Is Valley Ranch in Irving a good place to live? (Dallas: apartment complexes, for rent)

[Pak6669]

Looking to relocate my son in the Dallas area. We are checking out places in Irving (Valley Ranch). Wondering if it is a nice area, safe, good for young professionals. Please help! We are out of state and have no clue what any of the areas are like. He will be working in Grapevine. Open to any suggestions--cities, apartment complexes, etc.

[Squirl]

It's a great place! But so is Grapevine.

[Willsson]

Most any place along 114, from Las Colinas to Grapevine is a good place. It's a good place for young professionals but if he's single looking for other singles then he may be fairly bored. He will find other professional friends, and families.

[Pak6669]

Thanks! Yes he is 22 and single. Is there not much night life in that area? He is very social and active so being outdoors is important for him. Is Irving pretty safe? We are checking into Grapevine but they seem to be pretty high for rent if he wants to be in a good area. I was warned about Mustang Drive and Dove Loop area.

[Willsson]

Rents are going to be high considering the area. And it is the big city with high demand. There will plenty of socializing opportunities in the area, mostly with co-workers in an after work - typically a Thursday or Friday nite sort of thing.

[Squirl]

Valley Ranch and Las Colinas have many young professionals but not much offering as far as nightlife. In Valley Ranch, the apartments are more like "garden apartments" and those on the west side of MacArthur are very family oriented because the schools on that side are highly desirable. Some of the larger apartment complexes near Lake Carolyn in Las Colinas (zip code 75039) have pretty active in-house social activities and parties for residents to keep a social scene at their complexes. Rents for a 1 bedroom apartment in Las Colinas generally runs $900 to $1200+/month. There are some good walking/running/biking trails in Valley Ranch around the canals and also in LC at the Campion Trails.

Uptown in Dallas is the big draw for nightlife, but that would be a pretty difficult commute to Grapevine. Irving is quite safe, especially in Las Colinas and Valley Ranch.

[Pak6669]

Anything for night life in Grapevine? I get the feeling it is more family oriented.

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by Pak6669

Anything for night life in Grapevine? I get the feeling it is more family oriented.

Grapevine is really far from the action in Dallas. DT Dallas, Deep Ellum, Uptown, Oak Lawn, Knox/Henderson, Greenvile Ave, The Bishop Arts District, are the normal suggestions I make, and that's probably why your post hasn't gotten many responses. These neighborhoods are the only "good" places to find active young adults. Outside of those Dallas neighborhoods, DFW in general is very family oriented. Aside from Addison, all the burbs gear towards families. Some of the various suburban posters will disagree and name off some new development with a few bars, but Dallas is really the only good option for single people under 40.

Commuting from Dallas to Grapevine would not be fun. Your forced to decide between: Either having a long commute or risking a mediocre social life. Drinking and driving is not a good idea, and DFW sprawls way too much for you to go out and party in Dallas and try drive back to Grapevine buzzed or drunk. A taxi would be way too expensive, and again drinking and driving is very irresponsible. For this reason, I never recommend suburbs to young people. I know they like to party too much!

[Back2Texas]

I lived there when I was 22 and single Specifically:
1) near the Kroger at Macarthur & Kinwest in Irving/Las Colinas
2) in the Las Colinas urban center (overlooking Lake Carolyn)
3) right off East Valley Ranch Pkwy
4) just north of Grapevine Mills (Grapevine/Flower Mound border)

I felt perfectly safe in all of those locations, even as a young, single woman.

I definitely agree that there's not a lot of nightlife. I had lots of friends in the area, mostly from work, and so we would typically go to one of the restaurants/bars in the Macarthur/635 vicinity and just chill. If we really wanted to go out, we identified a designated driver and headed in to the places in Dallas already mentioned. Worked out well, but it did help having that group of friends living nearby.

There are a lot of opportunities to get outside and be active in that area. I got into triathlons when I was living in #3 above, and loved training on the extensive trail system around the canals in Valley Ranch. Nowadays, it connects in with the Campion Trail, which runs all the way to the Las Colinas urban center. There are also a lot of running races and triathlons in that area (mostly centered near the urban center), if your son is in to that kind of stuff.

Grapevine is also very nice, but I don't think it would be any better nightlife-wise.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by Pak6669

Anything for night life in Grapevine? I get the feeling it is more family oriented.

There are a couple of places in downtown Grapevine (Wilhoites, Back Porch, Tap In) but they tend to draw an older crowd.

Personally, I say its better to live closer to work and go out somewhere on the weekends. A lengthy commute can make you late for work occasionally, and many employers do not look highly on that, especially with a new hire!