Overwhelmed by suburban choices - need help, please! (Dallas, Plano: middle-class, homes)

[lagniappe]

Greetings, everyone! I'm relocating to the Dallas area and desperately need help narrowing down the information I've received - Carroll, Grapevine, Keller, Flower Mound...it's all running together!!!! I want to stay north of Dallas, but that can include NW to NE and everywhere in-between (hence my "too many choices" dilemma). I have a 13 y/o and a 10 y/o, so school system is my primary concern. I don't know where I'll be working, and I'm accustomed to driving 30-60 minutes one-way to work anyway, so commute is not an issue. Ideally, I would love to find a close-knit, family-oriented community that is welcoming to newcomers and has as little "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality as possible...preferably a smaller community...I know Plano has a wonderful school system but I'm moving AWAY from a place that size...As far as school systems go, I'm more concerned with things like Pre-AP/AP offerings, % college-bound graduates, National Merit recognition, parental involvement, etc, than I am with the state ratings of "exemplary" or "recognized" or whatever. I want a lot, don't I?

I really appreciate any information! Thanks so much!

[ChristieP]

Sounds like you'd fit right in here in Grapevine. :-)

Honestly, though, find out where you'll be working before you make a decision. There is no reason to commute an hour in DFW area. There are plenty of good suburbs in every direction.

[theloneranger]

"As little a keeping up with the Joneses mentality as possible" is going to eliminate a lot of suburbs.

Keller is a pretty good choice, but is OUT there from downtown Dallas. Southlake (where Carroll Hih School is) definitely wouldn't be a good fit. Grapevine would probably be a happy medium.

Richardson is an older suburb but definitely has a lot of nice areas and some good homes, and is a very family friendly area. I'd look at the area around Pearce HS--it's a top school, only about 2000 students, and is a great environment.

The older suburbs are going to have less of a "Joneses" mentality, but the school systems generally aren't as good on the whole. There are some outstanding schools, but if you're picking based on the district as a whole you'll be hard-pressed not to find a very-new money "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality or else be in Highland Park, where they ARE the Joneses.

[lagniappe]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I would prefer NOT to have to drive for an hour, it's just that in my profession I can work in a variety of locations, so if I can find the perfect (for us) combination of school district and community, I should be able to find a job within a reasonable distance....

I say north Dallas because the friends I have in the area are scattered throughout the various northern suburbs, but they're either in Plano or their children are all older, so they're limited in the information they can give me. Plus, I like the access to DFW, and I have relatives in Oklahoma who I will see on a regular basis, so it just seems like the northern area would be a better fit for me.

[theloneranger]

Plano is not "North Dallas." It is north of Dallas.

North Dallas, the area roughly between I-635 and Northwest Highway/Loop 12, would be a good fit. There is housing from the standard middle-class mid-century ranch onto giant McManses which take up two or three lots. The public schools aren't great, but there are lots of private schools to pick from.

If you're going to work downtown, I wouldn't recommend anything in Collin County. It's going to be hard to meet all your criteria up there, though some areas like Frisco or McKinney might. Plano is a nice place to live and has great schools, but, especially in the western part, it's very, very pretentious.

[lagniappe]

OK, that was a mis-type on my part...a separate, distinct community north OF Dallas is my intention, and good public schools are a must, I have one child in private school now and am trying to get away from that...

[loves2read]

speculation is pretty meaningless when you don't know where you are going to be working

does that mean you don't have a job--you are moving here and hoping to find one???

[lagniappe]

Weighing offers but no decision yet. Finding the community that best serves my family's needs is my first consideration, the location of my job is secondary.

[FarNorthDallas]

For "close-knit" you might consider a one high school/smaller town type place like Prosper ISD. Otherwise, I don't know if close-knit and big suburban high school go together very well.

[tyanger]

Take a look at the SW parts of Allen that are still in the Plano ISD territory - Suncreek subdivision specifically has a smaller, close-knit community feel but retains proximity to some of the good aspects of Plano.