Best Dallas Suburb near Airport? (Plano, Lewisville: best suburbs, crime, day care)

[katesmommy]

hello..looking for some information. My husband's job is taking us to the Dallas area. He will travel most weeks and will need to be close to the airport. What are the best suburbs? We have a little girl and great schools are our TOP priority (in addition to being close to the airport). We are looking in the $350,000 to $400,000 range. I would love to be close to restaurants, shopping and kid-friendly locations - parks, museums. We are coming from a very safe area in PA with highly rated schools. Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

[Dangerfield]

Grapevine
Southlake
Flower Mound
Coppell

Pretty much in that order.

[Lakewooder]

Of course if you work in Dallas you don't want to get stuck in the traffic on the NW side of the airport. It is quite a bottleneck. Since the airport is centrally located, there are many place you can live. DART rail should be opening a station at the airport in 2012.

[katesmommy]

Thank you! We are looking into Southlake and Grapevine. At first we were looking into Frisco and Plano. However, based on what I have read, the distance to the airport and congestion in that area are negatives for me. Thanks again.

[Dangerfield]

Originally Posted by katesmommy

Thank you! We are looking into Southlake and Grapevine. At first we were looking into Frisco and Plano. However, based on what I have read, the distance to the airport and congestion in that area are negatives for me. Thanks again.

Both are good choices, you really won't go wrong with either one. I would give Southlake the slight edge because of the school system and I find the area to be hillier with more woodlands and better designed.

[padcrasher]

Colleyville...Hello? It's right next to Grapevine and Southlake and her price range fits here better than Grapevine (below price range) and Southlake (aboves her price range)

[ChristieP]

I will second the recommendation for Grapevine. City of Grapevine, Texas > Home It has everything you are looking for: great schools (Grapevine-Colleyville ISD), retaurants, shopping, and proximity to DFW Airport. The city is VERY family-oriented and the park system and library are amazing. My husband and I have lived here for almost 7 years and we absolutely love it!

Contrary to what Padcrasher suggests, there are several homes in your suggested price range in Grapevine, and most of them have a large lot, pool, and at least 4 bedrooms. In fact, you can actually go down to $300k and STILL have a wonderful house!

[loves2read]

what I have found from checking MLS in this area for more than 4 yrs is that of Southlake/Colleyville/Grapevine area--Grapevine's home in large majority have the smallest lots--so just get MLS site that really shows lot size...I will PM one that I think is really well organized and has good map/school feature...
the Grapevine schools are generally not as well-regarded as Colleyville schools which are in same ISD because Grapevine itself has apts which feed into those schools and Colleyville side does not...
also Grapevine -- while a VERY nice town--does have more crime than Colleyville does...
there is one area of Grapevine (older) that feeds into Southlake-Carroll ISD schools--generally ranked above Grapevine-Colleyville ISD...
The market in Colleyville and Southlake is starting to get softer--more homes on the market--but your target zone is probably the most competitive--
In Southlake your price will put you into older homes, smaller homes, dated homes for the most part...
In Colleyville there are some nice neighborhoods--some of them older, some not--Some of them in Colleyville might be in HEB ISD or in Keller ISD because in TX cities and ISDs don't run congruently all the time...
Southlake-Carroll ISD
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Coppell ISD
Lewisville ISD (Flower Mound/Lewisville)
would be the 4 ISDs I would rank in order
Southlake is most expensive tax wise/house wise

Coppell is option you might consider--I like it because the city uses low-signage--makes a nice visual change from other towns in area--it is close to airport and decent commute into Dallas...
BUT there is flight noise because of the traffic pattern in and out of the airport--once you get used to it probably not a big bother--
there is flight noise in some nothern parts of Grapevine and Southlake as well...

Just remember that ALL of these towns are within 15 min or less drive time of each other--and you don't have to get on freeways to do it--the shopping/restaurants/churches/medical facilities are all so closely related that there is no need to live in one to use that one's facilities...

[5stones]

I'd say Coppell first. you'll be able to get more house for your money than in Southlake.
Colleyville would be my 2nd choice.
Grapevine next
Then North east Keller (keller hs,keller middle pyramid)

[JEMSHABUCK]

This site it great. Thanks to all for the detailed information. My husband, baby and I are coming to the Dallas area this weekend to check out the towns that have been mentioned here. We currently live right outside NYC and will be relocating to Dallas for work. With only 3 full days in the area and a small child in tow, which towns do you recommend we not miss, and what features of each area should we be looking at? Our price range for a home is $375 - $425K and we will be there for at least 3-4 years so our son will most likely need a solid pre-K and we will need access to a nanny or a very highly regarded day care environment. Where we live now, we can walk to public transportation to NYC, walk to our small downtown area and be on an interstate in less than 5 minutes. All these things are important to us, but we realize that Texas living will be substantially different than Nothern NJ. Thoughts?