Husband took a job in Arlington - relocating from Michigan (Fort Worth: apartments, house)

[Msprice11]

My husband just accepted a position with UTA and we will be relocating with our 4 and 1 year olds. We're looking for good schools, a 30 minute or less commute to UTA, and would like to be in a home in the $350-$500ish range. It seems like money might go a little further down in Texas! I've been doing a bit of research on Mansfield, but am very open to other areas, as well, but need to figure out where to focus! Appreciate any suggestions!

[WorldKlas]

A huge NO on Mansfield for UTA. Not a good traffic pattern. You will want to be North of UTA for traffic pattern.

Here are my suggestions. (BTW, I have properties in Tarrant County and have owned 2 places in Mansfield and like that area, but you could do better.)

*Colleyville
*Grapevine
*N. Euless in GCISD - zip 76039
*Southlake (not probable in your budget)
*N. Arlington zip 76012 only if the house is zoned to award-winning Butler Elementary School


Be aware that school zones and names of towns don't always coincide. While they generally do, not always.
So basically, I recommend you seek out Grapevine/Colleyville Independent School District (GCISD) OR
Butler Elementary in Arlington.

North Arlington doesn't have the best schools except for Butler which is highly desirable == people actually camp out overnight in the parking lot for a place in line for in-district transferring into Butler on open enrollment day if there are any places not filled by students within the zone.

[WorldKlas]

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...2_M89788-89114



4301 Martin Pkwy, Colleyville, TX 76034 - realtor.com®


http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...9_M88031-46750

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...2_M89767-33772

[Msprice11]

Thank you, WorldKlas, I will look into those areas. How long would a commute be from somewhere like Mira Lagos to UTA?

[babs7907]

About 35 mins on 360 but you have no idea how bad the traffic in the area around UTA (Arlington) is? It's a nightmare.

Originally Posted by Msprice11

Thank you, WorldKlas, I will look into those areas. How long would a commute be from somewhere like Mira Lagos to UTA?

[WorldKlas]

From the southern areas of S. Arlington and Mansfield the morning traffic heading east on I-20 or Northbound on any streets going toward I-30 are totally jammed in the morning and the same going southbound in the evening. Live North of UTA for best commute. Its a quality of life issue.

[bmlx]

I live on the west side of Fort Worth and used to commute to a job on the east side of FW, and I-30 never seemed to back up with traffic in the morning going eastbound or afternoon going westbound. Mind you, I never commuted all the way to the Cooper Street exit (where you would exit for UTA from FW). The problem is that there are not any good schools in that direction, until you hit the TCU-area neighborhoods that feed into Tanglewood Elementary or Lily B. Clayton Elementary schools. And the secondary schools those two schools feed into (McLean 6th, McLean Middle, and Paschal High) have lower average ratings than most comparable schools in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD or the Mansfield ISD, although this is counterbalanced somewhat by Paschal's strong college prep programs (which basically serve as a "school within a school"; entry is not guaranteed though).

If you were to consider Fort Worth, most of the homes in the Tanglewood attendance zone seem comparable to Southlake price-wise (out of your price range), but there is a small zone north of I-20 along South Drive that feeds into Tanglewood and is at the bottom of your price range, but commuting to UTA would be trickier from there. As a matter of fact, all of the Tanglewood zone would require spending some time on local streets to access I-30. The Berkeley Place neighborhood (that feeds into Lily B. Clayton) is definitely doable at your price range. Berkeley Place is also very close to I-30 for an easy commute to UTA, although there can be traffic at the Forest Park/Rosedale intersection just prior to I-30. You should note that these neighborhoods are generally composed of older homes, but if you are looking for something less like cookie-cutter suburbia, they are a great choice.

Since Southlake was mentioned, you could consider looking at the Myers Meadow neighborhood, which would be close to (or just above) the upper end of your price range. Commuting to UTA from there would be pretty tough, though.

[loves2read]

While I agree that GCISD is a good district--
Birdville ISD has some excellent schools and the high school grads for Birdville HS have some very successful grads earning scholarships and entry into service academies, and very selective schools...
There is more diversity in race and income levels in Birdville ISD because it encompasses smaller, older subdivisions/homes and residents in lower income groups but it also has some newer areas with more upscale residents...those east off Tarrant Parkway and north on Davis/Precinct Line--part of that lies in Keller ISD too
Look at the other side of City Data with cities demographics

North Hurst feeds into BISD as does North Richland Hills
My neighborhood Chisholm Trail Estates in NHurst feeds into Walker Elementary--former Blue Ribbon School--and is in your price range--many families with younger kids but also some seniors, and has an ethnic mix as well...

You might also consider the Keller ISD that has areas of west Colleyville, and south Keller along Tarrant County Parkway--
There are some excellent elementary schools in Keller ISD

Your price point is above what HEB ISD has as an average so while there are good schools in HEB, it likely isn't the option you want to consider...
The commute to UTA is going to be a pain most places you might consider living and needless to say the farther north you go the more difficult--

In the MidCities area--those smaller towns between FTW and Irving--many people try NOT to get on 183 or 820 or 30 if there are surface roads in decent condition because while traffic lights might be part of the problem they also help to move traffic and you have ways to avoid accident backups...not something you can always do on the freeways...
157 to Green Oaks to Cooper is one way we have gone into UTA area

Check a map out and find some of the larger, 4 or 6 lane streets---
And add 20 min to Google maps estimated travel times during the commute hours...

Be aware that our state legislature is a lost cause in many ways and has decided to institute a new "grading system" for school districts that will make almost any school that has a variety of demographics rate more poorly than it really is...
In Texas--as in almost any state--a public school district with higher income families with higher education/professional profiles always scores better than lower income/lower education residents...
Bearing that in mind--Southlake Carroll has NO apartments in its profile--which is a HUGE benefit compared to ISDs like HEB or Birdville or Keller which do...
Grapevine city limits has apartments but Colleyville -- the other half of the district--does not--and the home values in Colleyville start out at 300K+--

Considering the demographics of the ISD--HEB has done an excellent job w/many of its students from a lower-income, lower-family education demographics...
Paschal High School in FTWISD has had more National Merit finalists and semi-finalists than Southlake Carroll for a decade or more--with Southlake showing improvements in only the last one-two years...
Paschal HS is one of those schools w/in a school -- where you have a core group of very educationally aggressive students who persue rigorous academics while the other part of the student body is average at best...
The better elementary schools in FTWISD usually feed into Paschal--the problem has always been the junior high schools -- Recently FTWISD created some magnet junior highs trying to remediate or obsure the problems w/in the district--don't know that there is enough proof of their success or not...

[tcualum]

One option I would strongly consider would be the Lake Arlington area. There are some good elementary schools in the Martin High School zoning area. It's an easy commute plus there's good parks nearby along with a good library branch. Arlington has great parks and rec and library systems. The city is currently building a brand new central library.

Commuting to Arlington from Keller would be a nightmare. During rush hour the traffic can be quite bad on 360, I-30 and I-20. Before you commit to having to commute along those roads I would drive them a few times during morning and evening rush hour. Part of the problem is that there's not really any good alternate routes. For your budget you could buy a really nice home under budget in a good neighborhood not too far from UTA and send your children to private school. There's some great options in that area. Message me if you'd like to have me hook you up with a realtor. I know a great one.

We currently live in central Arlington just west of UTA. We love the area but my husband works in Fort Worth and the kids go to school in Fort Worth too. We'd love to stay in the area but the commute to SW Fort Worth is awful and keeps getting worse so we're selling our home.