Moving to DFW: Desoto or Garland? (Dallas, Plano: fit in, rent, house)

[wxlfman90]

Hi, there. We are new to DFW area and are moving soon from the Denver area because we both have family here and we felt it was important for us to be closer to family. We are both in our late 20s, I'm half Latino, half White, my wife is Indian and we recently welcomed our first child. We put in offers to 2 homes that got accepted, one in Desoto (Briarwood Park near Belt Line/Cockrell Hill) and one in Garland (Springpark Neighborhood near Jupiter/Campbell). It is important for us to be close to ethnic stores/restaurants. We both would work in the Uptown area of Dallas so commute isn't an issue. Both homes are 2 stories in kept up neighborhoods with the one in Garland being (slightly) older. The home in Desoto is newer and bigger for the same price. We are on the fence because both homes look nice. What I am wondering is where would we best fit in, how are the school districts, how are the people, and the amount of stuff to do in the areas?

[ChristieP]

Honestly you’ve chosen two suburbs with iffy schools that are a LONG way from both of your jobs. Since you’re unfamiliar with the area, I’d rent for a year to get to know it, and then try to buy once you know where you want to be.

[rabbit33]

I can't speak to commuting to Oak Lawn from De Soto, but I used to live in Spring Park and from there to central Dallas was a total hell commute.

[WorldKlas]

As far as fitting in, both will work fine. If I were you, I would have chosen Irving.

[biafra4life]

Neither one is ideal given your commutes, but out of the two I would say Garland easy. Garland ISD is stronger although not consistently across the district but the great thing is that it is unique in the dfw area because it offers the option to move your kid to a better school in the district if you don’t like the one you are zoned to. Most districts here don’t allow that.

Also I think the demographic makeup of Garland would better suit your family than Desoto although I don’t think it’s a deal breaker either way.

Work wise Desoto works best if you work in Downtown Dallas while Garland offers you a few more options as it’s a doable commute to North Dallas, Richardson, Addison and Plano.

[Grainraiser]

Of the two I would go with Garland for sure. Garland is going to be much more diverse than Desoto and they have school choice in Garland.

[wxlfman90]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

Neither one is ideal given your commutes, but out of the two I would say Garland easy. Garland ISD is stronger although not consistently across the district but the great thing is that it is unique in the dfw area because it offers the option to move your kid to a better school in the district if you don’t like the one you are zoned to. Most districts here don’t allow that.

Also I think the demographic makeup of Garland would better suit your family than Desoto although I don’t think it’s a deal breaker either way.

Work wise Desoto works best if you work in Downtown Dallas while Garland offers you a few more options as it’s a doable commute to North Dallas, Richardson, Addison and Plano.

I believe the house in Garland is zoned to Richardson School District. Is it a better/worse district?

[rabbit33]

Oh yeah, Richardson, especially that far east end of Richardson, is a much better school district than Garland.

If those were the only two choices I had, I'd go to Springpark a hundred times over De Soto even though the commute would be worse.

Maybe, however, you could drive over to a DART station on Central Expressway and take the train down to town? It would depend on how close your offices were to the train stations. And hopefully you could both ride together if the train wasn't feasible.

[DallasComet]

Springpark is city of Garland but Richardson schools. Still a very nice neighborhood. Big Springs is a really good elementary school. I'd say Apollo Jr High and Berkner HS are ok.

De Soto is closer and has some nice areas but their public schools aren't that good. I'd go with Springpark.

[NP78]

Another vote for the Garland location with RISD schools. Much better performing schools than DeSoto and generally a pretty nice area.