Thinking of moving to Collin County..... (Dallas, Austin: 2011, to rent, HOA)

[theloneranger]

Originally Posted by $DFW8$

Ok, I have kept my mouth shut for too long on this thread. I just cannot sit here and watch people bash the North Dallas suburbs any longer.

Commute from McKinney- Okay this part is really wearing me out! I am not real sure where the OP will be working, but people are making it seem like McKinney is out in the desert or something. I am just going to use a commute to downtown as an example. That commute would take about 45 minutes on average. EVERYDAY before I leave for work at about 7:30am, I check the traffic cameras and Traffic Reports | Traffic Alerts | Road Conditions | Traffic News & Delays | Traffic.com for drive times and jam factors. I also check it when I get to work at about 8am. Today at 7:25 am, it was taking 37 minutes to get from 75 & 380 to downtown Dallas via 75. Today at 8:00am, it was taking exactly 40 minutes. That is not a bad commute at all for someone who is use to commuting in LA. Yes, I am very familiar with the 91 and it is extremely clogged during rush hour and even during the day! I have lived in NYC and LA, which are among the top cities for worst traffic, and Dallas traffic is not that bad compared to NYC and LA.

Quality of Life- I cannot believe that someone would actually say that the quality of life in the North Dallas Suburbs is not good. Many of these suburbs have been recognized as some of the best places to live in the country. These areas are also far more family0oriented then some of the closer in cities. McKinney, Allen, Frisco, and Plano are all Kid Central There is kids of all ages everywhere. In practically every neighborhood, you will see kids playing outside and in the neighborhood swimming pools. At Stonebriar Mall, you see a ton of kids walking around with their parents that are also pushing baby strollers. There is very little crime in these areas as well.

Schools- I KNOW the Superintendent of McKinney ISD and most of the principals at the schools, and I have NEVER heard of any drastic problems AT ALL. Of course every school is going to have some problems. Just because someone doesn't agree with McKinney's school system doesn't mean is is bad. That is just their opinion. Take it for what it is worth. I promise that if you went and visited any of the schools in McKinney, you wouldn't be disappointed.

Housing- McKinney has some of the best housing developments in DFW. You will find that most of them are new or fairly new and very affordable. Yes, there are homes on the market in McKinney, but then again, find me any city where there isn't houses on the market. I KNOW many realtors in this area, and they have never said anything about this traend of people moving to McKinney, and then selling their homes and moving to other areas in Dallas. Most of the houses are on the market because people can either no longer afford the house or they are being transferred for job purposes. Yes, I called one of the best realtors in McKinney and asked what are the main reasons for houses being put on the market in McKinney and that is what they said.

Retail/Commercial- I know the mayor and the Economic Development team for McKinney, and they have said that all of the stores and restauarnats are doing very well. Why do you think more pop up all the time?!

Residents in the North Dallas Suburbs- In theses areas, you are going to find people from all over the world who have moved here. I guarantee that you would find MANY people from LA. We have a few just on our street in Frisco.

I am just so sick of all these Dallasites getting on here and bashing the suburbs. One minute they will say there is nothing wrong with these areas, and then the next they are on a soapbox basing them. It drives me CRAZY!!!(lol!) And I have yet to figure out why....I use to think that it was because they saw these areas when they were A LOT different than they are now. Now I don't know what to think. To them, if you're not inside LBJ, then you're in the boonies or something, which is FAR from the truth.

Now, I am sure that I will get some bad reactions from the posters who I basically replied to in my post. They will reply with inaccurate information and bash some more, but I have learned to just take it for what it is worth!

I think you're taking it a little bit too far. People aren't outright bashing the "North Dallas Suburbs," (I didn't know North Dallas had its own suburbs!) they're just pointing out a few alterntives and shortcomings.

Most Texans, thankfully, have never lived in LA and have no desire to do so, so the commute from McKinney to downtown is hellish. We don't feel any need to compare our city to NYC or LA because we aren't trying to be those cities, thank God. 45 min is a good traffic day if you're taking the Tollway from the Frisco area, and Central from McKinney isn't any better. For people who are from here, that commute is just crazy and not something most would want to undergo every day.

