Moving to Dallas, which suburb or neighborhood? (Fort Worth, Coppell: apartments, rental market)

[lvrpl]

My wife and I will be moving to Dallas next month for my job and are trying to determine where we should live as neither of us know much about the Dallas area. We have a one-year-old son and so are hoping to find a good, safe, family-friendly area. I'll be working in Uptown and will also be going to the airport regularly for my job also - obviously the shorter the commute, the better, but we know there are tradeoffs between location and price, of course. We're planning to rent for at least our first year in order to get to know the area, and ideally would like something with 3 bedrooms. We're hoping to spend somewhere around $2k a month. We're not too concerned about schools at this point as I imagine we'll end up buying and moving again before our son gets to that age.

Any suggestions for nice areas where we should look? A few people have told us Coppell or Las Colinas might be good areas. Any thoughts on how nice those areas are? Where else should we be looking? And is what we're looking for even feasible on our budget?

We also kicked around the idea of living in Uptown but are starting to realize that that area might not be our crowd (very few families with kids), despite the great proximity to restaurants and the urban living experience that we love. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

[Squirl]

Uptown would be a great place! Or Knox-Henderson area or Lakewood. It could be great fun living close in. There are families with kids in these areas....especially in Lakewood. You have many years ahead to be locked in to burbs because of schools. Enjoy the city now, there are all kinds of preschools and Mommy and me groups for the baby. Commuting is just no fun!

[Considering Coming Back]

Don't buy twice in four years. Rent now between the tollroad and Love Field and then buy where you will send jr to school.

[TurtleCreek80]

There are more young kids in Uptown / Knox-Henderson than one would think....however I'd recommend the quieter, more family neighborhoods of the neighborhoods just west of the Park Cities off the Tollroad & Lovers (Greenway Crest, Briarwood, Devonshire). Very Walkable with tons of young families, very safe. Easy commute to Uptown, right next to Love Field, and about 15 minutes from DFW.

There are some apartments along both Lovers lane & Inwood worth looking into.

[DitsyD]

Which airport? DFW or Love Field?

Lakewood is in the eastern part of Dallas; Uptown in the north central part; Love Field in the north central part; and DFW Airport is right in the middle of Dallas and Fort Worth (so pretty far west part of Dallas).

[ChrisPlano]

I agree with TurtleCreek80's suggestion. That's a great neighborhood. Look at Pavilion Townplace apartments.

[Lakewooder]

If it's DFW, Lakewood is going to put you 10 minutes farther away, however it does have the best preschool organization in Dallas (if not Texas), see: LECPTA Home It's a fun group, not a bit stuffy.

[mSooner]

What TurtleCreek said--Lakewood & the M-Streets too.

I wouldn't do Las Colinas--there are areas closer to Uptown with more kids/young families. Coppell is great, lovely suburb with awesome schools. You will likely get more for your rental money here than Lakewood, but the rental market is hot in both. But given that you will be working in Uptown, I'd stay closer to the city unless you really want a suburban feel.

[lvrpl]

Thanks for the input so far. I'll likely be flying out of DFW most of the time but will probably fly out of Love occasionally also. What would a commute from Coppell be like? And someone mentioned Addison to me yesterday - any thoughts on that?

Also, I'm having trouble finding any rental listings in Lakewood or the M Streets. Any ideas where I should be looking for these? Thanks again!

[Squirl]

Originally Posted by lvrpl

Thanks for the input so far. I'll likely be flying out of DFW most of the time but will probably fly out of Love occasionally also. What would a commute from Coppell be like? And someone mentioned Addison to me yesterday - any thoughts on that?

Also, I'm having trouble finding any rental listings in Lakewood or the M Streets. Any ideas where I should be looking for these? Thanks again!

Coppell will mean commuting. I like Coppell a lot for families needing the school system. It can be pretty congested, traffic wise, getting to the main highways. It is an upscale burb with limited shopping and restaurants.....mostly the typical chain stuff. It has a very nice park-- Andy Brown --- and community center, and draws professionals with school aged kids. Basically, it is an upscale familyville.