Considering a Job In Westlake Advice appreciated (Dallas, Fort Worth: real estate, apartments)

[VAtoTX]

I have an opportunity for a job in Westlake, TX. I am a young single 30s professional and would appreciate any advice on places to live. I have lived in the DC metro area for the past 7 years and have been spoiled by the Metro, good restaurants, the ability to walk to bookstores, Starbucks, Brew pubs and all the things that makes DC a great place for young professionals to live and work. Hiking, biking, parks, rec sports are all things that I hope to find in the area.
If I accept the offer I would consider an apartment to start and then to buy a condo or townhouse, if those things exist within an easy commute of Westlake, once I had learned the road networks.
In summary, I am looking for a great place to live with lots to do nearby without having a brutal commute to work. I will be traveling to visit the Westlake location soon to discuss my offer and to check out the area, so I can weigh my options. Thanks in advance for all the info you can provide.

[ChristieP]

Downtown Fort Worth is about a 30-minute drive from Westlake against traffic. It has the urban environment you're looking for. Dependng on your budget, there are townhomes, lofts and apartments. There are many young professionals there.

[loves2read]

Westlake is a town that is basically akin to Highland Park--an enclave of very, very wealthy homeowners in two main subdivisions--it started out as ranch land and was developed in a step above Southlake--which it borders...
there are no apartments in Westlake and no apartments in Southlake
there are apts in neighboring towns of Roanoke, Trophy Club, Grapevine

the drive from Sundance Sq/downtown FTW to Westlake would be up I35 and while that is technically going against traffic there is still going to be a lot of it--I35 is just an older freeway with a lot of traffic--and then you go east on 114...
there is lot going on in FTW now--clubs, lots of younger people coming for work, some new apts/townhomes in the downtown area and also around the Museum district
some areas there in FTW that ARE walkable--but lots more aren't--
there is web site that lets you test walkability of any address--you can Google it up

You might also consider Grapevine--close to Westlake--apartments/rentals--maybe not as new/upscale as FTW but still seems to have enough activities since there is Grapevine Lake in the area and plenty of restaurants with bars where I see lots of 20s-30s that apprear to be singles or couples vs married people w/kids--because Grapevine has lot of those too..
both Roanoke and Grapevine are close to Southlake and Southlake is big shopping/dining mecca--just does not have lot of rental property

you don't mention rent so that is going to be factor as well as how much time you want to spend on your commute--
you can get from Roanoke to Westlake in 15 min probably--maybe that from Grapevine depending on location but it will take 30 min or more depending on locations/traffic from downtown FTW

and going home will be worse...

[Mommy24kids]

There are Townhomes in Southlake that would suit your needs. They are in the heart of Southlake Town Square which provides endless shopping and dining opportunities.

Keller Townhomes are also nearby. They are close to shopping to dining and a bit of shopping but nothing like Southlake.

Keller also has appartments on the North side of Keller.....you could drive the back roads to work if you choose ANY of these locations.

Best of luck to you. This area is NOTHING like the DC area.

[loves2read]

Southlake townhomes are not for rentals as far as I know--they are SFR--so someone would have to purchase and then put it out as rental property

north Keller might be viable living choice but there are fewer recreation activities for single guy--
lack of restaurants/bars/activities for hanging out there

[Mommy24kids]

Loves2, what is SFR? I'm not familiar with that term?

OP, you may want to consider Las Colinas and the Valley Ranch area as well.

[TurtleCreek80]

Fort Worth - either downtown or Museum district- would be the easiest commute to an urban area. Fairly walkable, lots of indie restaurants and bars. Live music venues like the Ridgelea (small indie acts) and Bass Hall (dressier concerts & musicals) are nearby. Tons of park space in Fort Worth and a fun young professionals community. The Kimbell Muesum and several other non-profits have young professionals social groups that are a good way to get plugged in. 20 minutes to Arlington for Cowboys and Rangers games. An hour to Dallas whenever you want to go over there. There is cowboy culture in FW, but it is also one of the most cuturally rich cities in the southwest. A lot of billionaires gave tons of money & land to the city for park space, gardens, zoo, several major museums, the Bass performance hall, and Texas Christian University's campus.

Las Colinas in Irving is another younger area within a 30 minute drive. But it's fake suburban "urban" vs being connected to a major city like Dallas, Fort Worth, etc. It's probably more like a planned suburban development in Northern VA vs living the city life.

[nsumner]

Wihtout knowing what your budget is, I would suggest Las Colinas/Valley Ranch area or if you can afford more upscale, I would suggest the brownstones in Southlake but those don't come on the market very often. Downtown Fort Worth would be ideal but even going against traffic, it's really bad.

Naima

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by Mommy24kids

There are Townhomes in Southlake that would suit your needs. They are in the heart of Southlake Town Square which provides endless shopping and dining opportunities.

Thos are not rentals unless you find a privately-rented one. They cost about $250k new, so the rent (if you find a rental one) is going to be pretty outrageous...

[loves2read]

SFR--real estate abbreviation--Single Family Residence--a house--vs townhome/condo

regarding the townhome development in Southlake===the final part has been sold out since before ground broke--

I read that many people in Southlake bought smaller ones for their adult children--like college age/new grad son or daughter so they could live close to home but have privacy--or just bought for investment--and there are people who are renting theirs out--

while the development has excellent location and high walkability quotient...
they are not 250K --a 3/3 condo built in 06 is listed for over 600K and there is one with 5 bedrooms going for over a million...