No one is saying the quality of life in the far north suburbs is anything but excellent BUT it's not the most diverse life. There are homes and swimming pools and retail businesses and fast food places and Stonebriar but there's not much special about the area. Life up there is nice and idyllic and peaceful, but it doesn't have everything you need in life (at least I hope it doesn't). The retail market is doing fine, but again, it's nothing to brag about.

I know momof2's comments are from one source, and I don't doubt they're accurate, but I don't think they're reflective on the entire MISD school system. You don't hear many bad things about McKinney ISD, but neither is it one of the better-regarded districts in the area. It's just average. It's still in the process of transitioning from little country 3A/4A McKinney High to a large suburban district with 5A schools, and that takes more than 5-10 years to do.

Housing isn't bad by any means in McKinney but sales of non-custom homes aren't easy up there because many people moving there want a custom home. That's why so many even newish homes are just sitting on the market, whereas homes in Dallas proper are going as soon as they're listed.

I think you have a few valid complaints, but you're overreacting quite a bit. There is nothing WRONG with living in the suburbs, but no suburb is perfect. Every suburb has shortcomings, and people have a right to know them when they ask questions. No one is saying McKinney isn't a nice place to live; on the contrary, most people have said it's a great place to live. However, that doesn't mean that people shouldn't know before they go and have other options to consider.

Just my two cents...

[CravenClan]

Wow, i think i got a little more than i bargained for.....

We are looking to slow down our life, and be able to raise our kids in an great area with great schools.

We are self employed and have been for over 20 years, in the same field. Our office is from home, no retail or commercial space is needed. Just a rental yard to store trucks/equipment.

I do not want my husband to spend his life away from his family on a freeway, just to provide a nice life for us, if i wanted that aspect, i could stay here and be close to the things we do enjoy doing (activity wise NOT people though)

We go to Laughlin/Bullhead City to the lake that is 4.5 hours one way for us, we have a house there to leave our boat at, so we make a trip about every other week or so in the summer. So an hour, is not far for us.

ALL schools have issues, i don't care where they are, you will always have people that do not agree on how things are being done whether it be the principal, office staff, teachers, PTA and so on, that is the joy of our freedom, and our countrys freedom, good or bad.

All i am asking, and i openlt asked, if anyone had a better suggestion, PLEASE state it.

We visited Austin, and it was beautiful, and we looked in an area that was "further" out, Dripping Springs....as opposed to like "steiner Ranch" in Austin...(which seemed like a smaller version of Orange County (not what i am looking AT ALL) So what i want is suburban life i guess, I do not need a mansion, i love super target, and that mall when it was in my budget, things are different now, everyone is feeling it!! I do not want a busy, smoggy, keep up with the Jones city, i have that....although the smog is not bad here. I live in a a city of about 100k, we are 1 hour either way to San Diego or OC, beach or mountains. Our school is top rated in our district, along with 2 others, out of ALL riverside county there are 3 10/10 schools in our district alone, there is only 1 in all of Riverside county that holds that high of a rating. But Southern California, or California in general is NO way the California i grew up in, and i was born and raised here.

At first i worried that people would not be accepting of me, because of the whole Ca thing, that you see on EVERY board, through just about EVERY state, bashing CA. I can see why sometimes, there are a bunch of a$$holes, here, and everywhere else as well. My BIGGEST complaint about here, is the LACK of protecting our borders, the influx on non english speakers, that affect my childrens education, my heath care costs, and my costs in general of living here.....and that fact that our once desireable state ahs been RUINED by stupid state decisions.....So if i can escape HALF of those things and have my husband around for dinner and activities with our kids school and what not, i can adjust to anything.

Again, am open to ideas, we will be making atrip there, before our kids go back to school in August, i plan on re visiting Austin on our way out there....Also near Houston, but i don't know if will ike the humidity there, i ear it is awful..

If anyone can give me a better city, not big one, with some subdivisions names and school names, i will gladly explore, that is what the internet is for....

Thank YOU!!

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by theloneranger

no suburb is perfect.

Shh, don't say that to anyone from the Park Cities!

[momof2dfw]

To the OP, sorry for all the bickering.

