moving to dallas from dc area (Highland Park, Atlanta: renting, house, new construction)

[jahiet]

I like the feel of high rise living. I love having a great view of the city. No maintenance/up keep, pool, fitness room, etc. View is my #1 and sunny and bright is my #2. We live in a big house now and we are ready to downsize.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by jahiet

I like the feel of high rise living. I love having a great view of the city. No maintenance/up keep, pool, fitness room, etc. View is my #1 and sunny and bright is my #2. We live in a big house now and we are ready to downsize.

Gotcha. I have lived in NYC too and also enjoy the high rise view. However, something I've learned from moving to different places is that sometimes you have to bend your likings to the local culture to make your new life a little easier. If you're hell-bent on high rises, first check the 3 in HPISD that I mentioned as that meets your school criteria.

If there's nothing there, then the Uptown & Turtle Creek areas are your next stop. They are in a vibrant Walkable part of Dallas, BUT - 1) you will have to very carefully vet the buildings as (even at $5k/mo) many are full of 20-something post college professionals who tend to be loud & party at home a lot and 2) you will have to consider the experience for your daughter. There won't be plentiful playgrounds. There won't be other kids around (99% of kids in uptown are younger than kindergarten when schools become important) and you will be stuck carting her off to north Dallas to play with private school friends and for extracurriculars and school activities. There won't be kid amenities in the building and people will not welcome kids at the building's pool (I say this as someone who lived in & still owns a Turtle Creek high rise condo- each unit can only have 1 visitor at a time so no inviting a few of your daughter's friends over to swim).

The good private schools are almost all in North Dallas. 2nd grade is tough entry point as openings are only due to attrition vs K, 6, and 9 when the class size expands. Hockaday is the top school and is all girls. For Catholic school, St Michael's, St Rita, and St Monica are all solid K-8 feeders for the top Catholic girls school, Ursuline. Greenhill and ESD are both co-Ed and go through to 12th grade. Good Shepherd is a solid Episcopal K-8 that feeds into Hockaday, ESD, & Ursuline. There are also a few private Jewish schools and learning disability schools, too. These are ALL north of Northwest Highway, except St Michael's which is barely south of it by Preston Center. The only ones relatively near Uptown are over in East Dallas (not as well regarded academically as the N D privates), First Baptist Academy downtown (wouldn't recommend if you're not solidly evangelist to southern baptist), or Holy Trinity Catholic on Oak Lawn (have NO clue who goes there or what high schools those kids end up at.... Seems to be a small school).

[ChristieP]

Dallas really isn't a high rise city like DC. Would you consider a town home? Most people with children seem to like a yard where their kids can play.

[HockDad]

Prior to kids, I lived in an high rise off of turtlecreek and loved it. That being said, at least in our building, most of the people living in the high rise were either DINKs or empty nesters. There were very few families.

We did not have the guest restrictions referenced by TurtleCreek80, but I think that her points are very valid. For example, we had a two hour window on Saturday to have a playdate with a fourth grader. My daughter wanted to have a girl from plano over, but the time and distance did not work out. My wife suggested another girl that was closer (and easier to pick up) and my daughter had her over instead. I would think that if you lived in a downtown highrise (like the Azure), you will have a harder time scheduling playdates with parents who don't want to hop on the tollway and fight traffic for a last minute playdate. Just my two cents.

[Considering Coming Back]

Where are you in DC? Which school system? Would help for comparison purposes.

I'd be interested to know your thoughts on the 3 HP buildings TC80 referenced. I see a couple of 2 bedrooms currently listed...

[jahiet]

We are in Potomac, Maryland in the Churchill HS pod, our high school was rated 50th best high school in the state. We have 3 older kids who will be in college and our "gift" haha is going to be in 2nd grade. I would do a townhouse. I just need sun and a view. I didn't know there were no high rises where families live. We are older (almost 50) than most of the parents with 7 year olds. We don't want to live in a neighborhood with all 30 year olds. We like what a city has to offer, museums, theatre, restaurants, etc. Let me know what you think! Thanks!!

[jahiet]

i meant Churchill HS is ranked 50th in the nation, 7th in the state. So we would like to be in a similar school district.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by jahiet

We are in Potomac, Maryland in the Churchill HS pod, our high school was rated 50th best high school in the state. We have 3 older kids who will be in college and our "gift" haha is going to be in 2nd grade. I would do a townhouse. I just need sun and a view. I didn't know there were no high rises where families live. We are older (almost 50) than most of the parents with 7 year olds. We don't want to live in a neighborhood with all 30 year olds. We like what a city has to offer, museums, theatre, restaurants, etc. Let me know what you think! Thanks!!

What you are describing is 100% Park Cities - being near museums, theatre, fabulous restaurants, a wide variety of ages in the residents, and most of all an outstanding school district (HPHS ranks 35th in the US and either #1 or #2 in Texas). The elite colleges all across the US know and recognize the rigor of HP's college prep.

If you're open to townhouse, there is no better place to look in the DFW area.

[Considering Coming Back]

Originally Posted by jahiet

We are in Potomac, Maryland in the Churchill HS pod, our high school was rated 50th best high school in the state. We have 3 older kids who will be in college and our "gift" haha is going to be in 2nd grade. I would do a townhouse. I just need sun and a view. I didn't know there were no high rises where families live. We are older (almost 50) than most of the parents with 7 year olds. We don't want to live in a neighborhood with all 30 year olds. We like what a city has to offer, museums, theatre, restaurants, etc. Let me know what you think! Thanks!!

This is the Park Cities. You should look at the 3 high rise buildings in HPISD. After that try the SFAs in the square between Hillcrest and Preston, Mockingbird and Lovers.

[wagsone]

Just a thought- We were looking at a town home at Highland Gates and the agent mentioned that there are some private rentals in the development. This would give luxury living in HP schools with the plus of walkability to Knox Henderson restaurants, shops, Katy Trail, etc..View, however, is strictly residential...