Dallas vs. Austin neighborhoods (Plano, Richardson: condos, house, schools)

[mimimomx3]

Wow is right! Good to know, even though my interest in Dallas is minimal.

[txtoal]

I don't find the post offensive at all but in my opinion, I don't think anything in Austin is comparable to anything in Dallas and vice versa. It is just different. All of it.

[jobert]

I will admit there are areas that defy comparison, like Wimberley, Gruene or Dripping Springs. Wimberley and Gruene are more like Gatlinburg, TN or Eureka Springs AR. - rural yet dense, touristsy, prohibitively expensive, Texas versions of swiss villages. Dallas doesn't have an equivalent. Canton would be the closest comparison because of First Mondays, but that's about it.

[FalconheadWest]

Originally Posted by atxcio

I'd say Richardson = Pflugerville,

Growing up in Richardson and living there for 25 years, I would completely disagree with this statement. Richardson has top rated schools and is a very highly sought-after place to live because of this. It has no bad stigmas attached to it and is a very matured place... whereas Pflugerville has average schools, is a newer area with lots of stigma attached where, being in real estate, people back off of looking at right and left.

It might be geographical as Richardson is basically the first city north of Dallas and Pflugerville could be considered the same with Austin, but as for feel, demographics, and prestige of a community/city, they are apples and grapefruit.

[austinnerd]

Originally Posted by jobert

How would you describe Plano? What would be the closest comparison in Austin if you had to make one?

Plano/Frisco and Round Rock offer middle -to-upper class suburbia, horrible commutes to downtown, good schools, some major corporate HQ's that relocated in the 90's, big-box retailers, big-box houses, both scoffed at by urbanites, tollroads, a minor league baseball team and an Ikea. It's the closest comparison I could come up with.

I guess if you look at bullet points then there are definitely similarities. However I guess it's a "sum is more than the parts" type of thing where the general vibe I get when I'm in Plano just doesn't match what I feel in RR. There is never a time when I'm in one place and I think "wow, this is just like the other place". Generally when I'm in Plano it truly feels like I'm in a "different place", sorry I can't describe it any better

As for comparisons, well I'm going to let you down again (which shouldn't be surprising given my last sentence above). I don't know that I would peg any particular Austin metro location to it. Like I said, to me anyway it just feels like I'm in a different area altogether. It's a lot of the little things (vs the larger similarities to mention), the streets are done differently, the style of the homes/yards/fences are different, then there is the sprawl. When I'm in RR I always seem to be aware that I'm just 10 minutes from being out in the hill country whereas when I'm in Plano I'm always aware that I'm smack in the middle of a huge metro area. Can't think of anywhere in Austin metro that has that same feel.

[SloopJohnZ]

Wow, very thoughtful post.

And I'm also commenting so that if in five or ten years I decide on a whim to leave Dallas for Austin, I'll be able to come back to this and know that I need to look around SW Austin/Oak Hill, Bouldin, Barton Hills, Rosedale, Allandale, and Travis Heights just based on my favorite Dallas neighborhoods.

[SloopJohnZ]

I would also switch Westlake to Preston Hollow. At least I was always under the impression that the richest and most powerful people in Austin lived there, and the Mark Cubans and George W. Bushes of Dallas definitely live in Preston Hollow.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by SloopJohnZ

I would also switch Westlake to Preston Hollow. At least I was always under the impression that the richest and most powerful people in Austin lived there, and the Mark Cubans and George W. Bushes of Dallas definitely live in Preston Hollow.

I compared Westlake and he Park Cities because they are minutes from DT on the "good" side of town, and are their own cities surrounded by the larger metro with their own ISDs, police, etc. HPISD and EANES are routinely in the top 5 ISDs of Texas. Preston Hollow is further from downtown, and kinda came after HP, like Riverplace, Senna Hills, or Rob Roy came after Westlake. There is also a significant jewish presence in North Dallas/Preston Hollow which made me compare North Dallas to NW Austin.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by SloopJohnZ

Wow, very thoughtful post.

And I'm also commenting so that if in five or ten years I decide on a whim to leave Dallas for Austin, I'll be able to come back to this and know that I need to look around SW Austin/Oak Hill, Bouldin, Barton Hills, Rosedale, Allandale, and Travis Heights just based on my favorite Dallas neighborhoods.

Thanks for the input! What do you like about the following Dallas neighborhoods? Could you give a brief description?



Lake Highlands (SW Austin/Oak Hill)
Lakewood (Barton Hills)
M Streets (Bouldin)
Munger Place/Junius Heights = (Travis Heights)
Casa Linda (Allandale/Crestview)
Forest Hills (Rosedale)

[pcrinaldi]

Looking at uptown and turtle creek in Dallas. Where do you think turtle creek fits in or does it?