Renting in Dallas (Plano, Irving, Allen: renters, house, neighborhoods)

[sriddle5454]

My family will likely be moving to Dallas in the next few months, and we are trying to figure out the areas to target in our search for a rental. My husband's job will be downtown, and our plan is to rent until we are more familiar with Dallas and can narrow down where we want to buy a house. We loved Frisco and Southlake, but it seems that those would have a brutal commute for my husband.

What we are looking for:
-No more than 30-45 minutes from downtown Dallas during rush hour
-Safe and family friendly, lots of young families would be ideal
-Cost isn't a huge factor, but probably cant afford the Park Cities
-Lots of restaurants, safe parks, etc. nearby
-We will have a 2 year old, so schools aren't a priority now, but a lot of options for activities with a toddler would be great

Thank you!

[numbersguy100]

I would target M streets or Lakewood. Gives you optionality on schools. Other schools in the area are improving but homes zoned to Mockingbird or Lakewood Elementary are good bets. There will be tons of young families, amenities catering to your demographic, and events created to help you meet neighbors in similar circumstances.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by sriddle5454

My family will likely be moving to Dallas in the next few months, and we are trying to figure out the areas to target in our search for a rental. My husband's job will be downtown, and our plan is to rent until we are more familiar with Dallas and can narrow down where we want to buy a house. We loved Frisco and Southlake, but it seems that those would have a brutal commute for my husband.

What we are looking for:
-No more than 30-45 minutes from downtown Dallas during rush hour
-Safe and family friendly, lots of young families would be ideal
-Cost isn't a huge factor, but probably cant afford the Park Cities
-Lots of restaurants, safe parks, etc. nearby
-We will have a 2 year old, so schools aren't a priority now, but a lot of options for activities with a toddler would be great

Thank you!

Lakewood?
Lake Highlands?
Devonshire?
Sparkman Club?

None of those feel like sterile suburbs but they are super close to downtown and very family focused neighborhoods.

[WorldKlas]

M Streets and use Mockingbird Station to take the DART downtown

[75214Dad]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

M Streets and use Mockingbird Station to take the DART downtown

People that like Frisco and Southlake aren't going to like DART from the M Streets. They should look at one of those new developments on 114 in Irving, I think it's Coppell schools.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by 75214Dad

People that like Frisco and Southlake aren't going to like DART from the M Streets. They should look at one of those new developments on 114 in Irving, I think it's Coppell schools.

We get it. You're so URBAN. I don't actually think commuting to downtown using Mockingbird Station is convenient for most people in E Dallas, but I don't see any reason OP would hate M Streets, Lakewood, Lake Highlands, etc solely based on the fact that they liked those towns.

[75214Dad]

Originally Posted by numbersguy100

We get it. You're so URBAN. I don't actually think commuting to downtown using Mockingbird Station is convenient for most people in E Dallas, but I don't see any reason OP would hate M Streets, Lakewood, Lake Highlands, etc solely based on the fact that they liked those towns.

Well, I've seen plenty of people flee after a year because they can't handle a neighborhood where people park on the street, there's a house with renters on the block, etc. Master planned communities in the exurbs are nothing like East Dallas, so why steer them there?

Is East Dallas better than Southlake, well *obviously*, but that manicured cookie cutter stuff sells for a reason!

[NP78]

Originally Posted by numbersguy100

We get it. You're so URBAN. I don't actually think commuting to downtown using Mockingbird Station is convenient for most people in E Dallas, but I don't see any reason OP would hate M Streets, Lakewood, Lake Highlands, etc solely based on the fact that they liked those towns.

No kidding. I think they could probably get over the gritty authenticity of all the million dollar tear downs on leafy streets in Lakewood and the Lexus SUV’s parked on the street.

[mSooner]

Coppell

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Lakewood?
Lake Highlands?
Devonshire?
Sparkman Club?

None of those feel like sterile suburbs but they are super close to downtown and very family focused neighborhoods.

My sense is that lower prices have motivated the desire for the far flung suburbs. There are many closer in neighborhoods that have a suburban feel. In fact, I think many of the closer in suburban type neighborhoods do the suburban thing better than Plano, Frisco, Allen, or Southlake.