Help!!! Moving from St. Louis to Dallas (Houston, Irving: rental, crime)

[efmef76]

I just accepted a job in Irving TX (McArthur Rd) & was hoping to obtain some feedback from those familiar with the area regarding schools, commute & overall neighborhoods. We will be looking to rent or lease to start.

My wife & I are in our early 30's with an 8 year old son currently in 2nd grade. He will be finishing out the school year in St. Louis which will put him at entering 3rd grade in TX next school year. My salary will be in the lower 90's with hers hovering at the high 30's to mid 40's

For those of you familiar with St. Louis, we currently live in West County / Ellisville area & our son attends school in the rockwood school district which is a great school system & his school ranks a 10 on the great schools website.

We are looking for something surrounded by as much nature as possible. Would prefer to avoid the cookie cutter areas as much as possible however would be willing to go that route if needed for the school system. We like to go biking, hiking and be outdoors. We do like the occasional night out however willing to drive if needed. Crime is also a huge concern.

We've made a few trips to Dallas to drive through the areas & were impressed with most of the areas. Many more nice areas to choose from than in St. Louis. We visited Frisco, Irving, The Colony, Grapevine, SouthLake, McKinney & Flowermound.

All were nice in their own way however some such as McKinney seems to far out for a decent commute. I live about 8 miles from my current office however due to traffic my commute takes from 45-60 minutes.

Frisco seems very nice however a bit on the cookie cutter side. Grapevine & SouthLake were great however appear to be a bit to pricey.

The Colony seems to have some great homes right on the water & seems to be centrally located between all of these cities with more of a cozy feel. My only concern is the school system there as the elementary is ranked a 9 yet the middle school ranking drops off to a 5. Is the school system that bad for this area?

Any feedback and or assistance that anyone would be willing to provide would be very much appreciated.

[Squirl]

Did you look in Coppell? There are some nice communities that back up to Andy Brown park with great trees. Maybe also check out Arglye. You would be crazy, IMO to look at anything east of I-35, a punishing commute and there are great scools all around Irving. Plan on about 2.5 min/per mile for commute time in DFW traffic.

[ChristieP]

What is your actual budget for housing?

Grapevine really has what you are looking for if you want lots of parks, hiking trails, etc. My husband and I have lived here for 10 years and we love it. Unless your budget is below $150k, you shouldnt have a problem finding a house in Grapevine. There are houses here in all price ranges. The ones under $200k tend to sell pretty quickly so you will need a good realtor to watch for new listings. Depending on your budget, you may be able to get a house that's very close to Lake Grapevine and all of it's lakeside parks, trails, etc.

Frisco, The Colony and McKinney are too far away and will have an awfully long commute (45 minutes in heavy traffic) on toll roads. I would take them off your list.

[mSooner]

Coppell would be a great commute, but might not have enough "nature" for you.

I'd check Flower Mound, especially in the areas off Wichita Trail, if you can afford them. Excellent schools and very close to the lake.

[MSANGIEC]

I also live in St Louis & bout to relocate to Houston

[efmef76]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

What is your actual budget for housing?

Grapevine really has what you are looking for if you want lots of parks, hiking trails, etc. My husband and I have lived here for 10 years and we love it. Unless your budget is below $150k, you shouldnt have a problem finding a house in Grapevine. There are houses here in all price ranges. The ones under $200k tend to sell pretty quickly so you will need a good realtor to watch for new listings. Depending on your budget, you may be able to get a house that's very close to Lake Grapevine and all of it's lakeside parks, trails, etc.

Frisco, The Colony and McKinney are too far away and will have an awfully long commute (45 minutes in heavy traffic) on toll roads. I would take them off your list.

Thanks for the reply. I can't seem to locate any properties in Grapevine for lease which is the route we are looking to go so that we can get a good feel for the area prior to commiting. We may just need to contact a realtor. Grapevine was one of the areas we did like the best as we drove through. how are the schools in Grapevine? We are looking at around 300-320k tops.

45 minutes in heavy traffic from that far north? I would have thought it would be a bit more. I currently have about a 30-45 minute commute & live approximatly 15 miles.

[efmef76]

Originally Posted by mSooner

Coppell would be a great commute, but might not have enough "nature" for you.

I'd check Flower Mound, especially in the areas off Wichita Trail, if you can afford them. Excellent schools and very close to the lake.

Thanks for the feedback, that sounds great...we will definitley take a look.

[ChristieP]

You will definitely need a realtor to find a rental home in Grapevine. They go quickly! GCISD schools are very well-regarded and many people move here just for the schools. PM me for a name.

45 minutes on a tolled freeway ($5 daily) in heavy traffic is not a good commute.

[mandmjoiner]

We moved from the Rockwood schools into Allen last fall. Good luck! Commute times are a big deal, so make sure you take that into account. Luckily, as you mentioned there are several nice areas in Dallas.