Garland- bad areas (Dallas, Plano, McKinney: for sale, apartment, homes)

[momof2dfw]

Oh yes, Miller and Dairy area is sooooo bad. LOL!!! Here is what happened to me one day last year at the intersection of Miller and Country Club (Country Club is the next light east of Dairy). Late one day w/ my kids in the car on our way back up to the school for a late function I had a flat tire. Some guys nearby heard it and came running and were showing me where to back up out of the street into a spot, "get off the street" is what they were saying (which is my motto too as you never stay in the street if at all possible when broke down). Anyway, before I could even get unbuckled to get out of the car they had gotten a jack out of one of their trucks and were getting the car jacked up. The tire was ruined and no way to fix it. One of the guys went and got some botteld water for me and my girls w/o us even saying anything (we had just been to Sonic and had drinks, lol). Since the tire was ruined they were all checking their spares on their trucks to see if one would fit my car as I had no spare in this car (I was not in my "daily driver" at this time but rather one of my husbands "babies" - he collects cars). So one of the guys took the tire and went and BOUGHT me a tire and put it on. I only had a few dollars on me and not near enough to pay for the tire. I tried to offer them the money but they refused. I felt really bad about that. I knew I had seen them in the area around there before so I made sure the next day to take them something in appreciation. So here sat this "white girl" w/ her "white kids" in this supposedly "bad gang area" in a car that is pretty darn nice and nothing bad happened. WOW!!! And I never felt the least bit frightened or in danger. Oh yea, call my husband, that would have been fine but my cell phone had died and in this car I could not charge it up.

[matto]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

Oh yes, Miller and Dairy area is sooooo bad. LOL!!! Here is what happened to me one day last year at the intersection of Miller and Country Club (Country Club is the next light east of Dairy). Late one day w/ my kids in the car on our way back up to the school for a late function I had a flat tire. Some guys nearby heard it and came running and were showing me where to back up out of the street into a spot, "get off the street" is what they were saying (which is my motto too as you never stay in the street if at all possible when broke down). Anyway, before I could even get unbuckled to get out of the car they had gotten a jack out of one of their trucks and were getting the car jacked up. The tire was ruined and no way to fix it. One of the guys went and got some botteld water for me and my girls w/o us even saying anything (we had just been to Sonic and had drinks, lol). Since the tire was ruined they were all checking their spares on their trucks to see if one would fit my car as I had no spare in this car (I was not in my "daily driver" at this time but rather one of my husbands "babies" - he collects cars). So one of the guys took the tire and went and BOUGHT me a tire and put it on. I only had a few dollars on me and not near enough to pay for the tire. I tried to offer them the money but they refused. I felt really bad about that. I knew I had seen them in the area around there before so I made sure the next day to take them something in appreciation. So here sat this "white girl" w/ her "white kids" in this supposedly "bad gang area" in a car that is pretty darn nice and nothing bad happened. WOW!!! And I never felt the least bit frightened or in danger. Oh yea, call my husband, that would have been fine but my cell phone had died and in this car I could not charge it up.

We took a trip down to the area a few months back. We were on the south east area where it borders to Dallas. A lot fo Garland seemed run down, but I never felt scared. I think Garland PD keeps a pretty good job at keeping the rift raft down.

[midnightbirdgirl]

Originally Posted by mavsman05

I can say about garland, A Garland gang member is headed to prison for 50 years for the fatal beating of a 16-year-old.

A Dallas County jury found Agustin Aviles, 26, guilty of beating Jacob Orta with a baseball bat.


Six others are also charged for the May 2005 crime.

nbc 5 post on there website It was a big deal at the time because the suspect was killed in broad day light I would not go through Garland for any reason unless it was unavoidable. I think you guys might remember the murder of another garland gang member who was ran over by a truck on miller and dairy. I am from Mckinney but I have friends from garland who would go as far as to say it's dangerous in the wrong areas of the city. I heard that east garland is the worst and then theres a neighborhood close to centerville and duck creek park I think that is very dangerous. I hope I helped good luck in finding a home.

All, I can say is unlike here in CA they got him and he is getting what he deserves. If you all allow this jerk ruin Garland, he wins...that is sad.
Does not sound like a rash of crime to me.

MBG

[missbeth]

I could have used this board last summer. We moved here and had not a CLUE where to move. THanks to a friend, we moved to South East Garland- so near Rowlett, Rockwall, Mesquite, and Sunnyvale, hardly anyone really realizes it is Garland. About a mile from Lake Ray Hubbard, too.

Im not sure of the prices of the homes in this neighborhood, but I want to say you can look at zillow.com to find out. If you stay south of I-30, your school choices will be great, and the neighborhoods are not too bad. I really like the areas between Rosehill and Zion Rd, again, south of I-30. Also a great area is up by Firewheel which is the very north east of Garland. Clean, and most homes are less than 20 years old. Stay away from the areas between Broadway/1st and 635- we don't like anything over there, and in general, customer service at MOST food places/stores sucks in that neighborhood.

