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Old 06-12-2011, 09:30 AM
 
4 posts, read 10,277 times
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Wife is a Registered Nurse. I work in the construction field with degree in Construction Management. All children in college currently. In our late 30's (yes, started young). Been researching for months. Sounds as though Plano, McKinney, Frisco, and maybe Irving should be our areas of focus. Any other suggestions?

We plan to rent a really nice apartment for at least 1-2 years. Enjoy shopping malls, movies, independent films, restaurants, and concerts.

Have heard great things about Baylor University Hospital. Are their plenty of nursing jobs in the Dallas surrounding area? How about construction employment? Estimating, project management, ect type employment. I have a Class A CDL and will be willing to get back out in the field if employment is dry right now. Thanks in advance.
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Old 06-12-2011, 09:39 AM
 
1,518 posts, read 5,268,548 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kansascitylive View Post
Wife is a Registered Nurse. I work in the construction field with degree in Construction Management. All children in college currently. In our late 30's (yes, started young). Been researching for months. Sounds as though Plano, McKinney, Frisco, and maybe Irving should be our areas of focus. Any other suggestions?

We plan to rent a really nice apartment for at least 1-2 years. Enjoy shopping malls, movies, independent films, restaurants, and concerts.

Have heard great things about Baylor University Hospital. Are their plenty of nursing jobs in the Dallas surrounding area? How about construction employment? Estimating, project management, ect type employment. I have a Class A CDL and will be willing to get back out in the field if employment is dry right now. Thanks in advance.
Where are you looking to work and what is your budget? For example, I would not recommend living in Frisco if you worked at Baylor Hospital. That is an hour drive each way. So is McKinney. Also, there isn't much, if anything, to choose from as far as independent films, non-chain restaurants and concerts. Most of that stuff is in the city of Dallas, which is primarily suburban and has the same crime rate as it did in 1960.

Because Baylor is in East Dallas, I'd look in the suburban Dallas neighborhoods of M-Streets and Lakewood. Beautiful safe, neighborhoods next to White Rock Lake, best restaurants in the city, concerts, indy films, etc. If you want an apartment, there are a few other areas worth mentioning as well. It's a mile away from Northpark, which is undoubtedly the best mall in DFW. If you've got a bigger budget, I'd suggest the Park Cities.
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Old 06-12-2011, 09:40 AM
 
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Oh yea, I have read numerous threads similar to the one I posted. The main difference I guess is that we aren't really concerned with buying a house or the school district. Our children have moved onto to college and military. We sold our home in Kansas City and prefer to rent for a couple years at least. Then maybe look into some newer Villa's.
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Old 06-12-2011, 09:41 AM
 
1,518 posts, read 5,268,548 times
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White Rock Lake:




Lakewood Shopping Center and Theater:




Lakewood Shopping Center in the 1930’s:

Woodrow Wilson High School:

J.L. Long Middle School:

Street in Lakewood:













Swiss Avenue


Ross Avenue


Downtown Dallas:








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Old 06-12-2011, 10:18 AM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,285,464 times
Reputation: 13142
Out of curiosity, how did you zero in on McKinney/ Frisco/ etc if you don't have kids at home and are more interested in cultural activities than kid-centered activities and chain restaurants?

All the best of what you want is IN Dallas. Google these:
Granada Theatre
Palladium Ballroom
Kessler Theatre
Lakewood Theatre
Angelika @ Mockingbird Station
Inwood Theatre
Magnolia Theatre
Gexa Energy Pavillion (formerly Starplex) at Fair Park
Fair Park Summer Musicals
AT&T Performing Arts Center
Wyly Theatre
McKinney Avenue Contemporary
Dallas Contemporary
Theatre Three & Theatre Too
Bishop Arts Disrtrict restaurants: Eno's, Bolsa, Lucia, Hattie's, Tillman's Roadhouse, Gloria's
Deep Ellum restaurants: Local, Monica's, Adair's, Dancing Marlin, Twisted Root
More restaurants: Blue Fish, Daddy Jack's, The Grape, Maple & Motor, Tei An, Shinsei, Nonna, Mia's, Bob's Steak & Chop House, Breadwinner's, The Mecca, Neighborhood Services, La Duni, Zaguan

Shopping:
Highland Park Village
Snider Plaza
NorthPark Center
Lakewood Village
West Village
Knox-Henderson
Mockingbird Station

Bars/nightlife/ fun things to do:
The Belmont Hotel (great summer concert series & free movie nights by the pool....and you can use the pool for free any time, any day)
State Fair of Texas @ Fair Park
American Airlines Center- Mavs, Stars, major concerts
House of Blues
Greenville Avenue St Patty's Day Parade
Lee Harvey's
Spring/summer concert series at the Arboretum
Dallas Blooms @ Arboretum
July 4th fireworks at Lakewood Country Club, Victory Park, Fair Park, Dallas Country Club, Flagpole Hill, etc
Memorial Day concert & fireworks at Flagpole Hill
Texas-OU game @ Fair Park and all day parties in Uptown/ Grenville Avenue
1st Saturdays at the Nasher Sculpture Garden
Late Nights at the DMA (3rd weekend of every month)
Adolphus Hotel & Neiman Marcus Christmas Parade
Turtle Creek/ Lee Park Easter Dog Parade
Taste of Dallas


Just think, if you live in McKinney you'll only be 45 minutes - assuming there's not a wreck on Central- from all the great fun & entertainment in Dallas. If you love these things so much and plan to do them regularly (vs driving "into town" once or twice a month), why don't you live in the city? It's safe, pretty, has less traffic than suburbs, and offers housing for a wide range of budgets. I recommend focusing your search south of Loop 12/Northwest Highway. Some zip codes you should look in are: 75209, 75206, 75205, 75204, 75201, 75208, 75214, 75218, 75225. These are all within 1-15 minutes of Big Baylor Hospital, which is a wonderful facility!
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Old 06-12-2011, 10:42 AM
 
6,578 posts, read 25,458,087 times
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Frisco, McKinney, Plano - that's where people live in search of good public schools. Childless people in search of fun and culture live in Dallas. I don't know what the attraction is of living in Irving other than job or airport proximity.

