Early 20s veteran moving to Dallas (UTD) (Houston, Greenville: apartments, rent)

[Vet2Dallas]

I'm a native Houstonian sepearting from the military in the next year. I'm 23 and will be attending UT-Dallas for at least a couple of years with hopes of staying there for several years after graduating. I'm in the IT security field. I'm currently looking at different lofts/places around downtown/uptown/knox-henderson, but they all seem to be pushing my budget limit. I'm looking to spend no more than $900-1000 on rent w/out a roommate (preferably a 1/1).

About me:
- Hardly drink
- Not a club go-er
- Would like to stay in the city
- No more than 30 minute commute
- Would like to be close to shops/restaurants/entertainment
- I have a vehicle
(I'll update my this as things come to mind)

Any areas that you recommend? Any areas to avoid?

[ChristieP]

If you don't like to party and you want a short commute to school, then living in the city doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You will be right at your max commute time with traffic, which is really going to cut into study time, and the gas back and forth for that drive is going to get expensive.

[TurtleCreek80]

I'd move your search just a bit north to the Village apartments. They're budget friendly, full of newcomers to Dallas, and will cut 10 minutes off your commute to school (making it about 20 min, assuming your classes are arranged that you're not headed northbound on 75 at 5pm for evening classss!) There's plenty to do/eat along upper Greenville and you're only 5-10 minutes from Lower Greenville and Uptown / Knox-Henderson if you want to go out there.

[Vet2Dallas]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

I'd move your search just a bit north to the Village apartments. They're budget friendly, full of newcomers to Dallas, and will cut 10 minutes off your commute to school (making it about 20 min, assuming your classes are arranged that you're not headed northbound on 75 at 5pm for evening classss!) There's plenty to do/eat along upper Greenville and you're only 5-10 minutes from Lower Greenville and Uptown / Knox-Henderson if you want to go out there.

I was actually considering the Village Apartments. Are they all relatively the same or would you recommend one over the other?

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Vet2Dallas

I was actually considering the Village Apartments. Are they all relatively the same or would you recommend one over the other?

You have the same community access (country club, events) in all complexes....I think it just depends on which ones you like & that fit your budget. The older complexes are a lot more economical than the new ones but there are some trade-offs re: upgrades inside the units. If you're just looking for a place to crash for a year, I'd do one of the cheaper ones to save money.

[Vet2Dallas]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

You have the same community access (country club, events) in all complexes....I think it just depends on which ones you like & that fit your budget. The older complexes are a lot more economical than the new ones but there are some trade-offs re: upgrades inside the units. If you're just looking for a place to crash for a year, I'd do one of the cheaper ones to save money.

I thought I had read on here that the complexes were separated (not officially, obviously) by age group (ie. one complex was mostly people in their 20s, etc). I'll take a look at their different prices.

[aggie972]

Originally Posted by Vet2Dallas

I thought I had read on here that the complexes were separated (not officially, obviously) by age group (ie. one complex was mostly people in their 20s, etc). I'll take a look at their different prices.

The newer ones like upper east side and northbridge have more younger wealthy people. The older ones have a bigger mix of ages, and more lower income families. But it's not like it's all one or the other, there are younger people in almost every complex.

[kidicarus89]

If you're wanting a 30 minute commute to UTD or less, you could live all the way near Uptown. North on 75 isn't too bad of a commute as you're going in the reverse direction, but it does get bogged down with traffic accidents every once in a while. With your budget though, I'd recommend the Village.

[aggie972]

Village over uptown for sure with that budget and if he's not a big partier.