Prosper & Mc Kinney Questions (Dallas, Plano: house, landscaping, neighborhoods)

[Prius732]

I posted a short while ago about our move...we explored DFW suburbs and narrowed areas down (moving from the M streets in Dallas). We could not warm up to neighborhoods in Plano,much different than what we expected after actually driving thru different subdivisions...

We are pretty much decided on Prosper and excited about our move.Friends from California are looking to move to Collin County next year.They too have visited and are considering Prosper.Their budget is under $400,000.They also really like Tucker Hill in Mc Kinney with Prosper ISD and Stone bridge Ranch near Adriatica. Questions they have (refuse to make their own city data account,silly)....

Is there any benefit to being in the city of Mc Kinney with Prosper ISD verse the Town of Prosper with Prosper ISD?Is there a big difference in taxes either way?

Housing prices seem significantly less in Mc Kinney than Prosper.Would it be a bad choice for them to get a less expensive per square foot house in Mc Kinney? There are many listings under $400,000 in Mc Kinney and not nearly as many listings under $400,000 in Prosper.They have two children under 10,seeking good schools.....

What are the major differences in Prosper iSD and Mc Kinney ISD?

We do not know alot about Mc Kinney,it was not one of the areas we considered.Since we are doing Prosper,we have explained what we like about the area but can not offer feedback on Mc Kinney or a direct ISD comparison...

[TX75007]

It really depends on your job and the cost of tolls.

[Prius732]

Originally Posted by TX75007

It really depends on your job and the cost of tolls.

Work for one of them will be in Frisco (wife stays home)....

[GripeWater]

I would say go with the house you like, difference between those two aren't significant enough.

[MckinneyOwnr]

As far as I know, McKinney ISD is rated more highly than Prosper (we have several posters on here who know all the info about school districts front to back so hopefully they will chime in as well.)

We bought in McKinney primarily due to the schools and location vs Prosper. We actually did look a bit in Prosper, in a development right off 380, but it was simply too far out for us, and commute times were going to be dramatically longer than what we currently have in McKinney. The borders of McKinney are basically 121 on the south, Custer on the West, a bit north of 380 on the North, and over to the Collin County Regional Airport to the East.

McKinney has some very nice areas with multi million dollar homes, but they've also got homes in the $130k range and up, it just depends on the development. Prosper probably has a higher average price due to larger lots, again on average. The downside of that is that McKinney is a lot closer to Frisco, Plano, Allen, Fairview, etc... which is where all the retail is, so they'd have to decide what is more important to them. McKinney has been around a long time, so it can be a reasonably safe investment choice for a home. Prosper has a lot of unknowns about how development will end up at this point.

We were able to find a nice neighborhood with easy access to 121 and 75 for under $300k. (Although that was 3 years ago, it would probably cost closer to $330-350k for a similar home now.)

[GripeWater]

If commute is Frisco then both Prosper & McKinney are ok, if you consider commuting to DFW attractions and prospect of job change then neither of these are ideally located.

Schools are ok in both towns but none belongs with first tier steller school districts. Apparently, schools aren't top priority so just go with the house you like.

[Aceraceae]

I think McKinney has a better location.

[Saintmarks]

My kids have gone thru the McKinney ISD, the last two are currently in Boyd HS, have been very happy with their education.

Prosper has come so far in such a short time school wise. When my sis-in-law moved there 15 or so years ago, there was still only one school for all of K-12. In that short stretch, they have rebuilt the high school not once but twice along with several middle and elementary schools. My nephew's graduating class had around 40 kids in 2002, it has almost 10 times that now in a graduating class.

So, McKinney has been around longer as a school district but Prosper is very much considered up and coming and has the potential to be the highest rated school district in the future simply because of the demographic moving there (ie almost NO lower/middle class housing being built, almost all upper middle).

As others have stated, I don't think there is a great disparity between the schools as Prosper is definitely closing any gap. The big difference would be in the type of neighborhood on would seek. McKinney definitely has a more town-like feel, Prosper still 'feels' rural. There is currently very little retail in Prosper, in that regard it still feels like the 500 population burg it was forever and ever.

My opinion is that the planning in McKinney, especially in Stonebridge Ranch, is worth looking in that area. The overall feel of Stonebridge is the nicest area anywhere in the DFW metroplex. The landscaping, the lay of the land, the integration of the golf courses with public views from the many roads, the lakes, the trees... Can't be beat. But I actually prefer the "non" suburban feel of the older part of McKinney with NO planning... huge victorians next to pre-war bungalows next to post war brick rannches and all sorts in between.

But that doesn't float some people's boat like it does mine. I live in McKinney, work in Frisco and go to church in Prosper, so this little triangle of Texas is my stomping grounds and I like McKinney best as a place to live.

[Prius732]

Thank you for the feedback! We thought Stonebridge Ranch was gorgeous,right now our friends are leaning that way because it is more affordable than Prosper.We wanted a half acre lot and the budget is a bit more,so we went with Prosper....but we thought Stonebridge was really pretty from driving thru.Does Mc Kinney bus after elementary school? A friend told me yes yesterday....how does that work? I had said to her that I would find that a bit unusual...according to our realtor very few suburbs bus in DFW.

[PlanoGirl]

I think SM hit the nail on the head. I think it depends what you're friends are really after...do they prefer a large lot in a more rural setting, or an average sized lot (.2-.25 acres) with closer proximity to retail and "town" activities? That is the main difference. There is not enough of a difference between the school districts quality-wise (with the exception of exposure to a more diverse economic demographic...which you won't get any of in Prosper) to be a huge concern. Prosper does have the one-high-school set up so may have greater overall community school spirit, but Mckinney being more established, and with three high school, will, at least at this point in time, have more opportunities for extracurriculars and not-the-norm class offerings.

As far as the busing...pretty much all suburbs provide buses for the students after elementary school for the neighborhoods that are more than a mile or two away from the school...so I assume by "busing" you mean bringing in students from from poorer area of town to further away richer areas and vice versa. In that case, the simple answer is yes, Mckinney does do that to some degree...but it is not nearly as extreme as people make it sound. In an effort to equalize the large discrepancy in demographics in the city, the zoning boundaries tend to run in east/wests strips, versus north/south, which prevents the middle and high schools from ending up in a rich school/ poor school situation. This means in SOME neighborhoods the students are traveling further to middle/ high school although there is geographically a closer choice. That said, it isn't a pick and choose situation on an individual basis. ALL kids from that neighborhood/area go to that same school...so they are still with the same kids they have gone to elementary school with, etc. As the rest of Mckinney is developed, and additional high schools are added, this probably won't be necessary, but as it stand now, the east side of Mckinney is a MUCH different economic demographic than the west side. Personally, I don't find this to be a big deal at all, and appreciate the fact that my kids will be going to school with kids from all walks of life. For someone who is really bothered by their kids having to drive (or ride) an extra 5 minutes, you can always look closely at the zoning maps and choose an area that feeds to its closest middle and high school. However, do be aware that rezoning is planned for next school year I think, and we have a new superintendent as of a year or two a go, so who knows exactly how that all will, or will not, change. From what I understand, there are definitely those in the city that are opposed to how the boundaries are set up and also those that are for it. However, I can tell you that from my personal experience, I have yet to talk to any parent that was upset about the school they have been zoned to...and yes, this includes parents who kids are traveling the further distance too.

Here is a link to the current boundary maps so you can draw your own conclusion:

Middle School:
http://www.mckinneyisd.net/informati...one_2011_e.pdf

High School:
http://www.mckinneyisd.net/informati...hool-08-09.pdf