Moving to Dallas. Area near Criswell College? (San Antonio, Haskell: transplants, apartment complexes)

[sebajna]

Hi Everybody!
We are a married couple with two little kids (pre-K) and we are moving to Dallas in a month or so. My husband wants to study at Criswell College and eventually at DTS. So, we would like to rent an apartment close to Criswell, preferably within a walking distance. 30 minute walk would be fine. We do have a car, but we like to walk. Any suggestions? We can’t spend more than 800 for a 2 bed apartment. We are not very demanding, so we’re looking for something basic. We’ve lived on a missionary budget most of our lives – my husband was a missionary in Poland for many years. I am Polish. We would like to live in an urban environment, where there is density and diversity, where you can walk places or take a bus, where you are exposed to all kinds of people. But it also needs to be reasonably safe. You know, like walking to the park with my kids, is it going to be safe? I am not intimidated by homeless people, they are in most cases completely harmless. But because I am a foreigner, I don’t know what to expect, I mean, is someone going to harass me as I walk down the street? Does any of you live in the area, or used to live there? I would be very grateful for any info you can give me. Thank you!

[getmeoutofhere]

I doubt anyone will even notice that you are Polish, much less care.

[sebajna]

I know, I don't expect anybody to notice or care, I melt in with the crown just like anybody else. The only reason I mentioned me being Polish is to better communicate the lifestyle we are used to and what I am looking for in Dallas. That's all

[getmeoutofhere]

Most big cities are largely interchangeable these days. Dallas is pretty bland, mostly transplants and people who moved here because it's cheap.

You should be fine going to parks, but I would say that you will probably drive a lot more than you think. Dallas is not really a walking city. Mass transit is getting better, but it's not that great.

[FarNorthDallas]

I had to look up where Criswell College is because I didn't know. It's adjoining Baylor Hopsital ("Big Baylor"). With 2 little kids, I would not live within walking distance of that area. Baylor is on the Green Line DART train line which goes to downtown Dallas. Again, not a lot of little kids living in downtown. A few maybe, but not a lot. Once they hit kindergarten, you would want to do private school.

Or you might look at the Lakewood area.

[GayleTX]

I'll put it a little more bluntly than FarNorthDallas......I'd be scared to death to live in that area. And if I did, I'm homeschool by kids and have groceries delivered.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by GayleTX

I'll put it a little more bluntly than FarNorthDallas......I'd be scared to death to live in that area. And if I did, I'm homeschool by kids and have groceries delivered.

That's a shame you'd feel "scared to death" there. It's not the cleanest part of Dallas and it's probably filled with people who look different than you (both race and socioeconomic), but you are 99.5% safe there. Again, most city crime is avoidable if you are not mixed up in drugs & gangs, not being flashy or provoking others, or not involved in domestic disputes. It's very, very rarely random.

To the OP- I am familiar with Criswell and Westminister Seminary, which are both in that area. Many, many seminary students & couples live in the area.

I'd suggest you look along lower Swiss Avenue. Swiss is a very safe stretch to walk along. Closer to the college, it's old duplexes from the 1910s and 1920s. My church friends live in one that is a huge 2/2 for under $900 and they have share of a yard. There are usually signs in the yards when propertiess are for rent. Upper Swiss (above Fitzgugh) is a 1.5 mile boulevard lined with $1 Million historic mansions. There are a few parks sprinkled along Swiss. At the top of Swiss is Lakewood Village- a very safe shopping center with family centered restaurants, shops, and a branch of the Dallas Public Library.
This is a long walk for most Dallasites, but if you are used to walking in Europe or New York, it's not bad.

Another area to look in is around Exall Park, which is maybe 2 blocks from Criswell. This is a mix of new construction townhomes that are $300-500k and older townhomes. I would check the old townhomes to see if anything is in your budget. Exall Park is huge & many people play with their dogs there. There is a playground there, too.

Overall, play it safe and you should be able to find a safe, affordable place to live. The "bad" pockets of the area are everything east of Columbia and anything West of Swiss (between Swiss & Central). You may also be able to find something around Munger Place (between Gaston & Columbia. Streets are Junius, Worth, Reiger). In this area I would strongly avoid apartment complexes due to crime & focus on owner-managed small properties, like homes and duplexes. This will keep you in a nicer area.

The area is mainly Hispanic (from Mexico) and a little bit black and a good bit white. I'd guess 70% Hispanic, 25% white, 5% black. It is a pretty poor area, with the three neighborhood exceptions I listed above. There are some very good cheap restaurants in the area- Thai, Chinese, Mexican. Around Baylor, there is almost every fast food restaurant on earth as well as a Starbucks.

Also, there are many small churches sprinkled in the area, many with playgrounds and kids events. I saw one with a fall festival going on a few weeks ago.

You will be fine in the area. Just be safe. I would not recommend walking around after dark without your husband, but during the day you should have no troubles. Don't let the posters from the suburbs scare you about living by Criswell. I suspect most of your husbands classmates & their families will live nearby.

[pepper131]

The area is Peaks-Suburban Peak's Addition Homeowners' Association .

There's a daycare on the corner of Junius and Haskell that many seminary students use. It's in a church (can't remember the name).

The Science School at Museum of Nature and Science is close (you'll need to drive though). My kids went there and I'm happy to answer any questions.

There are some nice 4-plexes in the Swiss Ave area and Munger Place area TurtleCreek mentioned. There's a park called Munger Park on Junius across from this restaurant: Home . A cute kid's store there too little bean | unique kids shop in dallas tx although pricey. But ...my point is that these places could not exist if the area was as terrible as some posters above are making the area sound.

[sebajna]

Well, thank you all for your responses! Especially TurtleCreek, for answering my questions so elaborately. We'll be making a trip to Dallas sometime this month to check out the area and look at some apartments. I'll let you guys know what we think. And if we decide to live there I'll make sure that you know we are still alive . I am very excited about this move, because we've been living in the suburbs of San Antonio for almost a year now. I do love the city itself, but I don't like the suburbs. Never again! Urban living, here I come!

[pepper131]

It sounds like you are realistic about urban living.
At Munger Park, you'll find the occassional beer bottle; maybe a 40 oz'er. But I find those who leave their dog doo-doo in the grassy more offensive.