Crazy to not look North of 635 (Dallas, Plano: low income, homes, school districts)

[expatChicagoan]

Originally Posted by racehorse

Eh, I think you just need to look at your own priorities as a family. I enjoy the city but could go months at a time never having to set foot within the city boundaries and be AOK.

Different people have different levels of tolerance for commuting. I moved here from Chicago, where 1 hour commutes were no big deal. I cut my commute to 20 minutes and thought I'd hit the jackpot--I would have been fine with an hour commute.

I could have written that exact same post - I had over an hour commute each way to work in Chicago, and cut my commute to 5 minutes. Plus, I can go months at a time without setting foot in Dallas or Fort Worth (I'm on the FW side of the metroplex) and not be concerned. I don't have anything against Dallas or Fort Worth city boundaries per se, but since family life is more important to me than anything "the big city" has to offer, I'm happy in my little part of suburbia

[ClarenceBodiker]

You should live where you want to live as long as its convenient to you and your family's needs.

Park Cities is prime real estate with amazing public schools. It's beautiful, and if you can afford it, you might not want to look anywhere else once you drive through it. Of course, other people might find bigger lots and more space desirable. It's up to you.



Of course, don't overlook the value of being able to turn your nose up and be snobby toward other people's life choices if you stay inside the loop. It's a luxury afforded to those who mistakenly think their lives are dramatically different than those who choose to live outside of 635's boundaries.

[BellaO]

Originally Posted by mami2emily

Bellao...

Our family is just slightly ahead of yours with a corporate relocation. We definitely did not want to rent and move a second time. We ended up doing a short list of wants and matching up to areas that provided that. Over Christmas break we visited the areas on our short list...then narrowed it down to the one area we really wanted.

If you prefer not to rent because you do not want to move the kids into a different school district once you decide to purchase, I can't stress enough how important it is for you to come down and visit. Are you able to come to Dallas for 7-10 days to really drive around and scope out potential areas? We found during our long visit that areas that looked good "on paper" failed to impress us in real life or we could not picture our family there or we found more negatives than positives. Once you decide on an area, looking for a house long-distance is not fun, but it is doable.

Best of luck.

Thanks mami2emily, that makes alot of sense....and doable!

Lots of food for thought, hmmmmm..... We hope to get down there early May at the latest, and scope out the area. It's good to hear so many viewpoints, thanks.

[dgz]

Originally Posted by racehorse

There is a huge, huge gulf between the average recognized and the average exemplary school, don't you think?

Not that I've seen.

[elan]

Originally Posted by BellaO

At least that's what people are telling us. My husband is being relocated to his company's Dallas headquarters from NJ. Our thought was to stay in Dallas, looking at Near North Dallas, Lakewood, maybe UP, maybe Richardson. Folks are telling us it's worth the commute to go more North in terms of quality of life and schools. Do you agree? How far would places like Plano, FlowerMound, Coppell actually take to commute to (S. Ackerd/commerce st)?

From everything I've read here, these towns sound like terrible commutes, but they are saying it's not that bad, or that it's just what you have to do. Except for some select elementary schools, we should not do DISD. I'm feeling really confused!

I don't blame you for being confused. I don't know who is telling you to look in Plano, FlowerMound, or Coppell if your husband is working downtown. That is so not necessary. Quality of life? That's a hoot. Two hours a day sitting in traffic = 10 hours for five days. 10 hours your husband could be spending with his family (in a nice house, a big yard with lots of trees and a great resell value). Schools in Dallas? Elementary is no problem, plenty of good ones. High School you have three choices. In no particular order; #1 DISD magnet schools, they are excellent #2 DISD's acceptable public high schools are WT White, Hillcrest & Woodrow Wilson (that's IF your child is enrolled in advanced and AP classes) #3 private school (there are tons, Catholic being the cheapest). You also have the choice of Lake Highlands which is part of the Richardson school district or University Park which is their own district (both have smaller yards, btw). Hmm, guess that's five choices. The best advice is to come for a long visit or several short ones to check things out. Hope I didn't confuse you more, you will get the hang of it. My family did a combo or both private and public school, which worked out well.

If your husband worked in Plano, FlowerMound or Coppell, I would tell you to live there. They are all wonderful communities too. We are really lucky to have so many great choices.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

54% of the schools are ranked exemplary or recognized. There are over 200 schools and 150,000 students so to generalize in negative terms seems a bit biased don't you think? Sure I have had some problems with the actions of the board of trustees and some parts of the adminsitration but the teachers, principals and students are doing fantastic things at the campus level in the schools I know.

