Commute to Allen - better from McKinney or Richardson? Home searching... (Plano: crime rates, houses)

[Waterdragon8212]

Originally Posted by speedyg

I'm going to throw in a little of a dark horse. Don't exclude the eastern part of Plano.

This is an intriguing option. East Plano has undergone a good bit of revitalization and we have friends who bought there recently and said they are seeing more and more redevelopment. It might be a gamble, but if it pays off, you could really get lucky and have a hefty appreciation in the value of your home...

[TurtleCreek80]

I'm going to be more pragmatic. Op, your housing budget is low, substantially below the median for all areas mentioned thus far. I would look in Richardson, Plano, Allen, and McKinney and consider any homes that are zoned for good public schools (that will knock out most of Richardson East of 75, and a few elementsries in Plano and McKinney ISD's). All are a resonable commute to Allen (30 min max).

You probably won't end up in a walkable historic neighborhood but that won't stop you from exploring downtown McKinney, downtown Plano, and other fun spots.

[UnfairPark]

Plano's old downtown may suit your needs and you are bound to see more price appreciation there considering city is on the verge of revamping Collin Creek Mall and they are planning to connect it to downtown area. Obviously, Plano schools come as a bonus. You'll have access to public transportation as well. This location would not only work for your current job but will be good if you have to look for another employer. Mckinney would limit your options.

[Pmonkey]

Originally Posted by speedyg

As far as living in Allen, the biggest negative in my book is the school district. It's not terrible, but it isn't the best but has the highest taxes in the county.

All the elementary schools and middle schools in Allen are highly ranked but the high school is mixed though I can see pros and cons for such a big school. But I’m just curious why you would say the school district as a whole is negative. I would argue that Allen schools as a whole is better than Richardson schools since some parts especially east of 75 is pretty sketchy.

[Peachtree36]

[quote=Katana49;51600942]You're better off being in McKinney.

McKinney is adjacent to Allen, for Richardson, you have to pass through Plano to get to Allen, and Plano's traffic only gets worse every year. However, I think you should be able to find something within your budget that is actually in Allen, is there some reason why you are not looking there?[/QUOTE

We will definitely check out Allen itself. I was under the impression that it was a bedroom community with few trees and miles of track homes, but we will give it a try, as we have seen it on a few of those best-places-to-raise-a-family type of lists.

[Peachtree36]

You have few options. I'm not sure they've built any single family attached in Allen's 'walkable town square' area called Watters Creek. It's actually very nice but I think it's all apartments and maybe some condos. Most single family neighborhoods in Allen and McKinney aren't really walkable to anywhere, they are nice neighborhoods but almost all set up for driving. McKinney has a historic square - it might be to your liking. They are close enough together (McKinney's downtown) and Allen (not geographically very large) that the commute would be fine. You can check Richardson also. It's a reverse commute (everyone is going south in the morning to Richardson and Dallas and you would be going north), so I think traffic would be fine.

This is good to know. I have been looking at Watters Creek and also the main intersections around North Greenville Avenue, as Walkscore shows pockets of green here, indicating that these might be walkable areas. I'm sure these color-maps are pretty limited in the impressions they give but we are just as excited to check out Allen now.

[Peachtree36]

Originally Posted by trogdor76

I live and work in Allen... used to commute here from Keller which was no fun, but it definitely got me familiar with the main roads around here. From my experience, I would never count on 75 being a smooth commute. The "reverse commute" thing really doesn't apply anymore... heading south on 75 into Plano/Richardson during PM rush hour is fine some days but can be terrible. So I would get as close as possible as your budget allows but definitely check into school quality, crime, etc.

In your price range there are options in McKinney and Plano, and also Allen on the east side of 75. MAYBE Wylie/Sachse, which would be back roads but a slightly longer drive (20-30 minutes). Just looking at Zillow, ff you could stretch your budget to $300K or so that will open up a lot more options, including parts of Frisco.

This is good to know; we were wondering if the 75 was going to be tough even that far out of Dallas itself.

300K would be a nicer budget for sure! We might be closer to that, but we need to do a run-down of what utilities are going to run us. Right now we live in a condo that stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer due to its orientation. We are very spoiled with how little we have to heat or cool our home and expect to be in shock with the heating and A/C bills in Texas.

[Peachtree36]

You are likely to find more housing options in your price range in Richardson than McKinney. As has been mentioned, your commute to Allen would be against the flow and thus a bit easier.

In truth, the actual differences will be extremely route-variable based on where you would actually live in each community to the job. One house in either community might put you on a perfectly serene route to work (75 is not the only option). What that means is: Don't pre-empt either place. Look at houses in either community and actually examine the specific route that house gives you. (from Ralph_Kirk)

We'll definitely try out the routes! It is good to know that there are other solid routes besides the 75, especially from Richardson. Last summer we saw a beautiful little house at Waterview and Arapaho for 238K, but I imagine this year the same house would go for a bit more.

[Peachtree36]

Originally Posted by stephwin

Are you talking about the ones that are typically east of 75? While McKinney schools are generally regarded as good on this board, keep in mind that individual schools within each ISD perform better or worse than others. For example, there is a cute little house on Camellia Lane (active contingent) well within your budget. The elementary school, Burks, is 79.5% economically disadvantaged. Compare that to CT Eddins Elementary school, also McKinney ISD, that is only 6.4% economically disadvantaged.

That is a beautiful house, especially for that price! I do always pull up the GreatSchools scores on Zillow, and a "2" for the elementary school is always a concern. I am having that trouble now with looking at the Downtown and East Plano properties. The elementary school there is rated as a 3. I'm not looking for a 9 or 10 or anything, but 2 and 3 is really low.

[Peachtree36]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

There are so many other ways of getting from McKinney to Allen without getting on 75 that I would vote for it too. Yes, a Richardson commute would be reverse, so not near as bad as living in Allen and going to Richardson, but McKinney is a great place. Great variety of housing, not near as cookie cutter in feel as other areas.

The houses in McKinney do look really neat. There is a 2BR 1BA that came up for 175K on Cole Street. On my computer screen, this neighborhood looks very pleasant. Would you say it is pretty safe? Where are the rough areas of McKinney?