If you want to try something different that gives a totally different pace of life, closer to many more lakes AND an area that would make it easier to find a place for your husbands business for his work trucks I'd head out to Rockwall. Seriously. Great schools, small town feel still, growing, new shopping and dining areas, VERY family friendly and still not but 30 minutes to downtown Dallas right down I-30.

If your wanting to be near somewhere for your husbands work trucks then looking in many of the newer growing burbs you might not find it. Some of them tend to what all new shiny things and anything that might be considered "blue collar" may be frowned upon. Your going to find more areas that are in "unincorporated" areas of the county that will have such storage/rental facilities in other areas over Frisco, McKinney and Allen. Heck, not even that much in Plano. Besides Rockwall I would consider even Murphy.

[FarNorthDallas]

Texas is also a border state, you know. We have some of the similar issues as far as non-English speakers using the Emergency Room as their doctor's office, illegal immigration and other issues and our schools educate all kids without asking about resident status. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured people out of all states (25% or so).

[CravenClan]

Thanks again...I will do some checking on the other areas..I know what you mean about the storage thing, it is the same here, our neighborhood likes all things "shiny" and personally i do not mind that, i like living in an area that things are kept up, no tall weeds, too many cars in the driveway, etc..

It is a very hard thing to uproot your family, for our reasons it is for a better quality of life, but it is still scary..You hear so many people say they leave CA to other places, and then they want to come back, that will not be us...We have listed some pros and cons ans the PROS far outway the cons.

How are the winters there?? When is the rainy season, and is it alot?
Also anyone know about allergies?? How they are there, i know it is different for everyone..but just curious..

So i found a map that i could actually print and look at everything around Dallas..I see Richardson, what about Carrollton, in comparison to the other places we have talked about? I see Rockwall also.

So i looked up Murphy VERY SMALL, they said the population was like 3500!!

Rockwall looked better, what is the lake that is there? I see a large body of water on my mapquest map that i printed, but it does not say the name?

[gokctx]

Hi Craven Clan. Having lived in Plano, Allen, and Dallas for almost 10 years and now currently living in San Diego I will offer these observations.

Originally Posted by CravenClan

We are looking to slow down our life, and be able to raise our kids in an great area with great schools.

Dallas in general is faster paced than San Diego, slower paced than LA. If you want slower pace look out toward McKinney but beware driving down 75 throughout the day rivals LA traffic. Since you work from home that does not sound like an issue for you.

Originally Posted by CravenClan

So what i want is suburban life i guess, I do not need a mansion, i love super target, and that mall when it was in my budget, things are different now, everyone is feeling it!!

Do you really want a suburban lifestyle? If you have never lived in the suburbs before they may seem great from the outside but if you are not used to that lifestyle you might find it quite monotonous. Some like it some don't so just think it through.

Originally Posted by CravenClan

I do not want a busy, smoggy, keep up with the Jones city, i have that....although the smog is not bad here. I live in a a city of about 100k, we are 1 hour either way to San Diego or OC, beach or mountains. Our school is top rated in our district, along with 2 others, out of ALL riverside county there are 3 10/10 schools in our district alone, there is only 1 in all of Riverside county that holds that high of a rating. But Southern California, or California in general is NO way the California i grew up in, and i was born and raised here.

Sounds like you are a little North of Temecula right now. Hate to say it but you will probably find air quality in Dallas to be worse than the region you are currently in. It is not as bad as LA but the humiditiy, heat, pollution, ozone, and pollen are not ideal. Dallas also has its fair share of keeping up with the Jones, as mush as or more so than Riverside. Not as bad as LA though.

Originally Posted by CravenClan

At first i worried that people would not be accepting of me, because of the whole Ca thing, that you see on EVERY board, through just about EVERY state, bashing CA. I can see why sometimes, there are a bunch of a$$holes, here, and everywhere else as well.

The only state that seems to get bashed more is Texas. There are just as many a$$holes in TX as California or any other state for that matter. I did not notice any huge difference in the proportion of a$$holes in CA, TX, or MD for that matter, all states I have lived in. I lived in MO for a while and they seemed to have a lot less a$$holes but they had their fair share also.

Originally Posted by CravenClan

My BIGGEST complaint about here, is the LACK of protecting our borders, the influx on non english speakers, that affect my childrens education, my heath care costs, and my costs in general of living here.....and that fact that our once desireable state ahs been RUINED by stupid state decisions.....