There is far more to the story than rankings. There is the general dysfunction and racial politics that have polluted the DISD for decades and continue to do so. There is the financial mismanagement and corruption that is now de rigueur in the DISD and is simply expected and dismissed by most Dallas taxpayers. There is the constant threat of cutbacks, schedule changes, teacher layoffs, lack of attention paid to facilities, textbooks, etc....constant fundraisers due to a lack of funds for extracurricular activities, lack of quality in the 'peripheral', 'non-essential' areas like the arts, physical education, etc., and the tension caused by having to shell out millions for ESL while cutting other programs to the bone.

Need I go on? So these kids can pass a test. So what? I've seen samples of these tests at the high school level and they are pathetic. I've heard that the high school exit exam in Texas tests skills that should have been mastered in 8th grade and kids still can't pass it. That's pathetic.

I know you adore your local Lakewood public schools but you cannot avoid the fact that the DISD has a very poor reputation and it is mostly deserved. The DISD, quite frankly, sucks. Most public education in Texas sucks, but the DISD is among the suckiest of sucky public school systems. That isn't an opinion. That's a fact. Just look at what our public school systems in Texas and across the US are churning out: a bunch of kids who still can't write a decent essay, can't do arithmetic without a calculator, and who require remedial instruction in ever-increasing numbers at the college level...if they're lucky enough to make it to college...and they're less likely than ever to finish.

I'm sure this is the case at Woodrow just as it is at most other public high schools in Texas. Woodrow isn't special.

With the OP's budget they can bypass the DISD and its extreme dysfunction and I would advise them to do just that. Go for the Park Cities, or buy in Dallas and go private.

[jennifw]

Originally Posted by skids929

This poor OP..They had no idea how this question would gather all the usual suspects in one place for a heated discussion. This is a good thing though, you have all the local experts here.


Drive and physically SEE all of the places that are suggested to you here. Some of the suburbs north of 635 are real gems so don't write off the burbs.

Best of luck with your relocation, BellaO. We relocated nearly seven years ago and all of the places recommended to us by hubby's co-workers just didn't "fit" for us. We did rent for a while and that worked for us since my daughter wasn't in school yet. We ended up making an amazing choice and I couldn't be happier. I really can't imagine how different my life would be if we had moved straight into one of the houses/neighborhoods that looked good on paper.

I do hope you get sometime to drive around and really "feel" the areas before you have to buy/move. Dallas has so many different types of areas that I am sure you will find something that fits your family. I hope you can take your time and find something you love. (we did!)

btw, there is a nice new build right next door to me in your price range! New home and old neighborhood all rolled together. Interested?

[skids929]

Originally Posted by jennifw

Best of luck with your relocation, BellaO. We relocated nearly seven years ago and all of the places recommended to us by hubby's co-workers just didn't "fit" for us. We did rent for a while and that worked for us since my daughter wasn't in school yet. We ended up making an amazing choice and I couldn't be happier. I really can't imagine how different my life would be if we had moved straight into one of the houses/neighborhoods that looked good on paper.

I do hope you get sometime to drive around and really "feel" the areas before you have to buy/move. Dallas has so many different types of areas that I am sure you will find something that fits your family. I hope you can take your time and find something you love. (we did!)

btw, there is a nice new build right next door to me in your price range! New home and old neighborhood all rolled together. Interested?

Where did you end up?

[jennifw]

Originally Posted by skids929

Where did you end up?

Lakewooder's beloved Lakewood.

[loves2read]

We don't find that our living in the Tarrant side has inhibited going to Dallas or FTW if there is something there we really want to do--
but face it most people are not going to the symphony 3 nights a week or even 3 nights a month--
they are much more likely to want tickets to the Mavericks games
there are good restaurants (locally owned) in almost ANY area of the Metroplex if you are willing to look for them
for convenience the big box stores have proliforated across the Metroplex and there are good doctors/dentists/hospitals within reach of almost any neighborhood

so STYLE of living is really the issue for most people--
some would not be caught dead in a suburban planned neighborhood where there is similarity of floorplan and exterior styling--the Stepford effect--
and some consider that new construction is the only way to go

schools are the big issue

while I never had children in DISD, I taught and word spreads within the education community--
DISD has been a disfunctional district for decades and nothing is going to change--
it is too big--it should be broken up into smaller districts but frankly that would just be a downward spiral for some areas even worse than now so it is not likely to happen
if I trusted TEA more I would say hope for the state to take it over but that too seems the larger of two evils--so until enough activist parents move back into DISD territory and take an interest in improving all schools, Dallas parents are just out of luck

that being said--there are good schools inside DISD itself--Richardson is still a very viable district--HPISD if you can afford it is stellar because of the homogenous student body if nothing else...