Can anyone compare DFW suburbs to ATL suburbs? (Dallas, Plano: neighborhoods, live)

[mrstsh2004]

Hello,

I've been studying these forums for several months now and we're making another trip out soon to scout out neighborhoods. We're concentrating on Coppell/Flower Mound/Grapevine areas.

So many of the threads say "you can't go wrong" in any of these communities. I am wondering if anyone has lived in both cities and could give me any descriptions of the nuances of each community with comparisons that might make sense to me as a long-time Atlanta resident? Even if they are generalizations, I need somewhere to start. We're currently in the Roswell/Woodstock area north of Atlanta and would like a place with a similar feel. Yes, it is a suburb with its share of chains and strip malls, but the old town Roswell area is vibrant and filled with cool shops and restaurants and downtown Woodstock is up and coming. Plus, Cherokee County and this western part of North Fulton still have a great bucolic feel. And, you see people you know around the community, which is important to us. I do want to get plugged into the community when we relocate.

Commute/work is not an issue right now, but the lack of accessibility to/from FM does concern me. I've only been to FM via the Main Street Lewisville exit from I-35 and that seems like it would be a bear to drive on a regular basis. Here, I have two interstates and lots of backroads/surface streets to utilize to get into the city when I want to.

And, even though Lakewood and other intown communities sound very appealing to me (I lived in Decatur for 10+ years), it's not a fit for our entire family, so it's out to the suburbs we go!

Can anyone give me a starting point of how these communities differ? Good bad or indifferent? Thank you!

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

I have some experience in the Atlanta area (my ex was from Woodstock) and I used to travel there for work frequently, but admittedly Im no expert.

Woodstock to me felt more like Little Elm, TX. Its a small town that hasnt been fully swallowed by Atlanta/Dallas.

Sandy Springs would be comparable to Plano, but smaller and less diverse than Plano.

Canton would be like McKinney.

Coppell would be like Roswell. Grapevine would be like Marietta.

Those are generalizations, but not too far off I dont think.