moving to dallas from chicago for 1 year (McKinney, Greenville: apartment complexes, lease)

[chitown82]

hey everyone,

im a 26 year old male who is moving to dallas for 1 year starting this july. i was wondering if anyone could give me ideas of good areas to rent an apt or even better, specific apartment complexes/buildings/communities, that are good for a mid-20 single male who is looking to take full advantage of living in a new city for a year.

i am doing a fellowship at utsw so i would like to be within reasonable driving distance from the medical campus. it would be a big plus to having restaurants, shopping, bars, hang out places near my apt (walking or driving distance). i have never been to dallas before so i have no idea of what areas are good/fun/safe.

im coming from housing markets like chicago, nyc, boston where im used to paying 1500+ for an average one-bedroom so im excited that things are cheaper in dallas. im looking to pay around 1000-1100 + parking...hopefully that can get me more than a decent place.

any help? thanks!

[awecelot]

Mockingbird Station and the West Village may be worth looking into.

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by chitown82

hey everyone,

im a 26 year old male who is moving to dallas for 1 year starting this july. i was wondering if anyone could give me ideas of good areas to rent an apt or even better, specific apartment complexes/buildings/communities, that are good for a mid-20 single male who is looking to take full advantage of living in a new city for a year.

i am doing a fellowship at utsw so i would like to be within reasonable driving distance from the medical campus. it would be a big plus to having restaurants, shopping, bars, hang out places near my apt (walking or driving distance). i have never been to dallas before so i have no idea of what areas are good/fun/safe.

im coming from housing markets like chicago, nyc, boston where im used to paying 1500+ for an average one-bedroom so im excited that things are cheaper in dallas. im looking to pay around 1000-1100 + parking...hopefully that can get me more than a decent place.

any help? thanks!

Lots of young people at UTSW stay very close to work so they can walk but there isn't much to do close to there. Expect to have a car because our public transportation is not the best. I agree with awecelot, uptown, knox henderson area. I'll check into some apartment names and will post them here for you in a few hours.

Naima

[Lakewooder]

There are some new apartment complexes along the DART rail around there, will have to try to think of the name -- was associated with CityVille I believe. Also the Dragon Street area is coming along but neither will probably be swinging very soon. I would also suggest Uptown or Downtown. Knox-Henderson and Lower Greenville are also great. K-H is a little more upscale hipster. Lower Greenville (more SMU kids) and Lakewood are more laid-back.

Just drive up and down McKinney Ave for a good tour. Primo's patio is the place to be on Sunday afternoon.

[chitown82]

hey all, thanks for your help. i looked into the uptown area and it looks pretty cool - 10-15 min max drive to utsw. does anyone know specific properties? ill probably be able to visit dallas for one day before i sign a lease and it would be awesome to have a list of 4-5 places to visit when im in TX.

on a side note, i hear there are some awesome places in dallas and im really excited about moving to TX for a year. any suggestions on things one must do/visit/see in dallas. ill probably also make a few weekend trips to austin and houston too so i can see a few more cities!

[eleanor1974]

I recommend the Post properties in the up-town neighborhood. All are well w/in your price requirements. They are near fun bars to hang out and would hit your demographic.
In perspective, the area would be SIMILAR to Wrigleyville or Lincoln Park with all the outside bars and the type/amount of people that you will see. I looked at them a month ago and I was very impressed with what they had to offer. I don't live there but they are nice.

Another property is Jefferson at the North End. Good location at the edge of Uptown/Downtown beside American Airlines Arena, Hooters, House of Blues, Ghost Bar. Great amenities and the pool scenery is something to marvel.
I am a bit older than you but from the same area and moved here about 3 weeks ago. You can't go wrong with these selections and anything close to McKinney Ave will be a safe bet... Just my .02


Hope this helps.

[chitown82]

excellent advice. thanks! more suggestions welcome.

[chitown82]

Hey Naima,

If you have a moment, I would love to hear some of your suggestions for places in uptown, etc.

Others suggestions most appreciated as well!

Thanks, everyone.

Originally Posted by nsumner

Lots of young people at UTSW stay very close to work so they can walk but there isn't much to do close to there. Expect to have a car because our public transportation is not the best. I agree with awecelot, uptown, knox henderson area. I'll check into some apartment names and will post them here for you in a few hours.

Naima

[SmartGXL]

Hi Chitown82,

I live in Lakeview, in Chicago (Clark and Diversey) and I have been to Dallas numerous times, and can vouch for what the others say here...Uptown, Knox/Henderson and Lower Greenville (pronounced as "Grenville") are the "hip, cool" neighborhoods to live in. Yes, they are *SIMILAR* to Lakeview/LP, in the fact that they are older, renovated urban-style neighborhoods and that there are a lot of young, single people there, and there is a lot of upscale restaurants and shopping (kind of similar to North/Clybourn area of LP). Only difference, when I visited there I never saw a lot of people walking the sidewalks; instead, there is enough parking available (both on the street as well as parking lots for the stores) that it seems people just get in their cars and drive. Which is fine, but one of the really fun things about LP/Lakeview, Wicker Park etc is the ability to just simply walk everywhere...down to the coffee shop, to the train, to the local bar or night club, etc. I got the feeling that here, if you walked down to the grocery from your apartment, other people might think you are strange, or poor, lol.

I am in the same situation as you; I am considering moving down to Dallas (mainly for the better weather), but for me, I am kinda scared to take the plunge, I have gotten used to all the amenities that are here in lakeview and Im afraid I wont like it when I get there...lol.

Good Luck, let us know how things go.

[lpepping]

Who told you it was pronounced "Grenville"? That is news to me.