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Old 12-22-2009, 02:50 PM
 
12 posts, read 20,907 times
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Hello all,
I have found a wonderful home in DeSoto, for a great price. What is DeSoto like, safety wise? Also, how are the local schools? Thanks so much
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Old 12-22-2009, 07:31 PM
 
Location: Lancaster, TX
1,637 posts, read 4,105,765 times
Reputation: 2640
Although I currently live in Lancaster, my family moved to DeSoto in 1990 and we lived in the city from 1990 to 2006. Even though DeSoto has almost 50,000 people and is the largest suburb south of Dallas, there are no regular posters on this forum who currently live there. In general, people living in the southern suburbs don't have as many posters on this forum.

In my opinion, DeSoto is a great place for families. It is a primarily residential, middle to upper middle class community and many of its neighborhoods are well-maintained. It is also a diverse community with wide variety of housing choices, ranging from apartments and starter homes to $1,000,000+ mansions. Crime is not a major problem in DeSoto and the city is generally safe. According to the 2008 crime statistics published annually by the FBI, DeSoto's violent and property crime rates are similar to or lower than many area suburbs of similar size. The same can be said for the other suburban communities bordering DeSoto. Retail is a bit lacking, but many of the mainline grocery chains and big-box stores common to all DFW suburbs can be found either inside the city or a neighboring community. Business interest in the southern suburbs continues to grow as the area does. Today, I drove to the DeSoto Walmart to pick up something and discovered that several new stores and a technical center had been built alongside it. This surprised me because I regularly follow retail development news in this area, but had heard nothing about plans for new stores there.

Like any school district, DeSoto ISD has some schools that perform better than others. Ruby Young Elementary is an excellent campus. It has long had a reputation for being great school. I've heard of parents moving to DeSoto so that their children could attend the school. When I was in elementary school (in the early 1990s), I remember how we were always trying to "keep up" with Ruby Young performance wise. My younger brother attended the school from (1997-2002) and the education he received was top notch. Northside, Cockrell Hill, and Woodridge are good elementary schools as well. Academically, all three middle schools (DeSoto East, DeSoto West, and McCowan) are pretty equal. The Freshman Campus is good, while the High School is okay. Speaking from experience, you can get a quality education in DeSoto schools. If you prefer private schools, there are several in the city, but three stand out in my mind. The first is DeSoto Private School. It serves students from pre-school (three & four year olds) through sixth grade. The second is The Canterbury Episcopal School, which serves grades K-12. The third is Cambridge Square, a PK-8 school. There are additional, smaller private schools in DeSoto as well as others in some of the neighboring communities, although I am unsure of their quality or reputation.

If you have any more questions about the DeSoto area, just let me know and I will try to be of assistance.

I hope this helps and welcome to Texas!
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Old 12-28-2009, 02:14 AM
 
Location: I-35
1,806 posts, read 4,312,458 times
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I love some DeSoto TX
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Old 12-28-2009, 07:16 AM
 
Location: Forney Texas
2,110 posts, read 6,465,044 times
Reputation: 1186
Most of the southern suburbs are going to be predominantly African American. Not that its a bad thing but I just wanted to let you know since it seems like you are not from Dallas.

Last edited by DaveG99; 12-28-2009 at 07:29 AM..
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Old 12-28-2009, 08:19 AM
 
Location: TEXAS
19 posts, read 50,898 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveG99 View Post
Most of the southern suburbs are going to be predominantly African American. Not that its a bad thing but I just wanted to let you know since it seems like you are not from Dallas.

Yes, Desoto is predominately African American and it is middle class and a dynamic area.

I have family in this area and also friends in Far North Dallas.

Southern burbs of Dallas is beautiful, especially Cedar Hill, which gets praise for its diversity.

So just because Desoto is predominately AA doesn't mean that is isn't a great area because it is.

So please, no stereotypes.

To All of You Non-African Americans:
African American is not a synonym for "ghetto".

People here on city data are so quick to label areas ghetto stereotyping AAs.

My advice to anyone when relocating to form your own opinions before taking someone else.
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Old 12-28-2009, 08:22 AM
 
Location: Forney Texas
2,110 posts, read 6,465,044 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Monica2009 View Post

My advice to anyone when relocating to form your own opinions before taking someone else.
I agree. Make sure you visit the area before you buy anything or decide to rent anything there. Drive through the area and spend a day there to get a feel of it. Thats what I did and I chose Plano even though the houses are a little more pricey than in most areas.
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Old 12-28-2009, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Lancaster, TX
1,637 posts, read 4,105,765 times
Reputation: 2640
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monica2009 View Post
Yes, Desoto is predominately African American and it is middle class and a dynamic area.

I have family in this area and also friends in Far North Dallas.

Southern burbs of Dallas is beautiful, especially Cedar Hill, which gets praise for its diversity.

So just because Desoto is predominately AA doesn't mean that is isn't a great area because it is.

So please, no stereotypes.

To All of You Non-African Americans:
African American is not a synonym for "ghetto".

People here on city data are so quick to label areas ghetto stereotyping AAs.

My advice to anyone when relocating to form your own opinions before taking someone else.
A truly wonderful post! Too often, people are quick to judge and stereotype cities based on their racial demographics without looking at other aspects of the community. Despite the changing racial makeup of the southern suburbs, they have remained solidly middle-class with income and educational attainment levels similar to other suburbs in the DFW area. There are plenty of safe, quiet neighborhoods with beautiful homes in each of them.

+1

Last edited by Acntx; 12-28-2009 at 09:41 AM..
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Old 12-28-2009, 02:01 PM
 
Location: Atlanta, GA - Seattle, WA - Manila, PH
457 posts, read 905,104 times
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I grew up in DeSoto in the 70's and had a blast - 'Ten-Mile Creek' was my playground. The city has grown up since then, and the demographics have changed, but I bet it’s still a great place to raise a family. I drove through my old neighborhood about a year ago and the place has held up well.

You should consider renting and see if the town works for you.
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Old 12-28-2009, 08:30 PM
 
6,820 posts, read 14,034,515 times
Reputation: 5751
There are some wealthy whites who live in Desoto but most of them are older. I meet a white couple who owned a stunning home in Desoto. We chatted for nearly 4 hours regarding how southern Dallas had changed over the years. I always suggest folks take a drive around during the weekday and weekend to help them decide if a area is a good fit for them or not. Many a pro athlete calls Desoto home.
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Old 03-10-2010, 07:40 PM
 
9 posts, read 32,804 times
Reputation: 33
We are a white family and we lived and worked in DeSoto -- the neighborhoods are friendly and lovely, parks are good, nice trails long ten-mile creek, easy access to Dallas, home prices and taxes good, and The Canterbury Episcopal School excellent. We now live in PA, but have fond memories of DeSoto in the late 90's
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