Which suburb to the south would you pick? (Dallas, Grand Prairie: foreclosure, house)

[DisneyLuvr]

Ok, here's the story. My husband got the job in Grand Prairie on Mountain Creek Parkway, zip 75211
As stated in my last post we are moving from a very small rural town in NE Indiana. We have 2 girls, ages 3 and 7 so we are looking for a location with good schools 1st. We can spend up to $150,000 on a house and would like a commute of no more than 40 min preferably 30 min, 4 bedroom with an inground pool.
Which suburb would you choose, and why?

[FarNorthDallas]

I would pick Red Oak because people I know who live there love it and they say the school district is better than some of the others in the south half of DFW. It has more of a rural feel to it.

[DisneyLuvr]

It's funny that you mention Red Oak. I found a house there online that I really like however the school ratings is low. Do the people you know who live there, have children?

[FarNorthDallas]

No, not currently. They are either childless or their kids already went through the schools. I know another who uses Bishop Dunne Catholic school (7-12th grades). That's a good point. You would want to talk to parents who currently have kids there. Maybe check the great schools website. The elementary schools seem to be okay, test scores wise, anyway. They are all Recognized. But 5th grade on, they don't have the test scores at all. Even the social studies TAKS grade is low and that's got to be the easiest of the TAKS tests. Course, Red Oak is rural and rural schools have the same problems as urban schools - high drop out rates.

I wish we had more posters from the southern half of the metroplex to offer better insight.

[Grainraiser]

Are you looking for a place with a small town rural feel like the one you have now.

[ChristieP]

I can't imagine getting a 4 br house WITH a pool for that price unless you find the best foreclosure bargain in the world, even in the southern suburbs...

[Acntx]

Hi. I just wanted to let you know that I just sent you a direct message with additional information that might be helpful to you.

[txstate]

All of em I love South Dallas County; De Soto Cedar Hill D-Ville G.P. Lancaster. I'm black that's why I love mostly black and now Hispanic very cultural in the South.

[DisneyLuvr]

Thanks FarNorthDallas for spending your own time checking out those Red Oak Schools.
ChristieP-I have researched and actually there are quite a few very nice homes with all that I require for that price. Your post did not help me out with no info to back you up. Thanks anyway.
Acntx-Thanks for the pm you sent to me with so much valuable info
Grainraiser-I don't expect to get what I have here in Indiana but I would like a smaller close knit community-kind of like where everybody knows everybody kind of feel

Does anyone think I can achieve these expectations on a home or do we need to extend our commute time?

[sandbrg23]

I wouldn't sell Midlothian short. Midlothian has one of the best ISDs south of I-20 (best in Ellis County and one of the best agricultural programs in the nation-a new multi-million dollar ag facility is under construction right now). Sure its grown in population 16,250 city and about 28,000 total, but every city in the southern sector will be growing tremendously over the next 20 years as the north Dallas growth slows. Red Oak is actually projected to be a larger City. The are definitely neighborhoods in Midlthian that fit the 150K price range. I see only two real negatives (depends on the person). The Cement Industry (pollution studies are inconclusive, but monitoring continues) and the lack of good retail and restaurants (which will come with time). Positives, quick commute to GP, good schools, low crime, pretty rural views (south side of town), small town feel, especially in the core.