Wanting To Make this Move Smoother!!!!!!! (Dallas, Fort Worth: middle-class, real estate, rent)

[faith1]

Hello,I have been reading these threads for some time now, about the better schools located north rather than south of Dallas. Well I'm lookin to move by the end of the summer my main concern is finding a good elementary, high school, have teens and 3yr old comming from Eagan, Minnesota. But we did hear about Cedar Hill schools are not to good is this true? My concern is that we are African American and are looking for more diversity period. Also crime free a good middle class neighborhood. I heard that Richardson,Carrolton are a good pic. From the demographics it dosen't look like a lot of African Americans in these areas. Now I am currently a Nursing Assistant with a lot of experience and studying court reporting . I am trying to look for a job in that area now being that, it's not to far from Dallas. We still would like to be proximal to Dallas but still in a nice burb with homes in the range of 160-200's. Thank You in advance, all help is greatly appreciated Asap!!!!

[jennifw]

Unfortunately, I don't think good schools, crime-free and Cedar Hill can all be said in the same sentence. Where is your court reporting job (potential)? That might help get you in the right area.

Good luck!

[Rakin]

Your house price range limits you some what but I would consider Euless, Bedford, North Richand Hills, Lewisville and probably Frisco. A little farther out would be something in the Keller ISD.

Those areas you should be able to find good housing and all have good schools. Also, if you can find a nice home you like in Plano add that to your list.

Far south by Cedar Hill would be anything in the Mansfield school district.

It's a shame CH is taking such a bad rap nowadays, 20 years ago it was a great place to live and send your kids to school.

[nsumner]

I don't know where you heard that Cedar Hill's schools are not good but here are their ratings. The district has 14 schools of which:

5 are rated exemplary (includes the collegiate high school)
4 are rated recognized
the rest are academically acceptable.

The local NBC station did a real estate piece last week about how much money you can get in DFW and Cedar Hill was part of it.

Naima

[nmnita]

I was going to add, the price range won't be easy. Normally better schools and low crime are in area with middle or upper middle price range homes. That would be 200,000 and above.

As for being African-American, this should make little difference. Most areas in the DFW metro plex are pretty diverse. Cedar Hill woul certainly not be my choice.

Nita

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by faith1

Hello,I have been reading these threads for some time now, about the better schools located north rather than south of Dallas. Well I'm lookin to move by the end of the summer my main concern is finding a good elementary, high school, have teens and 3yr old comming from Eagan, Minnesota. But we did hear about Cedar Hill schools are not to good is this true? My concern is that we are African American and are looking for more diversity period. Also crime free a good middle class neighborhood. I heard that Richardson,Carrolton are a good pic. From the demographics it dosen't look like a lot of African Americans in these areas. Now I am currently a Nursing Assistant with a lot of experience and studying court reporting . I am trying to look for a job in that area now being that, it's not to far from Dallas. We still would like to be proximal to Dallas but still in a nice burb with homes in the range of 160-200's. Thank You in advance, all help is greatly appreciated Asap!!!!

Cedar Hill is a diverse city of approximately 46,300 residents. Since 2000, the city's population has increased by 44 percent, making it one of the fastest growing communities in Dallas County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006-2008 American Community Survey, no racial group in Cedar Hill forms a majority of the population. The city is roughly 47% African American, 40% White, and 17% Hispanic/Latino (who can be of any race). That population is mostly middle-class and upper middle-class. For your stated price range of $160k-200k, you can find a nice home in a well-kept neighborhood there. The city also has an ample amount of retail businesses and restaurants. It also sits on the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake, which is a popular recreation area.

Regarding the schools in Cedar Hill, four of its six elementary schools (Bray, High Pointe, Lakeridge, & Waterford Oaks) received the state's highest rating of "Exemplary" for 2009. The other two, Highlands and Plummer, received the second-highest rating of "Recognized." At the secondary level, more standards are applied to the schools, so achieving a higher state rating at these levels is more difficult. Having said that, Cedar Hill's Ninth Grade Center received a "Recognized" rating this year. The High School was rated "Academically Acceptable." Cedar Hill Collegiate High School, which is a selective campus based on the growing Early College concept, achieved an "Exemplary" rating. Since I've been posting here, I know how the area's schools are looked down upon. Even when people who live in the area and have direct experiences with the schools say that they are good or point out high-performing campuses with great academic reputations and programs, nothing ever seems to be enough for some to change their perceptions. The demographic composition of schools plays a role in how it is perceived as well. A campus with a sizable minority and/or economically disadvantaged population will almost never be viewed as well as a campus in an affluent, non-diverse district, even if the performance of the former is similar to or exceeds the latter. A motivated student with involved parents and good teachers will do well in Cedar Hill just like anywhere else in the area.

Neither Cedar Hill, nor the surrounding southern suburbs have the highest crime rates in DFW. According to the latest crime statistics published by the FBI for 2008, which I posted on this thread, the following cities have the highest per capita crime rates in DFW:

Violent Crime Rate
1019.9 Greenville
894.8 Dallas
874.5 Balch Springs
696.5 Forest Hill
679.3 Addison
660.9 Everman
656.0 Fort Worth
626.1 Ennis
601.9 Arlington
516.0 Commerce

The violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants for the DFW Metropolitan Area as a whole is 457.5. Cedar Hill's violent crime rate is 266.5, well below the metro area rate and comparable with most of the other suburbs across the area.

Property Crime Rate
8390.4 Balch Springs
6685.0 Addison
5936.2 Dallas
5756.0 Greenville
5653.5 Hurst
5492.8 Farmers Branch
5361.1 Arlington
5036.8 Fort Worth
4983.2 Ennis
4754.1 Haltom City

The property crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants for the DFW Metropolitan Area as a whole is 4064.1. Cedar Hill's property crime rate is 3276.1, also below the metro area rate. No sizable city in DFW can claim to be completely crime free but many, including Cedar Hill, are generally safe. I live in a nearby suburb, but have an uncle who has lived in Cedar Hill for years without any crime/safety problems.

I hope you find this information helpful. We do have a few posters who live in Cedar Hill, so please continue to check this thread for new responses.

Welcome to Texas!

[faith1]

Thank You for all your help! No one really made a commit about Richardson,Lewisville and Carrolton. How are the schools there? And the AA population in these areas.To Jennifw I am not finish with my court reporting studies. So will be looking at a nursing home or hospital as a nurse aide. My hubby works for Dynamax so will try to transfer there. Our time is limited so we plan to probably rent first we will decided very soon! Or does the demographics really just tell it all?

[FarNorthDallas]

Richardson ISD (school district) covers most of the city of Richardson, but mostly covers parts of the city of Dallas - Lake Highlands and Far North Dallas. It is a majority minority district, but some schools are almost entirely African-American, entirely Hispanic or entirely white. Some schools are actually diverse - meaning some of this, some of that. The only thing you can do is really research it - individual schools - if you are interested in Richardson ISD. It is a good school district - it came just a few dropouts short of being an Exemplary Districtfor next year, according to a recent article I read (official ratings for last year don't come out until around August 1).