Frisco, Plano, or Mckinney? (a ramble) (Austin, Southlake: rental, home owners insurance, credit score)

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by DitsyD

Sorry, but we are in East Plano and are upper middle class. Don't live in a ghetto.

In West Plano, there are people living in apartments that aren't wealthy or upper middle class.

In Plano, it isn't ALL one thing or another; makes it diverse across the city.

I think most people reading my post would realize that I'm speaking in general terms. Good for you, you're bucking the trend. Doesn't change the fact that most people in East Plano are NOT upper middle class, and if you think otherwise, you really aren't familiar with the demographics of the city.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

I think most people reading my post would realize that I'm speaking in general terms. Good for you, you're bucking the trend. Doesn't change the fact that most people in East Plano are NOT upper middle class, and if you think otherwise, you really aren't familiar with the demographics of the city.

There are some very posh acreage communities in the area where Plano East HS sits. The ISD goes beyond the city limits into Parker and Murphy I do believe, even parts of Richardson. This area of Plano reminds me more of the overall mix of McKinney in many regards. There are lower income areas in the core of Allen as well that people tend to forget as well as the core of Frisco. That these two were much smaller to begin with makes them less of the overall demographic, but these areas do exist in all of the Collin burbs. West Plano is probably the most homogenously (made up word I know) pure in the overall scheme of things.

[TheOverdog]

Doesn't change the fact that most people in East Plano are NOT upper middle class

I'm not sure about 'most' but really the poor part of East Plano is between 75 & Jupiter. North of E Park and E of Jupiter is perfectly fine normal middle to upper middle class housing.

You really can't make direct comparisions based only on house prices, because if you are (and we are considering a fairly narrow price range here), buying a larger newer house for less money in McKinney than east Plano makes McKinney look worse, not better, if you buy into the realtor idea of location, location, location.

[ItsTexas]

Originally Posted by MobiusStrip

With a higher mortgage payment, we might not be "haves" but we wouldn't be "have nots" either.

This is what makes me so sad about the world we live in these days.
The 'haves' and 'have nots', and the stress this puts on our children.
What the h#ll is wrong with this world, can't we just accept each other
for who we are as a person anymore?

I may 'not have' a big bank account, or a big house, but my heart is big.

Had to get that off my chest after reading this thread. Bless you all.

[MobiusStrip]

My children don't need to be "haves" by any means. But I would like for us to be relatively close to the median. I want them to have what the average kid has. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I don't want to live where my income is in lowest 10% or highest 10%. I just want us to be average. Or median if you will.

[Brookside]

Food for thought: have you researched how far your housing dollar will go in Dallas proper?

I'm only asking this because if your kids are smart and high achieving, they will shine more in a school district where there's less competition.

Goodness knows how school rankings will be measured for college admissions when your kids are ready to apply. But as of now it's a huge piece of the college admissions process. If they are in Plano or Frisco or McKinney, they're going to be up against a lot of other really smart high achieving kids. (my neighbors daughter has straight A's since middle school and she is only in the top 30% at PSH).

If they are in a Dallas school, they will be at or near the top – most likely economically as well as academically.

And while it's true that many Dallas schools are subpar and rough, there are a lot of up-and-coming ones. There are people on this board who can advise you about it.

If this is too overwhelming, then there also are some small towns outside of Dallas with decent schools (Forney comes to mind) where your housing dollar may stretch a little bit.

In summary, you have options other than Collin County. Again, do little more research, or ask the fine people on this board. They are very helpful.

Good luck!

[MobiusStrip]

Thanks Brookside, that is a point to consider too. Would a college really rather have a top 1% kid from a mediocre school than top 30% from a challenging one? I just have to make sure it is a school where they have a chance of a national merit scholarship too - I was shocked at my niece's performance on the PSAT as I know she is as smart as I am, and she's never made a grade other than an A. But this small school doesn't teach Latin, doesn't offer accelerated/enriched/AP math etc. Presumably she'll be a covaledictorian though. Maybe that will be enough to get some good scholarships.

I just bumped another thread re Corinth. I really think I would like Wylie but it is a bit far from my aging mother.

[BubbleT]

I would look into parts of The Colony within LISD's Hebron High School boundaries or Carrolloton within CFBISD boundaries. However, my first priority would be renovating a smaller ranch house within PISD boundaries.

[Brookside]

Originally Posted by MobiusStrip

Thanks Brookside, that is a point to consider too. Would a college really rather have a top 1% kid from a mediocre school than top 30% from a challenging one? I just have to make sure it is a school where they have a chance of a national merit scholarship too - I was shocked at my niece's performance on the PSAT as I know she is as smart as I am, and she's never made a grade other than an A. But this small school doesn't teach Latin, doesn't offer accelerated/enriched/AP math etc. Presumably she'll be a covaledictorian though. Maybe that will be enough to get some good scholarships.

I just bumped another thread re Corinth. I really think I would like Wylie but it is a bit far from my aging mother.

Maybe someone on this board can speak directly about class rankings in college admissions. I was paraphrasing what I have read over the past couple of years about college admissions in Texas. I do know there has been plenty in the media lately about how if your kid is not in the top 10% of his graduating class, he will not get admitted to UT or Texas A&M - despite GPA, or which school district they are from.

You make a good point about how curriculum can affect performance on the PSAT, and of course you should pursue the school districts that have these specific curriculums.

Good luck!

[MobiusStrip]

One thing I hope for but may just have to "be the change I want to see" on this one is a school district with a great team of UIL number sensers. I loved number sense back in high school and am pretty sure it rewired my brain to be able to think much more quickly. If only I had retained that all these years later...

Of course, my kids may hate number sense.

I had no idea what a hard decision it would be. When I was a foster mother living in NoVA, it was so simple. I knew I wanted Fairfax district only and chose to live zoned for an elementary school with decent test scores and a very diverse ethnic makeup - no ethnicity was over 40% of the whole. I need to quit agonizing and make a decision!