Ennis, TX (Houston, Dallas, Mesquite: fit in, rent, low crime)

[2timemom]

Need info about Ennis. Both my husband and I are retired but we are raising our grandson, some retirement. We are looking for something close but not too close to Dls, our oldest son lives in Dls. With good schools and a family type neighborhood. I know I might be dreaming, but I can always hope.
We looked at Ennis and thought it might be what we are looking for, good schools, small town, low crime rate and close to Dls. Could/ would like your comments, or should we look somewhere else?

[javak]

Its a long drive to Dallas but I guess you could get used to it. However, you can get alot of value there if you don't mind driving . I would look around unless you need several acres of cheap rural land. In that case you picked a good spot.

[2timemom]

It was a 45 minute drive to work everyday, freeway doing 65-75 MPH for 15 years. So what would you consider a long drive?

[javak]

45 minutes at 70 mph = 52.5 miles or 105 mile round trip . Some would consider it a long drive, others would not . I suppose you could adjust .

[2timemom]

Thanks, if you live in Houston one thing that you learn to live with is the traffic. And a long commute to and from work, but you do what you gotta do. Yes, I drove 250 miles a week to work and never left the city limits!!
That is one of the reasons that Ennis appeals to us.

[iowamama26]

I am looking at moving to Ennis. I have 3 kids. 7 4 and 3. could anyone tell me about schools, cost of living, ect.thanks

[2timemom]

We moved to Ennis from Houston about 1 1/2 yrs ago. Our little one will be 4 yrs old next month and we love it over here. As for the schools, I have checked and they are some of the best in the state. The elementary school that our grandson will be attending was recognized as one of the best in Texas. Cost of living, well there was not much difference between Ennis and Houston. So that would depend on the cost of living in your town. Now you have to remember that this is a small town, a lot of people know your business and there is not a wide selection of stores. By the time we moved in, the neighbors already knew about us and I corrected some of their information. Shopping here is alright if you like Walmart, there is Bealls,HEB grocery, Walgreens and CVS. We moved into an established neighborhood, but they still building and adding new homes. Hope this information helps, let me know if you need any more.

[iowamama26]

Thank you very much... The townhouse complex I found that I think might work for us is Silverton Village. It looks beautiful. And the rent is managable. I did read the schools are awsome and as for shopping that won't be a problem since its not one of my fav things to do.LOL!
Is there a mall there? But as long as theres walmart I'm good to go. How are the city parks? And the climate?

[2timemom]

Glad you found a place to live. What schools will your children attend? There is no mall here, when I do go to a mall it is Town East in Mesquite which is about 25 miles from Ennis. There are some antique shops here in Ennis, if you like that. Then you can always go to Waxahachie for some more shopping, no real mall either. We are still exploring the other towns around her like Mansfield, Cedar Hill, DeSota, etc.
There are at least 4 parks here, with lakes for fishing. You have to realize that when we were in Houston, we would travel 30-50 miles to go fishing. Now my husband will go to the lake, which is about 2 miles from our house and he loves it here because he can fish in the morning come home for lunch and then fish some more before dinner. Guess you can say that he loves to fish and he has caught some nice catfish.
When you get her go to either the Chamber of Commerce or the visitors bureau for a map of the city. Depnding on when you move here, there is the Blue Bonnet Trail and Festival in April, the Polka Festival in May,seems as if ther is always a festival or something going on, very family oriented, which is what we were looking for.
As for the climate, guess you can say that it is warmer here than Iowa. We moved her 1 1/2 years ago, it has snowed once and then melted later in the day. So far the tempature will go into the 30s or 20s for a couple of days and then come back up to the 40s-60s. It is hot during the summer but not humid, remember this is compared to Houston, which is near the Gulf Coast. Neighbors are great over here always ready to help and answer any questions you have, if you need a contractor you can always depend on your neighbors to recommend one.
You are correct the schools are awesome, our 4 year old is learning to use the computer, knows his shapes, letters, numbers and etc. When I taught pre school, we did not teach any of these subjects.
We like it here and are glad that we moved here. Hope you will enjoy it also.

[iowamama26]

Thank you! My best friend of 13 years is moving to Mesquite in sept. I do not want to live in such a big city so I looked around for a smaller town close to that. I plan to visit in maybe July. I am used to not having many stores as I am currently living in a town of just under 5 thousand. Where I live it is very "clicky" If one doesn't have money to burn then you won't fit in here. I am relocating to get away from this. I am teaching my kids not to look down on anyone regarless of ones race, religion, beliefs or how much money one has or doesn't have. But if thats what they are surrounded by everyday in the schools then they may think its normal. Does that make sense?