Question about neighborhoods/commutes (Dallas, Fort Worth: apartment, rental, condos)

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

Hello All:

I am currently living in Arizona but am a candidate for two decent job opportunities in Fort Worth; one within spitting distance of Sundance Square, the other at the Pier One building.

My question is what areas/neighborhoods should I be looking at that will provide me with decent housing options (renting, not buying), relatively safe locations, and a commute that won't make me feel like I'm back in Los Angeles?

Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[loves2read]

we live in Bedford area--one of the smaller towns betwee Dallas and FTW--my husband works on edge of Sundance and takes him about 20-25 min to drive into work on 121 in mornings--coming home during busy times probably more like 30-35--

he gets paid parking through his company--parking is the pits for workers--hard to find and expensive--there are FEW if any free spots during working hours--the Pier 1 bldg has some parking area I believe but don't know if it has enough for all workers there since cheseapeake bought it and is moving like 600 workers there--

there are plenty of areas where you can find apts/townhomes or houses to rent--just depends on what your budget is--there are probably even condos for rent in downtown but those will be pricey...

if you want to use public bus transportation then your options are living FTW itself and an area to east called Richland Hills (older from the 40-50s smaller tract homes)

or since you are working in downtown you might conside taking the TRE--Trinity Rail Express--rider share is growing for this train into downtown

there is station in S Hurst which is city E of FTW--and station right off 121 in Richland Hills at Handley Eiderville exit, or at the CenterPort station off 360 and Trinity Blvd--which means you could live in Hurst--Bedford -- Euless --Grapevine--or N Arlington and drive a couple of miles to park/ride the TRE and with gas prices climbing lots of people are taking that route in past year or so...
they catch a bus when they get to one of the two downtown stations if they need another hitch--problem is just with any public transport--THEIR time line vs YOUR time line...
my husband won't consider that because he would have to drive halfway as far to work to get to either the Centerport Station or the one in NRH to get to the closest park/ride and he says for that it is not worth it--but if you knew ahead of time that you wanted to do that, then you could choose your rental with that in mind

give more insight into your budget and your likes/dislikes and you can get more specific suggestions for where to rent

Map of 1000 Jones St Fort Worth, TX by MapQuest
this link shows the downtown TRE station

and this one shows the buses in downtown from there
Trinity Railway Express (TRE)

you could really walk to Sundance SQ in good weather but probably would want a bus for the Pier 1 location--that is over a mile and have to cross some busy streets---

Sundance is great spot--

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

Loves2read:

Thank you for the info. I was in a hurry when I first posted so I was probably a bit short on details.

As for renting, my preference would definitely be either a townhome or a house. I've done the apartment thing and would rather do that as a last resort. Budget wise I would say $1200 per month would be my upper limit, though I might be able to stretch it a little bit.

Public transportation...well, as much sense as that probably makes given the way things are today, I really don't like relying on it for the exact reason you noted; their timeline won't necessarily mesh with mine.

Personally, I don't believe that I would mind living in Fort Worth itself rather than outlying areas, especially if it cuts down on commuting time. A 30+ minute commute to and from work lost it's appeal to me many years ago. If there are decent neighborhoods within proximity to where I would be working, then I would rather go that route. Perhaps that's asking too much though.

So, I hope the above gives you and others a better idea of what it is I'm looking for.

Again, many thanks for your input. I welcome any additional feedback from you or anyone else.

[loves2read]

well I don't think you will find someting to rent in one of the downtown condos for that amount although Sundance for a single person seems very attractive and is really one of the safest downtowns in the state probably...and small enough to feel like a town--not a city...

I will send you a good MLS search site--you can live in Hurst or Bedford and have about a 20-25 min drive into work--you can live in areas of FTW and have maybe a 15-20 min drive depending on where you live--

[ilove2teach]

Look into Saginaw (just north of the city). It is an easy commute and a nice family atmosphere. I've lived here since 1991 and I love it!

[loves2read]

my husband's drive home is really only about 20-25 min--I guess--

would you consider buying somethng in an edge area and redoing--think some of the fringe around downtown is really begging to be gentrified---