Good luck in your search! We are on our way to Plano in 2 wks. I will miss the cheap electric Garland offers

[rantanamo]

These threads are so funny sometimes.

[LOK222]

Originally Posted by d_olmos

My husband and I are looking at houses in the Garland area and are trying to find out what areas/neighborhoods we should stay away from. Thanks for any help!

Personally I'd stay out of Garland completely

[sonshinelife]

momof2dfw... I have to side with you on this one. Sadly there are gangs in almost any city you go to across the metroplex, state, and USA. It really doesn't matter economic wise, you will still find some "gang" types in any given community, sadly enough. I think it is a matter of driving around exploring for yourself and then researching the area. If you have doubts then go further and check out the statistics with the city govt. officials.

[stargazer]

Oh my gosh Mom, I wrote that post and have not been back on since yesterday to read this thread. I never did think that could get a rise out of you. I am sorry if it did. I feel very badly. I actually am looking at living in Garland once the house sells here in Mckinney. I thought you knew that. That story is completly true. My daughter's teacher was Jane Teague Carson of Storybook Dance in Duncanville. She actually told me that there were gangs in Garland and what happened to her son and she was shocked I did not know that there were gangs in Garland.


Yes Mckinney has good and bad too as I also know that many areas around the metorplex have good and bad areas to live in. And when I say bad, I am not talking about working class neighborhoods or as some people equating that to lower income housing. There are plenty of good neighborhoods to live in that aren't mansion row, where the homes are modest and the families that inhabit the area work hard to keep it nice and safe. Bad to me, means unsafe with a crack dealer down the street, or as it happened to Mrs. Carson's son, having someone gun him down.
However with that said, I also believe that no where is going to be completly safe, the whole metorplex to me, is a huge city and with that said, you must be on guard always. Crime can happen anywhere and to anyone and Mrs. Carson's son could have been shot somewhere else but it did happen and that can't be taken away that it happened in Garland in an area as Mrs. Carson told me was known for not being that safe.


I think we all have loyalites to where we live much of the time and I think that is good, it shows community pride and we all need that. I would never want to belittle you Mom or anyone where they live. I just was relating a story I was told by a woman who lost her son.

I wish you all the best.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by LOK222

Personally I'd stay out of Garland completely

I'd like to ask exactly what experience you have personally w/ the city of Garland? I'm not being rude or anything but honestly you are new to Dallas and Texas. Just driving down LBJ does not at all give ANYONE any experience w/ the REAL city of Garland. In case you were not aware the city is in the top 10 largest in the state. Seeing a few block area hardly gives one the TRUE picture of the entire place.

The city of Garland has MANY great features and as a resident of the city since 1992 AND a business owner IN the city that also owns commercial/business properties IN Garland to hear someone say what you did is laughable. I would NOT put my family in danger nor would I allow my husband to go to the office in the middle of the night to head out into the streets of a city that I though was dangerous. It is a fact that Garland is one of the older communities in the Dallas area there is a LOT of rich history in this city. That also means that it is not all new and shiney like Frisco or McKinney (of which I'm personally thankful as I do like the more grounded hometown feel). Most of Garland WAS built many years ago. The city in the last 10 years has been VERY proactive to restore some of the older shopping centers and rid the city of places like the old Eastgate Apartments. Just because the housing is "older" does not mean that the neighborhoods or the city is "dangerous". It is not uncommon to find MANY residents of Garland that grew up here, went off to college and have moved back here to raise their own families. These people are professionals: doctors, lawyers, business owners, cpa's, etc. These people don't all live in the "new" areas of the city either.

Stargazer, no I was not talking at all about your post. It is rather the ones that have absolutely no firsthand knowledge of the city that continue to think that old myths apply. If we all believe the "wild stories" that are told by some people this entire state, maybe country should be condemned after all there may be someone out there looking to cause trouble.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by sonshinelife

momof2dfw... I have to side with you on this one. Sadly there are gangs in almost any city you go to across the metroplex, state, and USA. It really doesn't matter economic wise, you will still find some "gang" types in any given community, sadly enough. I think it is a matter of driving around exploring for yourself and then researching the area. If you have doubts then go further and check out the statistics with the city govt. officials.

You are correct. My sis teaches school in one of the places that is always mentioned on here that is supposed to be AWESOME, ideal and perfect. OMYGOSH, the stuff she has to put up with. And she teaches on the "good" side of town. Fights everyday in the middle school. Issues w/ gangs, sex, drinking and drugs. She finally got tired of hearing about the kids telling about their weekend escapades and went back to elementary school. Now she just has to deal w/ over zealous parents trying to run the school and that refuse to think their "lil johnny" or "princess" can do no wrong and has every right to talk back to the teacher. Sorry, but give me a neighborhood of hard working lower income people anyday over ones that think their pocketbook can buy off their childs lack of an education.