Fort Worth with young family

[johngalt12345]

Originally Posted by loves2read

Some parts of Aledo ISD are in SW not just west of FTW
I think that is better than Burleson
Problem is that area is more rural/isolated--shopping and other facilities are more scattered and not that close
Some areas of FTW in Paschal HD catchment likely work
Plenty of people who can't afford that much $ for home send kids to private schools if they live in FTW
Martin HS catchment in Arlington ISD
Godly ISD, smaller but decent stats is north of Burleson

The 30 min commute likely rules out Colleyville or Southlake although your budget would fit

any approximation as to how long of a commute either might be? colleyville seems like it might be just on the brink of being ok distance-wise, but with the understanding of having to drive all the way through the city. I'm willing to push out the commute a bit if there's a good increase in quality of life, particularly schools.

[texas_nightowl]

I honestly can't say what the commute would be other than a pain. Given the budget you mentioned in your OP, I see no reason to live in Colleyville when you can get into great houses in FW such as the oft mentioned Tanglewood area and have a shorter and less stressful commute. But then, I hate traffic. And even though there has been and continues to be a lot of construction to improve traffic, a commute from Colleyville to Alcon will still involve the mess of 820/121 and 121/35 near downtown. Those have been a mess for over 20 years. Just my opinion of course.

That said...if good traffic...and with luck...and if you can tweak your hours to avoid peak rush hour...Colleyville would be doable. That is a lot of "ifs" though. I personally wouldn't...but choices of where to live and what commute is acceptable is personal too. ;>

I need to go back and review the earlier parts of the thread...have you visited? Will you be visiting?

[johngalt12345]

thanks for the feedback - only visit so far has been brief; however, we will have some house hunting trips. honestly, I'm thinking to do a short term lease for 6-12 mo to learn the area better. in addition to commute and schools, the other factor is that my wife is a sahm and our youngest are still a few years out from school age, so they need activities. our oldest will be starting kindergarten next fall.

[texas_nightowl]

I do think a short term lease/rent is a great idea. The area is huge and since you have until next August to pick a school district for your oldest starting K, renting for 6 months and trying to buy next spring is a great idea. I'm sure it is the same in a lot of places, but many listings do happen around April for people wanting to move during the early summer when school gets out too!

[rogramjet]

Wow. I've noticed there are a few of the same fear mongers on the Fort Worth thread who claim to have some first hand knowledge of Fort Worth schools, neighborhoods, culture, crime, etc. My opinion, if I was moving to DFW and did not live in central Fort Worth (e.g Tanglewood, Arlington Heights, Fairmount) or central Dallas (e.g. Lake Highlands, Lakewood, North Oak Cliff) I'd rather not live in DFW. Moving to DFW and living in Aledo, Mansfield, HEB, Keller, Frisco, Irving, etc., in my opinion, would be like moving to New York City and living in New Jersey. My advice, don't get your advice from this forum.