Thinking of moving to Collin County..... (Dallas, Austin: appointed, real estate, rent)

[theloneranger]

Originally Posted by txgolfer130

Oh, and as far as the commute, don't let a lot of these guys scare you. Yes, if you're working S. of downtown, it's gonna be hell. But if your up to downtown it really not that bad for a city the size of Dallas. I leave the house at 6:30, get to work at the High-5 in 45-50 minutes on average door-to-door. At 5pm getting back to McKinney is at least 50 minutes up to 1:10 depending on how bad it is.

What the hell do you consider to be hellish if this commute is "not that bad" to you? That commute is CRAZY! I couldn't imagine being a parent and commuting that far--it's ridiculous.

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

?????? What lakes took you that long to get to? I realize you would be coming from McKinney and it would take a bit longer to get to some of them but it is not THAT far. Lake Dallas or rather Lewisville Lake is not an hour away. Neither is Lavon nor the lakes to the north. To the east then yes it will be an hour or more. Then again, one needs to factor in the traffic congestion of McKinney and getting in/out of it as well.


That commute is not to downtown. Add in another 20-30 minutes to get to downtown. My sis lives in McKinney. Her husband had two job offers w/ one being north closer to Oklahoma and one being in Richardson. He did several days of commutes to both and he found out he could be in Oklahoma practically a lot quicker than he could get down to Richardson. This was from Stonebridge.

If the OP does not have a job lined up then sending them to live in this far out burb w/ a LOT of traffic would be insane. There is a poster that has been on here a little that took the advice that McKinney was the place to be and moved there. Thank goodness they rented as the job they got was in Midlothian

As I said, I work at the High-5 and it takes 45-50 minutes tops. Downtown, maybe another 15-20 tops if traffic is heavy. But coming from S. California that is nothing.

Lake Lavon was a 40-45 min. drive from 380/Custer on a Sat. morning, that did have some pretty heavy traffic. Lake Lewisville is about 35-45 minutes, but traffic is a real bear going that way and hauling a boat on a weekend.

From Stonebridge to Richardson leaving before 7:45 will get you to Richardson in 40-45 minutes...on I-75. I know it, I've done it and it's an easy trek on a slow moving day. Now, if there's an accident, like anything it all goes out the window as for some reason here in N. Texas they don't believe in shoulders on the Interstate.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by theloneranger

What the hell do you consider to be hellish if this commute is "not that bad" to you? That commute is CRAZY! I couldn't imagine being a parent and commuting that far--it's ridiculous.

I agree, but to each their own! I guess a lot of people don't mind it, but I sure would. I used to drive my daughter to a dance class in Plano, straight down the tollroad from Dallas, nothing like the distances we're talking about here, and against traffic. On out return home around 6:00 pm or so, I'd see the total gridlock on the tollroad heading north and wonder how anyone could stand it day in and day out. I guess some people don't mind, but I'd be a basket case!

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by theloneranger

What the hell do you consider to be hellish if this commute is "not that bad" to you? That commute is CRAZY! I couldn't imagine being a parent and commuting that far--it's ridiculous.

That commute is nothing. Especially for a city/metroplex area the size of Greater Dallas. CA, FL, NY, and hell even Boston or Chicago traffic would kill you if a 45-50 minute commute is "hellish". Even coming from Austin, this commute is nothing, there are a lot of people here that think that if something is more than 20 minutes away from them then it's basically "off the planet". It's simply not true, just a symptom of having a lot of great things near to what you desire, in a large metro area.

People may complain about the traffic here, and it can be really, really bad. But in the grand scheme of things, you have no idea how good you have it here.

[TXNGL]

That commute is nothing. Especially for a city/metroplex area the size of Greater Dallas. CA, FL, NY, and hell even Boston or Chicago traffic would kill you if a 45-50 minute commute is "hellish".>>

See, that's why I got rid of my car when I lived in Boston!

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

Okay, to the OP, please check out other areas and RENT RENT RENT first. If you don't know where your job is going to be and how bad the commute will be........... RENT!!! Especially if your going to concentrate on a burb this far out. Let me put it this way. Only until the last few years has McKinney even gained the title as a "suburb" of Dallas. It has always been a small town to the far north that was a "day trip". Now that it has grown and the growth has been explosive it is still a "day trip" because of the traffic congestion. I'm not kidding when I say it takes a good 10 minutes to get from Hwy 75 to my sisters house in Stonebridge and NOT in rush hour traffic but the middle of the day. Traffic is HORRIBLE! You do not have to live somewhere in this area that has traffic this bad at all.

I have to also agree w/ Falconhead. The houses in McKinney are NOT moving. Sorry folks, some areas might be but they are not moving THAT great. My sis lives in Stonebridge and she has had 5 houses on her street alone in a mid level area sitting on the market for sale for OVER A YEAR! People are finally seeing that they don't have to move that far out to have a "quality" life. Now I will say that when you get in these areas w/ all of the new construction and all of the people coming in from areas of the country where they could not afford a brand new house the only thing they want then is a brand new house. So the existing homes are sitting on the market because Bob & Susie from California can finally buy a BRAND NEW HOUSE as they never ever thought they could do that back home. There might be the existing home that someone can turn quick but that is not a common practice in some areas that are still growing and new builds are a dime a dozen.