Last edited by FarNorthDallas; 06-12-2011 at 10:56 AM..
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Old 06-12-2011, 01:40 PM
 
Location: Kaufman County, Texas
11,853 posts, read 26,858,186 times
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If you are not concerned with schools, then by all means move into Dallas!! When you describe the things you are interested in, especially the independent films and non-chain restaurants, Frisco will be the antithesis of what you are looking for. It is suburban family paradise, but you will most likely go crazy in that environment!

Baylor UMC is a wonderful hospital. Baylor also has regional medical centers all over the metroplex, too.
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Old 06-12-2011, 03:11 PM
 
419 posts, read 997,951 times
Reputation: 510
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kansascitylive View Post
Wife is a Registered Nurse. I work in the construction field with degree in Construction Management. All children in college currently. In our late 30's (yes, started young). Been researching for months. Sounds as though Plano, McKinney, Frisco, and maybe Irving should be our areas of focus. Any other suggestions?

We plan to rent a really nice apartment for at least 1-2 years. Enjoy shopping malls, movies, independent films, restaurants, and concerts.

Have heard great things about Baylor University Hospital. Are their plenty of nursing jobs in the Dallas surrounding area? How about construction employment? Estimating, project management, ect type employment. I have a Class A CDL and will be willing to get back out in the field if employment is dry right now. Thanks in advance.
I am curious. Why did you think that Frisco, Plano, McKinney were the place for you? It's like saying, I hate berets, cigarettes, the Mona Lisa and Parisians. So it sounds like Paris is the place for us!

In your late 30's you'll be among a similar age group in Dallas. Especially Lakewood (75214) and the M-Streets (75206). The suburbs you mentioned pride themselves on having nothing but chain restaurants, mega movie theaters and sub-par malls where the Gap is still a big deal. The only reason people move out to those 'burbs is because there are white kids in the schools and they're brand-spanking new.

Dallas has NorthPark and the Galleria -- the best malls in the area. Highland Park Village (similar architecture to Kansas City Plaza) which is the most exclusive shopping in the area. It has several independent movie theaters -- in addition to regular first-run theaters. It also has by far the best restaurants and all of the concerts.

Is there anything that scares you about living in Dallas? Apart from neighborhoods abutting downtown, it is a suburban single-family home town. It is very safe. The only drawback about Dallas is that the school district as a whole isn't that great (apart from a few exceptions).

Your home appreciation will be much, much better in Dallas than those suburbs. Location matters. Those suburbs have an almost endless supply of land. And like I said, people are moving there because everything is new. Once the new wears off, they just move up and develop the cow pasture down the street. So your home doesn't appreciate very much (if at all). It's all about new and shiny.

If you are planning to rent an apartment, the best areas are Turtle Creek, Uptown, Downtown, the Cedars, Farmers Market, Deep Ellum, Knox-Henderson and other areas near downtown Dallas. It all depends on the vibe you want.

Last edited by HOAPRESIDENT; 06-12-2011 at 04:16 PM..
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Old 06-16-2011, 05:32 PM
 
4 posts, read 10,277 times
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Thanks all for the responses. This is the very reason I posted the question. We may have made a mistake moving that far up north.

We currently live in one of those types of suburbs in Overland Park, Kansas. Lots of strip malls, chain eateries, ect. Kansas City is different though. The arts, good eateries, sports, ect are actually out in the suburbs. You really don't want to live in the city in Kansas City. Some do, but most don't. Even without children.

I guess it's going to be a different mentality we need to adapt. Never really considered moving into the city of Dallas. Will start focusing in that direction also.
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Old 06-17-2011, 10:44 AM
 
16,087 posts, read 41,150,148 times
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Lakewood and the M-Streets are about 10 minutes to Baylor - or less - I live about five minutes from there - my mother had to go by ambulance there a couple of years ago and she lives in the northern part of Lakewood. I beat the ambulance there by several minutes. Baylor is expanding and is one of the top and most profitable hospitials in the nation. Besides all the cool stuff in Lakewood/M-Streets, Baylor is located next to Deep Ellum and Expo Park - many great shops and restaurants - and DART rail. A few blocks farther is Downtown Dallas - Arts District, Farmer's Market, etc. To the north is Uptown/Oak Lawn/Turtle Creek and McKinney Avenue - a plethora of great places. I suggest you visit a restaurant or pub on Henderson and maybe hit Times Ten Winery in Lakewood, with a dinner or drinks at http://www.yelp.com/biz/****-and-bull-dallas (broken link) and a little Jazz at the Lakewood Theater Balcony Club.

Also the Lakewood area has some the best schools in Dallas, ranked higher than many suburban schools. Lakewood and Stonewall Jackson elementaries are both Blue-Ribbon and ranked exemplary. The high school (IB World School) and middle school (still a candidate but curriculum offered Sept 1) are some of the few schools in Texas offering International Baccalaureate.
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