Honest opinion of Plano (Dallas, Richardson: fit in, real estate, how much)

[Brea75]

We will be relocating to Plano in a few weeks and would be very interested in some opinions of the area.

Thanks

[Laftime]

Brea,
I live in Lucas, Texas which is about 5 miles from Plano. I recently lived in Allen which borders Plano. I am originally from So. Calif. and have lived in Texas almost 10 years. We LOVE it here. The people are nice, the communities and schools are great. Lots of good shopping and restaurants, too. Plano is very big and almost built out now. Most of the new homes being built are north in Frisco, Allen and McKinney. I really loved Allen and the schools are great and the houses are very reasonably priced. It is conveniently located to almost everything, too. If you want to be closer to the Dallas area and don't care about brand new, you should definitely consider Plano, too.

Hope this helps you a little! Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Laftime

[jbdallas]

Check out all four cities, Plano, Allen, Frisco, and McKinney. The housing prices are all pretty similar, but the tax rates are far different. Plano I believe has a lower tax rate than the others, which may affect how much you pay for you home over the course of the year. Unless you are dead set on Plano though, you might also Check out Lucas, and Wylie. They are smaller, but really not that far at all. Lucas is now starting its school system up, HS I think, so taxes there will likely increase in coming years. You really can't go wrong in any of the towns though. Also, just south of 190 along custer road in Richardson there is a nicer very well established neighborhood called Canyon creek, there are some really nice older homes which border the golf course. Good Luck.

[Brea75]

Thank you very much Laftime and Dallas

This really helps. We have also been looking for homes in The Colony.
Laftime....my parents live in So. Calif. in OC....how would you compare OC to the Dallas area?

We just want to find a nice and quiet neighborhood not too far from the office, a 20 min drive would be nice. The office is on legacy drive, just off the 121. jbdallas.....where could I find out more about the tax rates for these towns? Will $225k be enough for a nice home in a nice neighborhood? My kids won't start school for another 3 years, so this is not something I looking in to right now....if necessary, we'll move when this is an issue.

Thanks
/Brea75

[Laftime]

Brea,
Orange County is HUGE! My sister lives in Lake Forest and I have a niece and nephew that live in Newport Beach. Dallas and its suburbs or "the Metroplex" as it is called much of the time is not nearly as crowded or crazy as OC. Of course, we don't have all of the beaches and the "hip" factor but it is a great place to raise a family and live a nice, quiet life if that is what you would like. Not to say it isn't getting crowded in places but it will never be like Orange County or Southern Calif. I lived in Glendora in Los Angeles County right before I moved to Texas and Glendora reminds me a lot of Allen. I really like Frisco, too. If you are from Brea, it might even remind you of Brea a bit. I would urge you to consider Frisco before The Colony. Even though it might be convenient location-wise, I have not really heard a lot of good things about The Colony. I also think that the property values will be headed up in Frisco area and you can find some very reasonable housing prices because so much building is going on right now. So much is brand new and they have great schools and parks, etc. It is a bit more crowded there than Allen but they have good schools and great shopping, and it is very close to the office location on Legacy. North west Plano would good but might be a little more pricey. I would think that you could find out more about the tax rates on the website for each city. Almost every city has an independent online forum that you might want to check out, too with links to info about schools, housing, etc. For more on Allen, go to WWW.allenonline.com. Good luck!!

Laftime

[TexanBush]

hey brea75

I live in downtown dallas so I will be able to give you a different point of view. I've been living here for 5 years after growing up in the northeast and westcoast. Let me just say that dallas is the worst place I've ever been. This is the most generic and non-diverse place ever. But thats good for those people who enjoy living in a "small town" mentalitiy with all the conviences of a larger meteropolitan area. The only reason I have stuck it out here is because of my job, but soon I will be departing this wonderland.

Over the time here I've found that there is a prevalent paranoia to the people here. Not sure why or about what. I assume you are a caucasian republican, so you'll fit right in to the scene. Image is everything here as well.

Quick tips to look like you're apart of the scene:
1. keep bible in car
2. join a church
3. buy bmw, mercedes, Hummer, or porche at minimum
4. Pretend to drive drunk
5. Practice the "distainful" look towards mexicans
6. Learn how to be superficially cordial
7. Be sure to wear a parka with shorts because thats about as well as you can dress for the weather.