I know I'm going to get a lot of flack for this.............
Okay, I don't know what schools were like where most of the people in McKinney came from but I will say they are not all that great. I'm sorry, my sis teaches there and has been at some of the "better" schools there. She has no plans of putting her own children in the schools there at all. If she could sell her house they would move right now before they start school. One problem I have w/ the schools is the grading system in elementary school. I want real grades for my kids. Not this 1, 2 or 3 stuff. I also want my kids to suffer the consequences if they don't do their work. Some teachers might have a principal that will let the teachers be strict on the students but if the parent comes up to the school or calls and complains about the teacher then the teacher has to back down. This has happened to my sister in the 3 elementary schools she has been at in MISD and two of them were on that list someone else posted. She tried middle school for one year and FLEW back to elem as fast as she could. When she found kids smoking pot in the bathrooms and went down to the office to inform them she was told, "we know but don't have time for it". Within the first week of school the office sent out a note to the teachers to stop sending kids to the office for dress code infractions as there were just too many of them and they did not want to deal with it. One student was allowed to wear daily a big huge blinged out necklace that said, "B I T C H" on it and no penalty at all. Too many of the "leaders" of the schools don't want to "rock the boat" or cause trouble. I will say that ALL school districts do have their fair share of problems and no school district is immune. Imho, the worst are the ones where parents are allowed too much control of the schools because they want their little johnny to be a straight A student and he "never" gets in trouble. I'd rather be in a school where it is run tight as a whip and the kids DO get in trouble. So what if the school gets lower "test" marks (which I don't rely on the TAKS scores to tell me about a school) but if the kids are actually learning and being held responsible for their actions....... I prefer that. Again, not all schools & districts are perfect.

I agree, I would rent first for sure. And there are some homes that are sitting, but most of those are homes that are really relatively new, the owners are leveraged out the ying-yang and can't sell for any less, and will shortly be on the foreclosure list. Those homeowners who are more realistic and really want to sell have their homes sell pretty quickly. I know as I was searching for the better part of 6-months and the good deals, or homes that were priced accordingly sold quickly (120 days or less list time).

Now as far as schools go, I don't know what you're talking about. The McKinney schools are great for the most part. There are some, just like anywhere else that are not that great. But in the area that most people have listed the schools are great. The administrators may certainly have some unconventional methods, but the education and objectives are really up there. Test scores don't tell you everything, but they do tell you a few things. A minimum amount of learned material. And if the test scores suffer because there are constant "trouble" makers that the administrators can't control are or over-controlling, also tells you that there are problems as well. And also, with the amount of involvement and taxes I'm paying...if I have a problem with the teacher you better believe I'm gonna have a say in it. And if they don't like it, there is always another line of work they can chose.

[FarNorthDallas]

In the Richardson ISD (school dstrict) most of which is in the city of Dallas, the school times are:

Elementary K-6th - 8:00am-3:00pm
Jr High - 7-8th - 8:30-3:30pm
High School - 9:00-4:10pm

School starts the last Monday in August. Max class size is 22 for K-4th grade although sometimes schools will squeeze in 1 or 2 more if it means keeping siblings all in the same school. School bus service is only for those living 2 miles or more away.

It might be hard to find an apartment to rent in the same elementary school zone as the house you buy because not all elementary school zones even have apartments. You might rent a house instead.

School zone boundaries are not the same as city limits.

There are plenty of youth activities here, including cheer.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by theloneranger

What the hell do you consider to be hellish if this commute is "not that bad" to you? That commute is CRAZY! I couldn't imagine being a parent and commuting that far--it's ridiculous.

NO KIDDING!!! My husbands main office is only 7 miles from home and he complains if he gets held up for just slower than normal moving traffic. I could not imagine him commuting THAT far in that much traffic. It is bad enough he is out of the office a good bit going to visit w/ customers and has to deal w/ the mid-day traffic between rush hours. LOL!!!

Originally Posted by txgolfer130

As I said, I work at the High-5 and it takes 45-50 minutes tops. Downtown, maybe another 15-20 tops if traffic is heavy. But coming from S. California that is nothing.

Lake Lavon was a 40-45 min. drive from 380/Custer on a Sat. morning, that did have some pretty heavy traffic. Lake Lewisville is about 35-45 minutes, but traffic is a real bear going that way and hauling a boat on a weekend.

From Stonebridge to Richardson leaving before 7:45 will get you to Richardson in 40-45 minutes...on I-75. I know it, I've done it and it's an easy trek on a slow moving day. Now, if there's an accident, like anything it all goes out the window as for some reason here in N. Texas they don't believe in shoulders on the Interstate.

Um, no. It will take a bit longer than that if one is going the speed limit.

