Relocating to Dallas, so confused.. (Plano, Carrollton: apartments, rentals, how much) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

Hayooosh · 07-02-2013, 01:22 AM

Hi all,
My husband, 2 little children and I are moving to Dallas. My husband will work in Richardson and we're Muslim, Arabs. I have two main concerns (and questions):

- Which area is recommended for living (around Richardson)? people suggested Plano, Richardson, and Frisco.. but we're confused. we need a safe, family-oriented, child-friendly area. also a place with ethnic diversity, but most important, good preschools for our older daughter (3.5 years old)!

- we want to rent an apartment / a house, and that's a dilemma. I'm not sure that living in a house is that easy and safe (first time in US and will need time to get used to it). on the other hand, Apartments might also be hard to live in (We're less used to this way of living in the place we're coming from).

PLEASE I need your advise.

Best Regards'

miz77 · 07-02-2013, 06:02 AM

I don't live in TX anymore, we're considering moving back. You may want to research, as when I lived there, there was a decent Muslim population in the Richardson area, which most of the area is really nice and also by "Telecom Alley" and seems from my research that the Richardson area still has some diversity. If your looking for diversity, I would recommend staying closer in towards Dallas, the further up you go into the suburbs past Plano, I think the less diverse it is....and I don't think that area is swimming with diversity anyhow.....maybe more so than when I was there, but Allen/Frisco area I think would not be the best area for you. Maybe research Richardson, East Dallas (but there are some sketchy parts) and Plano, east or west, but look out for some of the schools in east Plano. Richardson, other than one small area, is safe and family friendly. Canyon Creek area has tons of walking areas, a park and there are always people out walking. There are apartments in that area, too and nearby that area. I would think a house may be more safe than apartments, but most apartments if you pick a good area should be safe and fine.

TrueDat · 07-02-2013, 06:08 AM

Any of those places you mentioned should be fine but I'd recommend Richardson since that's where your husband is working. If this is your first time living here, you don't want to have a long commute to add to the list of things you need to adjust to.

Richardson is ethnically diverse with a large Asian and Muslim population. Accordingly, there are lots of markets and eateries that cater to Asians and Muslims. There are mosques in the city or nearby and an Islamic Center in Richardson Dallas Islamic Center. Perhaps they could help with more specific questions.

Also, Richardson is renowned for its school district and being largely a safe area in which to live.

Sushi cake · 07-02-2013, 07:14 AM

If you can give a general idea of which part of Richardson he'll have to go for work and how much is your rental budget then we can give better information. However both Richardson and Plano can work for you. Both are diverse, have plenty of muslim residents and there are at least 5 mosques and a dozen grocery shops/dinning that I've noticed.

One area that comes to mind is Richardson's 75082 area code, its the nicer part of the Richardson and has safe apartments and good preschools. Actually, you can even rent a house there and still feel safe, most of the house issues are taken care by the landlord so its not a bad idea if you need more space.

realtor.com

Cowboys fan in Houston · 07-02-2013, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miz77

I don't live in TX anymore, we're considering moving back. You may want to research, as when I lived there, there was a decent Muslim population in the Richardson area, which most of the area is really nice and also by "Telecom Alley" and seems from my research that the Richardson area still has some diversity. If your looking for diversity, I would recommend staying closer in towards Dallas, the further up you go into the suburbs past Plano, I think the less diverse it is....and I don't think that area is swimming with diversity anyhow.....maybe more so than when I was there, but Allen/Frisco area I think would not be the best area for you. Maybe research Richardson, East Dallas (but there are some sketchy parts) and Plano, east or west, but look out for some of the schools in east Plano. Richardson, other than one small area, is safe and family friendly. Canyon Creek area has tons of walking areas, a park and there are always people out walking. There are apartments in that area, too and nearby that area. I would think a house may be more safe than apartments, but most apartments if you pick a good area should be safe and fine.

Plano and Richardson are both extremely diverse, both more so than Dallas itself especially when were talking about largest Muslim/South Asian/Arab communities.

To the OP, I would look at Richardson and Plano as well as Carrollton. All three have very large Muslim communities including markets, places to eat, and good schools.

bencronin04 · 07-02-2013, 09:59 AM

I'm not sure what you mean by this: "I'm not sure that living in a house is that easy and safe (first time in US and will need time to get used to it)"

Hayooosh · 07-02-2013, 11:01 AM

Thanks all for your replies. It helps a lot.
Well, I guess we prefer living nearby my husband's work for the first 6 months - 1 year and then decide if we wanna move to another area. This way I could be more familiar with the place, schools, and everything else.

It would help me a lot if you have any specific recommendations for preferred areas in Richardson.
Thanks all.

Hayooosh · 07-02-2013, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bencronin04

I'm not sure what you mean by this: "I'm not sure that living in a house is that easy and safe (first time in US and will need time to get used to it)"

I mean I'm not well familiar with maintenance things, services, and other procedures I'll have to handle by my own in case of renting a house. If I understood right, apartments in complexes have many facilities already arranged including 24 hr emergency maintenance and available services..

bencronin04 · 07-02-2013, 11:09 AM

Usually when you rent a house, the LL(landlord) takes care of major maintenance issues. Light bulbs, air filters, etc. would usually be your responsibility. Also there are quiet a few LL's that also have a property management company that responds quickly and has emergency services as well. This last Friday evening we thought our A/C unit had failed and put in a request on the house we rent. We had the normal repair guy on site within 30 minutes on a Sunday evening around 7.

MurphyPl1 · 07-02-2013, 12:14 PM

East Richardson would give you access to your husband's job, mosque, other Muslim families, Halal friendly food establishments and there are some nice apartments at Renner and North Star. They feed into the Plano ISD and are all great schools.

Breckinridge Point, and Clearwater Creek are nice, with pools, green belts and easy access to schools and shopping. Plus they are both within walking distance of some pretty large parks.