Dallas vs Fort Worth for my eclectic tastes ... (Greenville, Bishop: apartments, homes)

[texantodd]

Ok, I have job opportunities in Dallas and Fort Worth, and have to choose one of them. I am sure that there have been other threads comparing the two cities, but I am really struggling with which is a better city for me. I am kind of eclectic, let me give you a quick-hit run down of some of my needs and such ...

*I am a single father of a 13 year old girl; I need good schools for her

*We can be artsy, and love hip places

*I am Texan (not by birth but by choice and 30 years of life) through and through, but liberal in thought and beliefs.

*I am more comfortable in casual clothing and feel flip flops should be required daily wear (even if my work doesn't allow me to)

*I love/prefer smaller cities, easier to navigate, and hate traffic; however I thrive on the choices and variety of big city life.

*I have tattoos and want more; yet I have conservative Christian beliefs, and work as a social worker.

I have some experience in Dallas, though not alot. I really have no experience or frame of reference for Fort Worth other than passing through fairly frequently on state business.

Thanks so much for any input.

[TurtleCreek80]

I think you would probably like the East Dallas neighborhoods in Dallas - it's a more casual, laid back part of the city where you'll find like-minded (and tattoo'd) neighbors and friends, yet still have many churches to choose from that are close by! The public schools are good- 13 is 7th or 8th grade so you would be looking for homes/apartments zoned to JL Long Middle School and then onto Woodrow Wilson High School. These are in Dallas ISD. Even though it's 5-10 minutes from downtown Dallas, it is a very small town vibe. You'll run into your neighbors and daughter's classmates/families while at the grocery store or out to breakfast or at the park. The area heavily supports the neighborhood schools and there are many ways to volunteer and get involved/ connected. Even dads, too! You didn't mention a budget, but you can pretty much find anything from a $1,000 2-BR apartment to a $25M estate overlooking White Rock Lake. Avg home price is probably in the $300-400k range, but definitely go higher and lower. You'll look in 75206, 75214, and 75223 but make sure you filter for Long Middle School or else you could end up in a not-so-desirable public school.

In the East Dallas area, Lower Greenville Ave is a great place to hang out (live indie music @ the Granada Theatre, dozens and dozens of great indie owned restaurants, and the best music store in Dallas- Good Records.) Not too far south is Deep Ellum & Expositon Park, where the indie art and music scene lives in Dallas. Again, good restaurants, tons of live music, artists in residence, small neighbor owned stores, etc. A bit further afar, you will also probably like to check out the Bishop Arts District in North Oak Cliff for more independent restaurants and stores. Most of these places are also perfectly ok for a 13 year old to eat, shop, explore.



On the Fort Worth side, I'd recommend the neighborhoods zoned to Paschal High School. It is one of the best big district high schools in the country- routinely has more National Merit Semi-Finalists than most of the DFW suburban schools by a factor of 2-3X. I am not sure what middle schools feed into it and which is the better/best one so you should inquire on the FW board. Paschal feeds from the neighborhoods around TCU's campus. There are again a lot of indie restaurants & music venues in that area, as well as super close proximity to the fabulous FW Arts District- home of the world-class (seriously) Kimbel Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum (American art focus), the Botanical Gardens (live symphony shows in warmer months), the Japanese Tea Gardens- and not too far from the Bass Performance Hall and the supurb F W Zoo. Fort Worth is definitely more casual and slow-paced than Dallas, but I actually find this neighborhood to be reminiscent of the East Dallas neighborhoods I recommended for Dallas. They look similar (both developed starting in the 1920's so lots of Tudor cottages) and attract a similar type of resident.