in the 70’s and 80’s in neighborhoods all over the DFW area. Generally, its a suburb and you will find you are doing most of your shopping outside of Coppell — either in Southlake or along the many retail laden corridors in the area that are in Irving, Lewisville or Flower Mound. If you like the general vicinity, don’t get hung up on a Coppell address. Look in North Irving, too. Similar commute and same experience as a homeowner. Also go ahead and think about Euless in zip 76039 — one burb west.

If you are still open to GP, take a look at zip code 75060 (south Irving, bordering North GP) which would be desirable from a commute perspective. I own 2 rent houses in that zip code and have never had a single complaint or issue about crime. It is generally a working/blue collar area with sections of nice homes — just like Grand Prairie. Downtown Old Irving is experiencing a resurgence of gentrification.

Thanks for the info about the specific area of GP. I’m definitely not hung up on a Coppell address, I only included Coppell in this question because we are viewing a house there tomorrow. We are looking in several different neighborhoods around the city.

[mdeedub]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

If you don’t even have kids yet, then don’t even consider the schools! You are at least 6 years away from needing an elementary school! Based on that, I’d look in Las Colinas, or even the part of NW Dallas closer to UTSW. There’s no reason to even get into the bidding wars in Coppell. Just buy a house that’s in your price range and help your husband get through his residency.

It’s not really that we are prioritizing schools as a factor for choosing. I just like the input on schools because the quality of the school generally says something about the neighborhood. Plus I am an elementary school teacher so it’s nice to know what I’m getting into as far as work opportunities.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by mdeedub

It’s not really that we are prioritizing schools as a factor for choosing. I just like the input on schools because the quality of the school generally says something about the neighborhood. Plus I am an elementary school teacher so it’s nice to know what I’m getting into as far as work opportunities.

Kind of...but not always. Las Colinas is a notable exception. Irving ISD schools are generally not great, but Las Colinas is a really nice area. Many areas of Dallas also are great for residence but have lousy DISD schools, so families there send their kids to top private schools.
As for your employment, there are great school districts all over the area.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

See my post above this one. The thing is, GP is a city suburb. It has 175,000 residents, covers 80 square miles, and would be the 15th biggest city in TX if it were freestanding. So it has dozens of neighborhoods, some nice and others have a lot of urban issues and crime.

GP high schools are BAD news. You said schools aren't really a factor but to put it in perspective, there are 150 public high schools in DFW. GPHS's SAT ranks 140th (1100/1800) and SGP's ranks 119th (1252/1800). Coppell's ranks 3rd (1729/1800).

Can't edit my post now but I really DO know that the SAT is a 2400 point scale, not 1800. That's what I get for posting at midnight

[WorldKlas]

Originally Posted by mdeedub

It’s not really that we are prioritizing schools as a factor for choosing. I just like the input on schools because the quality of the school generally says something about the neighborhood. Plus I am an elementary school teacher so it’s nice to know what I’m getting into as far as work opportunities.

Don’t hesitate to bid on a house if you find something in Coppell that you like.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by mdeedub

It’s not really that we are prioritizing schools as a factor for choosing. I just like the input on schools because the quality of the school generally says something about the neighborhood. Plus I am an elementary school teacher so it’s nice to know what I’m getting into as far as work opportunities.

Honest opinion: you might need a different realtor. I would draw a semi-arc with a 7-8 mile radius from UTSW and look at properties in your price range. You'll want to exclude the area south of downtown that is east of I-35 but almost every other area where homes are $300k+ are nice, safe places to live. Most of the residential neighborhoods in Dallas feel more suburban than urban anyway.

There aren't residency requirements for teachers so you can live anywhere and teach anywhere you get hired.

I think you can do better than Coppell given you don't need schools (meaning the hassle of shopping the lowest end of Coppell housing + paying much higher property taxes when you're not using the schools) and I KNOW you can do better than Grand Prairie.

[mdeedub]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Honest opinion: you might need a different realtor. I would draw a semi-arc with a 7-8 mile radius from UTSW and look at properties in your price range. You'll want to exclude the area south of downtown that is east of I-35 but almost every other area where homes are $300k+ are nice, safe places to live. Most of the residential neighborhoods in Dallas feel more suburban than urban anyway.

There aren't residency requirements for teachers so you can live anywhere and teach anywhere you get hired.

I think you can do better than Coppell given you don't need schools (meaning the hassle of shopping the lowest end of Coppell housing + paying much higher property taxes when you're not using the schools) and I KNOW you can do better than Grand Prairie.

I’m not sure why you are saying we need a different realtor. She has been nothing but great. We are looking in many different areas, not just Coppell. It just happens that the house we are looking at this weekend is in Coppell.

I realize there are no residency requirements for teachers. That doesn’t mean I want to drive 45 minutes to work each day to reach a decent school district. It would be nice if my work was at least relatively near home.

[mdeedub]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Kind of...but not always. Las Colinas is a notable exception. Irving ISD schools are generally not great, but Las Colinas is a really nice area. Many areas of Dallas also are great for residence but have lousy DISD schools, so families there send their kids to top private schools.
As for your employment, there are great school districts all over the area.

I know it’s not as black and white as I was making it sound. But when you’ve never even been to a city before it’s a good starting point for what neighborhoods to look in.