Husband transferring to new Target Distribution Center in Denton (Dallas: rent, houses)

[Mrsbeck]

My husband will be transferring to the new Target Distribution Center warehouse when it opens. We are looking at moving to Denton, but I am a little concerned because I keep hearing Denton is a college town. We have two children ( 9 and 5) and we would love to live in a faily friendly community. Is Denton a good place to raise a family, is it safe, and can we rent a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home for 1300.00 a month? How are the schools in Denton? We heard that Guyer is a good High School? What are good elementary and middle schools? I work in banking, will it be hard for me to find a job? Any information will help!! Thanks

[fistofsouth]

Originally Posted by Mrsbeck

My husband will be transferring to that warehouse when it opens. We are looking at moving to Denton, but I am a little concerned because I keep hearing Denton is a college town. We have two children ( 9 and 5) and we would love to live in a faily friendly community. Is Denton a good place to raise a family, is it safe, and can we rent a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home for 1300.00 a month? How are the schools in Denton? We heard that Guyer is a good High School? What are good elementary and middle schools? I work in banking, will it be hard for me to find a job? Any information will help!! Thanks

Denton is an excellent place to raise a family. I'm a father of two ,ages 18 and 16 and we've lived in Denton for the last four years. I can't speak personally to Elementary Schools as both of mine were older when we arrived. Guyer and Ryan are both excellent high schools. Denton is OK as well, but not as consistently high performing. I personally would not send my kids to Giuyer or Denton as we're a "middle of the road" family. By that I mean Denton High is a little too far to the "economically disadvantaged" side (nothing wrong with that we were below the poverty level until 2000) and that means your kids are more likely to come home talking about how their iPod was jacked at school. Guyer is the exact opposite, about like West Plano or Southlake; every kid has a European performance sedan/American muscle car issued at age 16. Sorry my kids have to pay for their cars and since I attended a relatively posh High School for a few years I don't want to put my kids through that. Plus We have a very ethnically diverse family and so it was important for us to have our kids in schools that reflect that diversity. That meant that Guyer, while ethnically a little diverse, is not as diverse as Ryan. Still Guyer does have the BEST facilities, but Ryans facilities are nothing to sneeze at and if you simply drive up to the entrance of Ryan you can't help, but b impressed by the institution's accomplishments; both academically and athletically (surely you've heard of the 4-A power-house Denton-Ryan?).

If you get curious about schools, their performance and their ethnic/socio-economic statistics just go to the Texas Education Agency and look through their figures. Here's a link to stats from 2011:

Snapshot 2011

Just find the district and school you are interested in and read away.

I'm a huge fan of Denton because it has something for everybody; we have a lively Old Square with healthy, diverse and bustling businesses (something that Dallas lacks in certain respects and something that Fort Worth needed the Bass Family to string together) and all the artistic flair and exuberance that comes from the nearly 50,000 students of UNT and TWU. We also have all the shopping on 288. So if you happen to lean a little more West Plano/Southlake, you can get a home on the west side of I-35E and then hit Dillard's, Macy's, Best Buy, World Market, Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Pet-Co, Pet Smart, Chipoltle, McAllester's Deli, Fuddruckers, Del Taco, Carl's Jr, 5 Guys, Mooyah...need I go on? It is essentially suburban big-box heaven with the Golden Triangle Mall and all of the newer shopping centers that spread east along 288. Babe's has a location in Sanger or hop on 377 and visit the original Babe's in Roanoke. Plus there are Denton exclusive gems such as Mi Casita, Metzlers BBQ and Jupiter House Coffee; all are chains and none have locations outside the city limits. Then you must keep in mind that Denton is also the place where old businesses go to die, we have a Drug Emporium (still) a Tuesday Morning (still) and had two Piggly Wiggly's until 2010 when they shut down. If that isn't enough shopping for you then hop on the DCTA A-Train and head to Downtown or Uptown Dallas.

