Where Should We Live? (Dallas, Austin: real estate, homes, neighborhood)

[sanforeman]

I am so glad that I found this post! We will leave Austin for my husband to accept a position that will be based in either Denton or Plano. My children attend a private christian school and we want to continue with the same quality of private education when we move. I have submitted applications to First Baptist Christian Academy (downtown Dallas) and Prince of Peace Christian School in Carrollton, Texas, as these two schools are very similar to the quality of education my children are currently receiving. Because of the locations of the schools and my husband's job in Denton or Plano, I'm just not certain where we would consider living. My questions are two-fold: (1) If my children are accepted into both schools, does anyone have any knowledge of either school to make a recommendation of which one we should ultimately select? and (2) accordingly, where should we live, of course, keeping in mind the two possible locations of my husband's job? I have researched Argyle, Little Elm, Frisco, Grapevine, and am still not certain which area to consider further. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

[TXTwizter]

Frisco, or better yet grab some real estate in Prosper before it gets to expensive. The Dallas North Tollway from 121 to 380 was just completed so its just a matter of time before Prosper is another Plano or Frisco!

Good Luck!

[sanforeman]

Thanks. Is Prosper a better commute to Carrollton as opposed to Downtown Dallas?

[mysterymachinebl]

Commuting from Prosper to Carrollton would be miles closer than going all of the way to downtown Dallas. Probably would be half the distance to downtown.

[FarNorthDallas]

I bet you end up ruling out First Baptist just on location alone. It's a good school and everything, but it sounds like you're going to be in Denton or Collin County and a downtown Dallas school is just not convenient. True, the kids could take the train to school from Plano as some kids do, but I would only do that with high school aged students. The commute to downtown from Denton, Little Elm, Frisco would be 60-90 minutes each way and then since it's school and you'd be dropping off and then returning you'd be making the trip 4x a day. That would get very old.

The Carrollton school is also well regarded. I would concentrate on that one due to where the job is or might be.

[sanforeman]

Yes, I am very concerned about the school located in downtown Dallas. If the job is located in Plano, is there a nice area between Plano and downtown Dallas that you would recommend, although, at this point, I am leaning toward the Carrollton school if they are accepted. I just want to make certain that I consider all options.

[FarNorthDallas]

What part of Plano would it be?

[nsumner]

I second FND's opinion, the Dallas location is not worth the commute or trouble. If your husband ends up working in Denton or Plano, then I would suggest, Frisco, Plano, Carrollton, The Colony. Little Elm is horrible for commuting, especially if you have go take them and pick them up, on the other hand it would be a breeze for your husband if he worked in Denton.

The other area that is nice between Dallas and Plano is Farmer's Branch. There are some really nice areas by the country club. Prestonwood is a neighborhood of North Dallas too, some older homes with character highly desirable. Depending on your budget, Addison is another area of Dallas that is prime for living.

[ISellAddison]

Addison has lots of amenities, like the one time fee of $10 for a lifetime membership to the Athletic Club. Many parents in Addison send their kids to private schools, so you'd have something in common with other residents. And Addison is close to restaurants, shopping and entertainment.

[sanforeman]

How (in)convenient is the DART rail system from Plano to downtown Dallas? Of course, I would ride with my children should it happen that we decide on the downtown Dallas school. However, I am heavily leaning on POPS but I want to have a Plan B.

Also, does any one have personal knowledge of parents that send their kids to First Baptist Christian Academy? Do they ride the DART rail system? How do they manage the transportation issue? The school has an enrollment of close to 700 students from K-12th grade so I am curious as to how they manage the daily hustle in and out of downtown.