Does Highland Park fit this description? (Dallas, Plano: fit in, transplants, movers)

[J&A'sMOM]

Hi my DH is considering interviewing with a company in Dallas TX. I've been surfing the TX forum and am wondering if Highland Park would be a good fit? I saw the photos and loved what I saw! We'd want a community where the kids play outside, you can walk to a "downtown" area. A cool and friendly coffee shop. People walk, walk their dogs, and bike around town to go to the library and such. A real feel for community that welcomes transplants!! Our budget is around the $1M+, so I think finding a house would be OK - just wondering if the atmosphere is friendly. We love the older communities with older homes and big trees but we need friendly people and lot's of kids where people are less pretentious and more family orientated.

Thanks for any comments!

[Grainraiser]

Highland Park has a lot of beauty. Tree lined streets with nicely manicured lawns. Think of it as a oasis within the inner city. Plenty of Dallas movers and shakers call it home. They have a fantastic school district and there own police force. It is sometimes referred to as "The Bubble". I can't walk to downtown but strolling down the city blocks with your kids and dog would be totally safe. The only issues most folks would agree it has is lack of diversity and some residents do have the "I have to keep up with Jone's mentality". These may or may not be important to you but they should be mentioned. Other than that I have to say Highland Park is a great place to call home.

[FarNorthDallas]

Well, the Park Cities (Highland and University) are very pretty. There are places to walk to although I don't know what the "downtown" area would be. There are several different retail areas to walk to.

People walking their dogs, biking and kids playing outside happens all over the metroplex so nothing special about that happening in the Park Cities.

Transplants? Well, new CEO's coming to town are certainly welcomed into the Park Cities. Space is made at the Dallas County Club for these high level, high profile business folks. Garden variety transplant? Hit or miss.

I would say it's friendly enough, but it's very cut throat competitive, especially academically, but also in sports, trips, wealth, amount of kids' allowance, how much parents pay for grades (some kids get $$hundreds$$ per "A"), things and stuff, camps, extra classes and tutoring and all that.

There's zero economic diversity in Highland Park school district. Not a single free or reduced lunch child in the district. If your child has any learning issues at all making them average or below average academically, you'll want to pursue private school. Luckily Dallas has several good private schools for kids with learning disabilities and they are chock full of Park Cities kids. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Highland Park ISD pays these private school tuitions to get these kids off their rolls - to the LD schools or to other special needs private schools.

I would say the Park Cities area is very child-centered. It is a desirable place to live for a lot of people - the Beverly Hills of Dallas and all that.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by J&A'sMOM

we need friendly people and lot's of kids where people are less pretentious and more family orientated.

I'd say that people in Highland Park are VERY pretentious... you honestly might fit in better in another part of Dallas.

[theloneranger]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

I'd say that people in Highland Park are VERY pretentious... you honestly might fit in better in another part of Dallas.

This.

As cliched as it is, look at Lakewood.

[getmeoutofhere]

If you want the absolute best schools, best areas, best of everything, then Highland Park is the only choice.

The downside to that "best of" aspect is that there is very little diversity, and most everyone who lives there is convinced of their superiority over the regular inhabitants of Dallas, surrounding, and pretty much everyone else, up to and including God.

If you aren't part of the high-end Mercedes-Benz, country club, shop at Neiman's and Stanley Korshak crowd, then Highland Park may not be the best place.


If I had $1M to spend on a house, I would immediately go to Lakewood Blvd., and find something there.

[aeh]

We moved to Highland Park schools over a year ago. There are some people who are the over the top pretentious people, but for the most part, I would say that it is way more down to earth than other places we have lived, including Far North Dallas and West Plano. I would say it is much less showy than either of those areas, but then you will have a FEW people who are. We are beyond thrilled with the schools, LOVE the Mayberry type feel, being close to retail shops and restaurants and parks that we can walk to, letting the kids bike to these areas, all the lemonade stands, block parties, seeing neighbors out all the time. It is not very diverse, that is true. It truly feels different than when we lived in FND and WP. Completely different community feel.

[Grainraiser]

Originally Posted by aeh

We moved to Highland Park schools over a year ago. There are some people who are the over the top pretentious people, but for the most part, I would say that it is way more down to earth than other places we have lived, including Far North Dallas and West Plano. I would say it is much less showy than either of those areas, but then you will have a FEW people who are. We are beyond thrilled with the schools, LOVE the Mayberry type feel, being close to retail shops and restaurants and parks that we can walk to, letting the kids bike to these areas, all the lemonade stands, block parties, seeing neighbors out all the time. It is not very diverse, that is true. It truly feels different than when we lived in FND and WP. Completely different community feel.

Your view seems pretty accurate to me.

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by aeh

We moved to Highland Park schools over a year ago. There are some people who are the over the top pretentious people, but for the most part, I would say that it is way more down to earth than other places we have lived, including Far North Dallas and West Plano. I would say it is much less showy than either of those areas, but then you will have a FEW people who are. We are beyond thrilled with the schools, LOVE the Mayberry type feel, being close to retail shops and restaurants and parks that we can walk to, letting the kids bike to these areas, all the lemonade stands, block parties, seeing neighbors out all the time. It is not very diverse, that is true. It truly feels different than when we lived in FND and WP. Completely different community feel.

A sound opinion based upon my experience.

I know more than one family that decided to find a home in HP after being overwhelmed with the cost of tuition at private schools in the Dallas area. The fact they can use public schools in HP offsets the higher housing costs and they get a community that is great for the family.

It is a nice place to live and raise a family.

[jpeagle21]

Originally Posted by cdelena

A sound opinion based upon my experience.

I know more than one family that decided to find a home in HP after being overwhelmed with the cost of tuition at private schools in the Dallas area. The fact they can use public schools in HP offsets the higher housing costs and they get a community that is great for the family.

It is a nice place to live and raise a family.

Buying a 1 mil house in HP and going to public school as opposed to a 500K home in Frisco and paying for a private school comes out as a wash. I would have a hard time believing that. Besides, if you can afford a home in HP, how would you be "overwhelmed" by the cost of private school. If you are overwhelmed by the cost of private school, you shouldn't be living in HP in the first place.

To the OP.....Highland Park is a beautiful area. Probably one of the nicest in the city, and it would just about fulfill your criteria but you will pay for it. If you have 1 mil to pay for a home, this may not matter to you. If I had 1 mil to spend, I would buy a house in a just as nice, but less "prestigeous" community and invest the rest of the money for other things.