Family based activities abound. Denton has a water park next to the HS Football stadium: City of Denton, TX : Water Works Park

The North Texas Fair and Rodeo comes through town in late spring/early summer. There is normally at least one airshow out at the airport each year. You have ready access to Lake Lewisville (butts up against the south eastern edge of town) and Lake Ray Roberts. There are wonderful nature trails (on the east they are run by Texas Parks and Wildlife and they charge $5, on the west side of the river they are run by the City and the Corps of Engineers and admission is free)that hug the Trinity River between Lake Ray Roberts and Lake Lewisville. Great for hiking, mountain bike riding or taking your horse for a stroll. There are museums galore including the largest collection of First Ladies Dresses on the TWU campus (not to my liking, but I never played Barbie so what do I know?) and the wonderful Courthouse on the Square Museum.

Denton also seems to be about 40 minutes (assuming light to moderate traffic) from everywhere. I can hit DT Dallas, DT Fort Worth, The Oklahoma Casinos, Plano (where I work), Westlake (where I used to work), Decatur or McKinney in 40 minutes or less. Take a 20 minute trip up 35 to Gainesville and visit the Frank Buck Zoo then head west about 10 minutes to Meunster and enjoy genuine German fare at their restaurants making sure to pick up some delicious food for home at Fischer's Meat Market. Texas Motor Speedway and Fort Worth Alliance Field are about a 20 minute jaunt down I-35W from Denton. If you want to taste all that DFW has to offer and you want to do so in a town that is safe, comfortable and inexpensive then Denton is a good place for you.

Still I have said for years that Denton should brand itself as "The town where no one fits in so every one fits in". Think of Denton as very similar to Austin on a smaller scale, the core city is naturally more liberal because of the two Universities and the outer ring is loved by well-to-do, conservative, traditional Texas Protestant families, in-between are the average citizens like myself. If you do your research I am certain that you will find a neighborhood that you like. Also keep in mind that surrounding communities also feed Denton ISD schools; for instance most of the children from the Providence and Savannah developments on 380 go to Ryan HS.

I guess you can tell I love Denton. I've lived in North Texas 34 of my 40 years on this planet, I've resided in Dallas, Carrollton, Farmer Branch, Plano, Garland and Denton. I have family in most other suburbs. Garland I will say is a miserable hell-hole if you're in the middle economically, but that's another rant for another time. The point is that in all that time I have never been to or lived in a place that has more to offer than Denton. From birth (two great regional hospitals), to childhood (see above), to going to college, to setting up your own little house with a white Pickett fence, through retirement (VA Outpatient in Denton and all County Facilities) and I guess it's a good place to die as well, but again , no first hand experience so I can't speak to that. Still YMMV and that is only my 2 cents.

[DaveZ]

come east a little bit, and take a look at Little Elm, or Pilot Point, or even the western edges of Frisco. I live in Paloma Creek and it takes me maybe 15-20 mins to get to Denton.

[ggolf]

I've always liked Corinth.

[Lakewooder]

Re: Denton High - it's an IB World School:

International Baccalaureate

[princealyy]

Denton is a great area, went to school there, and it is a college city, but it is a balanced city and a great place to raise kids. Even the students here are great.

[Mrsbeck]

How are schools in Corinth? Everytime I look up Denton Corinth comes up.

[Devans87]

My wife and I too will be moving to the Denton area for the new Target DC as well. My wife will be leaving her current job to relocate, we want to buy but hesitant due to the job opportunities she may have in DFW. Denton seems like a great area and we are hoping we can settle there while not worrying about a long commute for my wife.

[TX75007]

Live as close to work as you can in the best school district.

[StEt0417]

Lake dallas/Hickory Creek is not far from Denton and its great. We moved here from FL and love the small town feel. My kids go to lake dallas elementary and its a great school. WE have a few friends in the neighbrhood who go to the middle and high and even has great things to say about it.

My sister lives i Denton and her son goes to Nelson elementary and they love it. The houses in their neighborhood rent for 1200/1300. You can also find houses in that price range in Shady shores which is part of the lake cities (lake dallas)