I hope these things are helpful to your transition to the good life that is texas. Whoever said that Disneyland is the happiest place on ear was totally wrong, it is definately Dallas, Texas USA. You will know why they broadcast warnings "Don't mess with Tex." I think the majority of people out there mistake it for bravado or machismo, but in reality the nice people here are trying to be helpful literally. Ah the wise people here are the best in the world.

Tex

[telegraph]

Plano is a nice suburb. Been here 17 years having moved down from Washington DC area. Lots to do. Most folks are into 'consuming' and 'shopping'. Good schools. Many new areas around with newer housing, $225,000 will get you a nice house - but you can spend up to a million if you want. Depends at want level you want to 'consume'.

Flat - no mountains around, but that goes with most of Texas. Hot summers, mild winters. Lots of activities. Plano, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, all new suburburbs with most of new housing moving toward the north. Plano is 'built out' - most of housing is now 5-30 years old.

Keep in mind real estate taxes are a fairly big bite in TX. No income tax, so they make it up in real estate taxes.

[just1yana]

Originally Posted by TexanBush

hey brea75

I live in downtown dallas so I will be able to give you a different point of view. I've been living here for 5 years after growing up in the northeast and westcoast. Let me just say that dallas is the worst place I've ever been. This is the most generic and non-diverse place ever. But thats good for those people who enjoy living in a "small town" mentalitiy with all the conviences of a larger meteropolitan area. The only reason I have stuck it out here is because of my job, but soon I will be departing this wonderland.

Over the time here I've found that there is a prevalent paranoia to the people here. Not sure why or about what. I assume you are a caucasian republican, so you'll fit right in to the scene. Image is everything here as well.

Quick tips to look like you're apart of the scene:
1. keep bible in car
2. join a church
3. buy bmw, mercedes, Hummer, or porche at minimum
4. Pretend to drive drunk
5. Practice the "distainful" look towards mexicans
6. Learn how to be superficially cordial
7. Be sure to wear a parka with shorts because thats about as well as you can dress for the weather.

I hope these things are helpful to your transition to the good life that is texas. Whoever said that Disneyland is the happiest place on ear was totally wrong, it is definately Dallas, Texas USA. You will know why they broadcast warnings "Don't mess with Tex." I think the majority of people out there mistake it for bravado or machismo, but in reality the nice people here are trying to be helpful literally. Ah the wise people here are the best in the world.

Tex

YOU SAID IT.... I think people dont realize that Texas as a whole values itself as its own Country, and not a state within the US. LOL... I too moved here from California and my biggest issue on the negative side with Texas is that everyone appears to be the same person, cloned, dress alike, carry the same bible, drive the same car, live in the same styled house, loved the cowboys(im a raider fan so i didnt fit in at all)love the mavericks, and hate non "christians"....After being here 3 years now I realize that once you move here you are expected to assimilate......fit in or we will make it miserable for you....NOW on the positive side...the cost of living is great, the weather is OK some of the time, most people speak to you in passing, some neighbors really do look out for you and your family, and did i meantion the cost of living is low????....the best advise is be outgoing, find your niche and a group of people you relate to and enjoy life!!!

[turnbun]

I wouldn't live in The Colony. It's not a very nice place anymore. Canyon Creek IS very nice. We looked there for a while but just couldn't find the house we wanted. Richardson Heights is also a really cute neighborhood with lots of character, but smaller homes. We are about to move to the Lake Highlands area which is Northeast of Dallas proper and close to White Rock lake.
I think you should take the negative comments with a grain of salt. There is a lot of character in Dallas if you live in the right area. Now, I don't know that I would say Plano has a lot of character, but you can find diversity and individualism in Dallas. It definitely has plenty of "keeping up with the Jones's" types, but also some good people who know how to lay back and have a good time.
If you want to live some place with a little more character, I would look for older, more established neighborhoods rather than the brand new cookie cutter neighborhoods.
Good luck!

[lh_newbie]

The Colony has many areas that are funky to get in/out of... it's a bit of a bugar from an accessibility perspective. I have a friend that lives out there, and basically we have drifted apart - I couldn't bear the drive.

Turnbun - welcome to Lake Highlands! I moved here in August of 2006. LOVE IT! Accessibility and affordability.