Moving from California to south Dallas area- good areas between Kemp and Dallas/traffic?

[ChristieP]

Not really. That would make your husband's commute worse.

[MurphyPl1]

Whatever you do, do NOT live in Kemp itself. Over the last few years, they've had massive financial issues. The residents won't fund improvements to the water system so the system was actually shut down two summers in a row. And in 2012 they disbanded their police department.

[loveandcoffee]

I second Murphy's recommendation to avoid living in Kemp itself. My sister lives there with her kids and it's a hellhole, to put it politely. She commutes to Dallas daily (which I don't recommend either). I would suggest trying to put in for that transfer you mentioned. Regardless whether you get it or not, here's my recommendations/opinions:

Mesquite: certain parts are better than others. I graduated from North Mesquite, but I don't recommend living around that area anymore because it's near Town East Mall, which is earning quite the negative reputation. If possible, you wanna look at buying in the Horn or Poteet feeder pattern areas, which tend to be nicer parts of town, plus those are the two best high schools in town. Home affordability can vary, but you can generally find a home here no matter what income bracket you're looking in. Nearly all the major highways run through here too (I-30, 1-20, 1-635, Hwy 80), so easy access is a plus. This will be the closest to Dallas and the farthest from Kemp.

Sunnyvale: if you can afford it, it's a wonderful town. Like I said, it's pretty expensive to live here though. Their school district used to send kids to Mesquite ISD for high school (back when I was in school), but they just built their own within the last five years and from what I've heard, it's pretty good. Hwy 80 runs through the town, which will give you access to I-30 and I-635 heading into Dallas.

Forney: fabulous place to live if you have a young family. I lived in the Travis Ranch subdivision for six years before moving back to the city. Their schools are excellent and they've really been growing a lot. Example: they just build a huge new Kroger, they opened a new high school a few years ago and they're having to widen out roads in town to handle the extra traffic. Also, Hwy 80 and I-20 both run through town, so Forney does have easy access points. Homes are fairly affordable too, so I'd highly recommend living here if you can handle the growing pains.

Crandall: this would be a great place to live if you like the idea of a more rural setting. It's obviously not completely rural, but it's more so than any of the others I've listed. Crandall has consistently had excellent schools for years. Not sure about home pricing, but I do know that it's higher than Mesquite and probably varies the closer you live to the golf course and country club. Also, Hwy 175 and I-20 are your access points to get back out to Dallas. However, this will also be both the closest to your husband's work in Kemp and farthest from your job in Dallas.

AVOID:

Seagoville (they have a federal prison in town and some of the worst schools in Dallas ISD)
Pleasant Grove neighborhood of Dallas (bad schools plus high crime. I grew up there, so trust me when I say run far far away)
Balch Springs and Kleburg (basically neighboring Pleasant Grove's issues spilled over)
Kemp (all the reasons MurphyPI1 cited plus bad schools)

Good luck in your search! I grew up in Pleasant Grove and spent summers in Kemp as a child, where lots of my family still lives. I graduated from high school in Mesquite and also had many friends that lived both in Balch Springs and Seagoville, so I know this entire area very well. if you have any other questions and/or want more specific info, please feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to help.