Texas has the same problems. You are swapping an apple for an orange.

Originally Posted by CravenClan

Again, am open to ideas, we will be making atrip there, before our kids go back to school in August, i plan on re visiting Austin on our way out there....Also near Houston, but i don't know if will ike the humidity there, i ear it is awful..

The humidity and heat throughout Texas will be worse than what you currently experience, even if you are near the edge of the desert. It is the humidity that is the kicker. Unfortunately you can not escape it by going up to the mountains or to the coast. My friends in Dallas are currently melting and it is only June!

Originally Posted by CravenClan

If anyone can give me a better city, not big one, with some subdivisions names and school names, i will gladly explore, that is what the internet is for....

Have you thought about Colorado? That might be a better choice for you. Really think through the move. I would hate for you to uproot and find that what you are running from has raced ahead of you waiting for you in Dallas. You may even find that some of the things you are running from are only in your head.

Thank YOU!!

[FalconheadWest]

Dripping Springs (and Driftwood) in the Austin area are beautiful! Just contracted a house there last week with some relocation buyers from Vegas. Over 4500 sqft on over an acre for around $500k. If you don't want to "reach out and touch your neighbor", this is definitely a place to consider a little harder than the Dallas area. I lived in Dallas (Richardson actually) for 25 years and am now in Austin, and the differences are very apparent. You can't get "space" in any of the Dallas suburbs for under $400k like you can in some areas here, like Dripping Springs that you liked.

[theloneranger]

Originally Posted by CravenClan

Thanks again...I will do some checking on the other areas..I know what you mean about the storage thing, it is the same here, our neighborhood likes all things "shiny" and personally i do not mind that, i like living in an area that things are kept up, no tall weeds, too many cars in the driveway, etc..

It is a very hard thing to uproot your family, for our reasons it is for a better quality of life, but it is still scary..You hear so many people say they leave CA to other places, and then they want to come back, that will not be us...We have listed some pros and cons ans the PROS far outway the cons.

How are the winters there?? When is the rainy season, and is it alot?
Also anyone know about allergies?? How they are there, i know it is different for everyone..but just curious..

So i found a map that i could actually print and look at everything around Dallas..I see Richardson, what about Carrollton, in comparison to the other places we have talked about? I see Rockwall also.

So i looked up Murphy VERY SMALL, they said the population was like 3500!!

Rockwall looked better, what is the lake that is there? I see a large body of water on my mapquest map that i printed, but it does not say the name?

What are you wanting to know about Richardson and Carrollton? They are older suburbs that used to be farm towns, like everything further north is. Plano will look like Carrollton and Richardson in 20 years, and Frisco and McKinney in 30. They aren't bad places to live, but Carrollton does have some run down areas to avoid.

Murphy has a small municipal population but it's essentially a part of Plano at this point. Plano has around 250,000 people.

[CravenClan]

gokctx

I am in Temecula and have lived here 22 years, since i was 13. It is nothing like it used to be!! I get what you are saying, and we have talked long and hard for 4.5 years about LEAVING CA. We have been to AZ, Utah, Indiana, and Texas, and after all those we are now back researching TX. We are self employed, my husband is a landscape.concrete contractor, and we now own a maintenance business in Palos Verdes (LA) so the commute is horrible. I appreciate what you are saying, CA just worries me for many reasons, and with little kids, we really just want a better quality of life to raise our kids in, where ever that may be in TX. We love AZ, but that heat at 125 in the summer, has to be horrible, besides we can't sit at the lake all day everyday! haha..

falconheadwest

We loved DS when we were there, i think i was a little concerned about a college town feel and the Tech industry, since we are so far at the opposite end of the relm, with what we do for a living...But we looked at Belterra, and the Rooster Springs Elementary school, loved them!! Like i said i was just not ready! Plus it overwhelmed me, i did not find it very easy to navigate around there, it was scary to me, but i am also one who likes my comfort zone, which is thrown out the window when we leave her, being that we have been here so long. Also the taxes, can you tell me if they are dtill really high, i think when we were the they were 3.17, that makes a difference in the amount of house we can afford, we would still be at the $400k or less range, what are your thoughts on that...