Flower Mound, Coppell, Bedford, Grapevine, Southlake or Northwest Irving? (Dallas: low crime, house)

[adfp]

I need some help deciding between the suburbs in the Dallas/Ft.Worth areas. If anyone can help me through the "sea of suburbs", I would greatly appreciate it! I want a great suburb, good home values (not super high in price, but not cheap either), "exemplary" rated schools, low crime rates, low sex-offender rates, and friendly. Not to mention, my husband will be commuting to highway 161 by the airport, so I'd like for him to have a shorter commute if possible. Yet I don't want to give up the "best place" either just to shave 10 minutes off his commute. I've done hours of "statistical research", but I would like the opinions of someone who lives there. If anyone has any input as to which of the following cities to narrow it down to when we come looking for a house, it will save us valuable time. Or is it one of those scenarios where you can't make a bad choice because they're all great? The cities I'm considering are: Flower Mound, Coppell, Bedford, Grapevine, Southlake or the northwest Irving area. Also, I'm a little nervous about the heat/humidity factor (as we're coming from the snowy Rockies), and I'm extremely leary of all the bugs I've heard about. I would really like to know if the heat/bugs are so bad, or just a mild nuisance? Thank you in advance for any input you can give!

[Bill Ruppert]

All of the towns you mention are OK from a commuting viewpoint, assuming you are going to the Las Colinas end of 161 - near the Nokia HQ. They vary widely in the quality of schools, type of homes available, and the cost of those homes. Your housing budget will be a big factor. Southlake has the highest ranked schools but is most expensive. The schools in Flower Mound, Coppell, and Grapevine are very good and they are more affordable.

I moved to Southlake from New England. The first summer was tough, but your body adapts. You spend more time indoors during the summer. The mild winters are nice. I miss the autumn colors, hills, and the ocean.

I'm not sure what bugs you are worried about. Seems no worse than mosquitoes in New England. Last time I was in the Rockies in the summer I nearly got carried away by hordes of giant mosquitoes.

[neorhone]

Where in Colorado are you moving from? I personally like Coppell and Flower Mound areas, they both have some of the best schools in this area. And both cities are really nice places to live. Coppell is more of a small town surrounded by bigger cities, great feel to it. Flower Mound is more of a country setting to me. More land, but it's just north of Coppell. Coppell would be closer to shopping and other stores I think. But FM is growing, so it won't be long before that area is more developed.

We live on the border of Coppell and Lewisville, love the location. You can get much more of a house here, but you miss out on their great school system. We are thinking of moving to Colorado Springs for a business opportunity. I visited CS every summer and Christmas as a child and have family up there. But it's a hard call once you have lived in Texas this long.

Good luck.