Is it Uptown? Renting question (Dallas, McKinney: appointed, to rent, condo)

[kitkatita]

My husband and I are looking for a neighborhood in Dallas where we can get around easily by public transportation and walking the majority of the time. We'll be commuting to downtown and would like to spend no more than 30 minutes doing so. I've read through just about everything on this forum and through all the links - it has been very helpful.

We live in Chicago now in a very walkable neighborhood and are not accustomed to driving much. Also, we'll be looking to rent a townhouse - not a condo in a highrise.

So we've been told that Uptown is the best area for us. But I'm not sure exactly what the street boundaries are and where we should look. Also, I'd prefer to be able to walk to grocery store and/or drug store in the neighborhood. Am looking on line at townhouses on Cole and Elizabeth - have no idea if I'm in the right place.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom!

[TexasLibertarian]

You're in the right place. Uptown is a very loosely defined area.

In general, anything south of Knox, and east of the cedar springs gayborhood is uptown.

[Dallas native]

The southern and eastern borders of Uptown are definitely Woodall Rodgers Freeway (south) and I-75 (east). The north and west borders are a bit ambiguous. I would say Blackburn Street is the northern border, but others might say it is Fitzhugh. As for the west, I think it would be the Katy Trail down to Victory Park (which is bordered by I-35). Anyway, it's a pretty large area.

Cole @ Elizabeth is just a few blocks north of Blackburn St. You could walk to the West Village part of Uptown where you could take the McKinney Ave. Trolley all the way into downtown. You could also walk to the DART rail subway station at CityPlace. This location also has the benefit of being within walking distance of the Knox-Henderson area where there are lots of restaurants and retail. But, if you want to walk to the grocery store and drug store, I would suggest looking a little further to the south. There is an Albertson's Grocery and a Walgreen's at the corner of McKinney @ Lemmon Ave. It is walkable from Cole & Elizabeth, but it will seem like a real schlep on those hot summer days.

[kitkatita]

Ah that is just what I needed to know - thanks very much!

[Lakewooder]

If you look in what we call the State - Thomas district of Uptown (closer to downtown) there's a Wal-Mart grocery that is walkable -- I've never been in there but I've heard it's o.k.

[WillysB]

That WalMart at Hall @ 75 is a good store for those general groceries and dry goods. I was disappointed it didn't have an extended line of groceries like Kroger or better yet Whole Foods. But living in Oak Lawn I hadn't been to a WalMart in ten years, and wound up buying a car the last time I had gone. My principle reason to use that WalMart was the pharmacy... $4 generic drugs.

Kitkatita, the Cole/Elizabeth may be a prime location for you. It's an old neighborhood with re-construction going on many of the streets and plenty of townhomes. Buena Vista and Travis are also attractive in that they tend to be secluded (no thru fare). The area is just north of Blackburn St where at McKinney there is UpTown shopping, etc. Just down McKinney from there is the theatre where I saw the 'Inconvenient Realities of Al Gore's Imagination'. Blackburn is also the street the bus runs along from CityPlace, across UpTown and on to OakLawn/Preston and points north. From one of the bus stops along OakLawn it's a nine block walk on to WholeFoods Grocery. The point here is that it will get you to CityPlace in short order, from which you can take the train on to downtown or north to Mockingbird Station (shopping) or North Park mall and other points north. Even a Home Depot near the Park Lane station. The bus also goes downtown where it runs parallel to the train but 2 or 3 blocks east. Along its downtown route it goes right by that WalMart but its return is on the north bound side of 75. Just across 75 from CityPlace is a Target, Big Lots, and a couple of other stores. The tall office building on the east side of 75 is actually CityPlace from which the metro stop is named. The DART train is deep under ground here.

[kitkatita]

thanks so much - this is all really helpful and useful information!