Relocating from AL, job in Lewisville: Where to live? (Dallas: 2014, house)

[AUgradvb]

Our family is considering a move from Mobile, AL to the Dallas area after receiving a job offer in Lewisville. I would greatly appreciate any advice based on what we're looking for/can afford. We have 8 yr old intelligent twin girls (skipped a grade and are considered "gifted") and having them in a challenging school in a great environment is most important to us. That being said, we like to have fun too! The girls love soccer, my husband plays golf and good shopping nearby would be a plus. I have been looking in Flower Mound and Frisco and from what I have researched on Zillow, a good sized backyard seems hard to come by. We're not accustomed to only a small patch of grass when you step outside here in AL. Are there other areas near Lewisville with larger yards? Our house budget is no more than 300k.

I would love to hear more about differences between Flower Mound and Frisco in general.

Also, I've read about Dallas suburbs being snotty and pretentious. I would like to avoid those areas... I do like cool clothes and good wine and such, but we are very down to earth/not trying to keep up with the Jones' kind of folks.

Thank you in advance for any and all input.

[TX75007]

Flower Mound schools are a notch above Frisco. FM schools (part of Lewsiville ISD) cater to smart kids and have a lot as well. You will have to do research on the feeder schools in the area to find the best fit. Coming from AL I would be prepared for your kids to not be the smartest in the room and to be challenged.

//www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...nalists-2.html

Flower Mound is an older community than Frisco with established subdivisions with just a few new communities. Lots of trees. Probably more laid back in many ways.

Snotty and pretentious is just a perception and not reality. DFW as a whole is a lot more open and welcoming than most other large metro areas.

[AUgradvb]

Thank you TX75007. Great information! Encouraging to hear my kids would "blend in" better with their peers on an academic level and be challenged in FM schools. The education here (or lack thereof) is one of the main reasons we are looking to relocate.

[masonsmom4]

AUgradvb, I'm a north Alabama native and my family moved to Flower Mound two weeks ago (spent the past six years in Florida). Knowing where you are coming from I think you would really like it here. I am really impressed with it so far and your kids will definitely be more challenged here. There's plenty of shopping nearby (have to drive a few more minutes for high end retail) and lots of parks and trails. Where I came from in AL there was maybe one "city park" per town and definitely no paved trails so if your part of Mobile is that way you will be pleased. The small lot size is something to get used to especially coming from a place where things are more spread out, but even though you're in the suburbs its still a city if that makes sense. I'm still learning myself so I don't have that much info to offer but I haven't found anything to really complain about yet Flower Mound is the town I kept coming back to in my research (husband works in Southlake) and I'm excited to be here.

P.S. My daughter is a sophomore at Auburn so War Eagle!

[mikestrong]

Originally Posted by AUgradvb

Our family is considering a move from Mobile, AL to the Dallas area after receiving a job offer in Lewisville. I would greatly appreciate any advice based on what we're looking for/can afford. We have 8 yr old intelligent twin girls (skipped a grade and are considered "gifted") and having them in a challenging school in a great environment is most important to us. That being said, we like to have fun too! The girls love soccer, my husband plays golf and good shopping nearby would be a plus. I have been looking in Flower Mound and Frisco and from what I have researched on Zillow, a good sized backyard seems hard to come by. We're not accustomed to only a small patch of grass when you step outside here in AL. Are there other areas near Lewisville with larger yards? Our house budget is no more than 300k.

I would love to hear more about differences between Flower Mound and Frisco in general.

Also, I've read about Dallas suburbs being snotty and pretentious. I would like to avoid those areas... I do like cool clothes and good wine and such, but we are very down to earth/not trying to keep up with the Jones' kind of folks.

Thank you in advance for any and all input.

I just moved back to Dallas(grew up in MS, lived in dallas 12 years, moved back to MS 2.5 years ago) from Pascagoula MS which is only 30 mins from Mobile. Went to college there, and went there regularly. First. I love Dallas. Frisco has great kids sports programs, as well as, a lot of places to do things. They just opened and indoor skydving place that I am taking my daughter to at the end of the month. Prosper would be great for big yards, and 300k would get you that. I live in Mckinney and love it. Great community. You can find big yards in Mckinney to.

[Rakin]

There is a huge shortage of homes right now in FM. There are only 10 homes on the market priced from $250-300k at this time.

That's not very many.

[bamaintex]

The good news is that moving from 95% of the schools in Alabama, most schools here would be a vast improvement. My kids started school in a suburb of Birmingham with pretty good schools. My daughter would have definitely qualified as gifted there, but they refused to test before 3rd grade. They test in kinder in our district here, Allen ISD. She tested here when we moved and had very high scores that were well above the requirements for gifted in our Alabama district. She did not qualify here. I don't really know anything about Flower Mound, but I did look in Frisco. I ultimately decided I liked it here better. I live in one of the more pretentious areas and sometimes feel like I stick out like a sore thumb, but generally, I really like it here. There are down to earth folks everywhere in DFW from what I've experienced. Now, if I were to see you out in Auburn gear, I would probably shout Roll Tide Roll but that's no different than Alabama.

masonsmom4, I grew up in north Alabama too. Extreme northeast to be precise.

[ChristieP]

McKinney to Lewisville is a fairly long commute using a toll road. The only alternatives are surface streets with tons of traffic lights and school zones.

[Rob.]

My wife and I are also Alabama defectors (Montgomery) and have lived here for almost 3 years! We love it out here

[AUgradvb]

Originally Posted by masonsmom4

AUgradvb, I'm a north Alabama native and my family moved to Flower Mound two weeks ago (spent the past six years in Florida). Knowing where you are coming from I think you would really like it here. I am really impressed with it so far and your kids will definitely be more challenged here. There's plenty of shopping nearby (have to drive a few more minutes for high end retail) and lots of parks and trails. Where I came from in AL there was maybe one "city park" per town and definitely no paved trails so if your part of Mobile is that way you will be pleased. The small lot size is something to get used to especially coming from a place where things are more spread out, but even though you're in the suburbs its still a city if that makes sense. I'm still learning myself so I don't have that much info to offer but I haven't found anything to really complain about yet Flower Mound is the town I kept coming back to in my research (husband works in Southlake) and I'm excited to be here.

P.S. My daughter is a sophomore at Auburn so War Eagle!

WDE masonsmom4! I do hope a move doesn't disrupt *my* hopes of at least one of my girls attending Auburn it's great to hear you are pleased with Flower Mound. Walking trails would be a gift!! Unfortunately the parks are few & far between. Thank you for taking the time reply.