See, that is what I'm talking about. THAT IS NUTS!!! There is just way too much congestion in that part of the metroplex. That is not normal for the rest of the Dallas area at all. I can be at Lake Lewisville from my house pulling a boat in 45 minutes easy. I can also be at my lakehouse out in East Texas in an hour flat. That is pulling a boat as well and having to deal w/ two lane blacktops in some of the rural areas as well as dealing w/ the road construction in Rowlett and Rockwall. I think this draws out the point we are trying to make. That area is just CONGESTED all of the time no matter if it is rush hour or not. There are just too many people crammed together in that area. You go 5-15 miles east or south and it drops considerably and one can live in a good area and not have to deal w/ the congestion all of the time.

We DID have shoulders on the highways and some still do. Problem is due to all of the people moving here and the rapid growth the state had to take away the shoulders to add lanes to the highway in some areas.

Originally Posted by TXNGL

I agree, but to each their own! I guess a lot of people don't mind it, but I sure would. I used to drive my daughter to a dance class in Plano, straight down the tollroad from Dallas, nothing like the distances we're talking about here, and against traffic. On out return home around 6:00 pm or so, I'd see the total gridlock on the tollroad heading north and wonder how anyone could stand it day in and day out. I guess some people don't mind, but I'd be a basket case!

Tell me about it. We have season tickets to the Stars and it always cracks me up on our way down there on 75 seeing all of the traffic gridlocked going north up past 190. NO WAY!!! During rush hour with us going the OPPOSITE direction of most of the traffic to get from our house at 190 and close to 78 in Garland all the way down and parked at the AAC can take an hour and typically 45 minutes is more like it. That is us KNOWING the roads, the flow of traffic, not afraid to go 5mph over the speed limit, etc.

I don't care if they are coming from a place where this is considered "normal". If you can get away with NOT doing it......... why put up with it. Why not improve your quality of life? Why not use less gas and put less wear and tear on your car? (I thought Californians were supposed to be more "green" and would WANT to lower their commute drastically if they could ) Why not live closer to work and not be so far from family in case of an emergency? Why not live close to work so that you can go have lunch with your kids at school some? Why not live close to work so that you can help out when kids have a million activities all at the same time? Why not live close to work so that you and your spouse can meet for lunch a few times during the day? It just makes no sense to me.

[txgolfer130]

I wouldn't worry about not being able to live in the McKinney area if you're looking for a franchise type of business. McKinney has plenty of opportunities. Richardson and other areas closer in to Dallas proper just don't have the same "feel" as the McKinney/Frisco/Allen area.

As for the school day...school starts at 8:45am and goes until 3:30 pm for pre-k through elementary. P/E and music is part of the curriculum, but the programs take hits every year. This link may help.
MISD Parent Resources
New to MISD

As far as shopping there are multiple grocery stores, 3 Super Targets with in a 12 mile area, more Walmart's than you can shake a stick at, and multiple dining and assorted "drive-up" places. Since you're from Riverside imagine Huntington Beach 15 years ago or Riverside. Everything you need is there, but newer. Mckinney is still booming and things are going up everywhere even during this recession simply due to the infrastructure still needing to catch up w/ development and the influx of people.

Stonebriar Mall (major mall) is 20-25 minutes away in Frisco (from Stonebridge), as well as other malls S. of McKinney that are no more than 30-35 minutes taking surface streets.

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

NO KIDDING!!! My husbands main office is only 7 miles from home and he complains if he gets held up for just slower than normal moving traffic. I could not imagine him commuting THAT far in that much traffic. It is bad enough he is out of the office a good bit going to visit w/ customers and has to deal w/ the mid-day traffic between rush hours. LOL!!!

-- That is exactly what I'm talking about. If it's more than out of their sub-division, it's too far to go

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

Um, no. It will take a bit longer than that if one is going the speed limit.

-- Um, yes. It takes me that long 4 days per week. I drive it almost every day. I know.

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

We DID have shoulders on the highways and some still do. Problem is due to all of the people moving here and the rapid growth the state had to take away the shoulders to add lanes to the highway in some areas.

-- But you don't now, and don't get me started on the TxDot operations here in N. Texas.

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

I don't care if they are coming from a place where this is considered "normal". If you can get away with NOT doing it......... why put up with it. Why not improve your quality of life? Why not use less gas and put less wear and tear on your car? (I thought Californians were supposed to be more "green" and would WANT to lower their commute drastically if they could ) Why not live closer to work and not be so far from family in case of an emergency? Why not live close to work so that you can go have lunch with your kids at school some? Why not live close to work so that you can help out when kids have a million activities all at the same time? Why not live close to work so that you and your spouse can meet for lunch a few times during the day? It just makes no sense to me.

--You're simply missing the point all together. The OP is wanting to WORK & LIVE in McKinney. They are meeting all of your criteria. They are wanting to work and live and shop and be close to their kids in a city that has continually been rated one of the top areas to live and raise your kids in. So, pointing that out, I guess you're endorsing it then? Being green and all?