Any advantages to Richardson over Plano? (Dallas, Austin: homes, buying, magnet schools)

[bozzie]

Are there any advantages to living in Richardson over Plano?
Homes with bigger backyards?
Better commute to Irving?
Schools?
I appreciate any thoughts you may have.

Thanks so much!

[RockyJoe817]

Its all about Location! Location! Location!
What kind of amenities you want, as a layperson, I would define Richardson as mature, close to dallas, easy commutes interwoven with Dallas and Garland.
Plano was the expanding of the two cities interfacing the suburbs with that of the city.

[ChristieP]

Commute from both cities to Irving is going to be long, and expensive since the only direct route is a toll road.

[Warnpeace]

I think both cities have their strengths and weaknesses but over all obviously Plano is more upscale. There are some areas of Richardson that are very nice and some areas of Plano are not that good so depends or your neck of the woods. Generally people recommend area around Renner road of east Richardson. Plano is more expensive so you may find better deals in Richardson. If you need to commute to Irving than far west Plano near 121/PGBH/DPkwy is better.

[TurtleCreek80]

Richardson schools are smaller than Plano's. RISD Pearce puts up SAT scores that fall between Plano West/ Senior and Plano East.

Lot sizes tend to be bigger in Richardson due to the fact most of it was developed in the 60's and 70's before the McMansion builders invented the .15 acre lot. It's not difficult to find a .25-.3 acre lot in Richardson in the $200k range and a .5 acre lot in the $400-500k range. More mature foliage on average in Richardson.

On the flip side, if you are shopping for a newer home, Plano will offer more choices.

Retail and restaurants are more "mom & pop" / indie in Richardson and more chain-oriented in Plano, although both are found in both (is, Target has Richardson locations and there are great family-owned Thai restaurants in Plano).

Both cities offer very good city services - parks, rec centers, libraries, fire & police.

Both are very diverse in every sense of the word.

Both are quite safe.

Both offer good highway access and a central (not too far east or west) location. Richardson offers more public transit options. Richardson is obviously 10-20 minutes closer to Dallas so if you have aspirations of going to the arts district often or buying Mavs season tickets or shopping until you drop at NorthPark, you may want to weigh your lifestyle and hobbies into the equation, too.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Richardson schools are smaller than Plano's. RISD Pearce puts up SAT scores that fall between Plano West/ Senior and Plano East.

Lot sizes tend to be bigger in Richardson due to the fact most of it was developed in the 60's and 70's before the McMansion builders invented the .15 acre lot. It's not difficult to find a .25-.3 acre lot in Richardson in the $200k range and a .5 acre lot in the $400-500k range. More mature foliage on average in Richardson.

On the flip side, if you are shopping for a newer home, Plano will offer more choices.

Retail and restaurants are more "mom & pop" / indie in Richardson and more chain-oriented in Plano, although both are found in both (is, Target has Richardson locations and there are great family-owned Thai restaurants in Plano).

Both cities offer very good city services - parks, rec centers, libraries, fire & police.

Both are very diverse in every sense of the word.

Both are quite safe.

Both offer good highway access and a central (not too far east or west) location. Richardson offers more public transit options. Richardson is obviously 10-20 minutes closer to Dallas so if you have aspirations of going to the arts district often or buying Mavs season tickets or shopping until you drop at NorthPark, you may want to weigh your lifestyle and hobbies into the equation, too.

I was going to ask - why don't we hear more about Pearce HS in the discussion of "really good schools in DFW"? SAT scores look like they're at or near the top 10 among non-charter or magnet schools in the Metroplex.

If Richardson were more convenient for us it would definitely be on the short list. It seems to get overshadowed by Plano, which is newer and has even better schools, but if one is considering proximity to DFW...

[PISDstudent]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

RISD Pearce puts up SAT scores that fall between Plano West/ Senior and Plano East.

I might be missing something/reading outdated numbers, but from what I have, Plano East beats Pearce on SAT and ACT (not by huge margins though).

According to this, Dallas, Texas Area School Information: 2010-2011 SAT Averages by Dallas area High Schools, PESH has an 1120 SAT average, and Pearce has an 1118 average. On ACT (Dallas, Texas Area School Information: ACT Test Scores - Class of 2010 - Ranked by School), PESH has 25.1, and Pearce has 24.3.

Of course, this is just splitting hairs, and these numbers aren't as recent as I would like.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by PISDstudent

I might be missing something/reading outdated numbers, but from what I have, Plano East beats Pearce on SAT and ACT (not by huge margins though).

According to this, Dallas, Texas Area School Information: 2010-2011 SAT Averages by Dallas area High Schools, PESH has an 1120 SAT average, and Pearce has an 1118 average. On ACT (Dallas, Texas Area School Information: ACT Test Scores - Class of 2010 - Ranked by School), PESH has 25.1, and Pearce has 24.3.

Of course, this is just splitting hairs, and these numbers aren't as recent as I would like.

FYI, I'm seeing the same thing, although Pearce has a 72.8% participation rate on the SAT and PESH has "only" 62.4%. Don't have the ACT numbers handy right this second on my sheet.

As PISDstudent notes, this is pretty much splitting hairs and easily may fall within "margin of error", but both Plano Senior and West have higher SATs (1159 and 1179) and higher participation rates (74.4% and 81%), if anyone cares. If you put a gun to my head, I'd rank Pearce at or slightly over PESH but below Senior and West. Which makes it one of the top 10-15 HS in the Metroplex (not including privates/magnets/charters).

[PISDstudent]

Originally Posted by synchronicity

FYI, I'm seeing the same thing, although Pearce has a 72.8% participation rate on the SAT and PESH has "only" 62.4%. Don't have the ACT numbers handy right this second on my sheet.

As PISDstudent notes, this is pretty much splitting hairs and easily may fall within "margin of error", but both Plano Senior and West have higher SATs (1159 and 1179) and higher participation rates (74.4% and 81%), if anyone cares. If you put a gun to my head, I'd rank Pearce at or slightly over PESH but below Senior and West. Which makes it one of the top 10-15 HS in the Metroplex (not including privates/magnets/charters).

Good to know it wasn't just me . I do agree though with that assessment of Pearce; it is certainly a very strong school.

[ClarenceBodiker]

This is all subjective, but Richardson is a tad older and a tad "cooler" if you care about such trivial things. It's getting an Alamo, and they're supposedly bringing with them a flood of Austin-based businesses. It will feel a tad less suburban (for a suburb) and more centrally located while still having great schools. Plano's not a bad place at all either, though. You might want to compare commute times and any other factors that are important to you. Neither are a bad choice.