Relocating from California (Dallas, Plano, Richardson: appointed, real estate, rent)

[lokijuhy]

Hello,

My family and I are starting the process of relocating to the Dallas area and are looking for schools and neighborhoods that will be a good fit. Here are some of the criteria we're looking for. Let me know if you have any suggestions or advice.

-within 30-40 min from downtown
-"good" schools, and not just good test scores, but quality teachers and schools that address overall wellbeing
-ethnically diverse (we are an interracial family)
-house with a pool
-near a natural foods store
-have a nearby shopping district or downtown with character
-good coffee close by

Thanks in advance!

[4Movingeast]

Budget, size, rent or buy?

[lokijuhy]

Buy
$400-500K
Flexible on size but ~10,000+ lot

[Phil75230]

Originally Posted by lokijuhy

Hello,

My family and I are starting the process of relocating to the Dallas area and are looking for schools and neighborhoods that will be a good fit. Here are some of the criteria we're looking for. Let me know if you have any suggestions or advice.

I don't know about the California locale you live in, but in Dallas, that's a fairly tall order to insist on, unless you are unquestionably upper middle class or higher socio-economic status. Otherwise, the real question is "How much of one item are you willing to give up on in order to get another item?"

-within 30-40 min from downtown

Rush hour or after-9pm drivetime? If the first, then stay inside 635 (the city's inner beltway). Real estate is generally more expensive here than out in the 'burbs.

-"good" schools, and not just good test scores, but quality teachers and schools that address overall wellbeing

Parents are better qualified than I am about this. Nevertheless, I will say the best test cores in the city itself are in North Central Dallas, or the private schools. Otherwise, the northern 'burbs are good, and even fairly diverse (East and South Asians the predominate minority, though other groups are not rare).

-ethnically diverse (we are an interracial family)

This is relative to what you are used to. I will say that the areas where every major ethnic group in the US are present yet everybody is a minority within that area...they're going to be between the 10 o'clock and 2 or 3 o'clock position if thinking in 'clock face' terms (although between about 11:30 and 12:30 is going to be at least 85% White Anglo (mostly upper middle class income and above...sometimes well above!!). Still, from everything I've seen out here, in the great majority of cases, race counts for less than income/wealth (materialism, if not outright classism, is somethign of a problem here, though I personally found it less so here than on the Northeast coast).

-house with a pool
-near a natural foods store
-have a nearby shopping district or downtown with character
-good coffee close by

Most of this, like most of the "stuff" in the city plus a few of the inner burbs (between 635 on the south and George Bush Turnpike on the north) are going to be in the aforementioned 10 to 2 positions...the biggest concentration going to be between 11 and 1.

Thanks in advance!

You're very welcome.


-

[4Movingeast]

Phil made some good points up there.

Many of the usual suspects if you want public K-12: Richardson ISD, Plano ISD, Grapevine/Colleyville ISD spring to mind. Coppell is a great diverse family friendly community with awesome public schools but lots are small unless you are at the $500k+ mark. Of these GCISD is likely the least diverse, but a multiracial family will not draw a second glance at all. I have not seen any attitudes like that since we joined the community this summer. There aren't as many small town native Texans in the Mid Cities. I joke that I am often the most "country" in the room.

Check out Lakewood (DISD) and Lake Highlands (RISD though not served by their strongest performing HS) if your budget allows for private school or are willing to navigate your options with magnets or using the neighborhood publics (which for a certain type of child, including the two entrusted to me, I would not rule out). We are close friends with 3 families using the public schools in the Stonewall/Long/Woodrow feeder pattern with no plans to go private. We hoped to move to this area and had no qualms about using the schools but it just didn't make sense for the commute. Another family who for many reasons including divorce, so not really a dig on the schools, are switching to Plano schools after Stonewall. Brace yourself OP, there are lots of strong opinions on this forum; I would encourage you to try to separate tightly held, deeply ingrained notions from actual experiences of families with children in these schools.

Other than DISD schools though, another barrier to Lakewood might be budget. For your "wants" list in terms of the house you would likely need to add another $50-100K to be in East Dallas. You might find something in N Dallas zoned to Withers or Degolyer Elementary. The Disney Streets area is a favorite. I don't know as much about the middle and high schools serving that area since we don't have any friends living there.

Glad to see your comment about schools not being all about test scores. We are lucky enough to have moved to a district that has a great balance and has for years. There are some schools on this forum that get lots of positive reinforcement, including our former district, that put up great scores every year, but don't do much other than that.

[TurtleCreek80]

I would look in Lake Highlands, which is a neighborhood in northeast Dallas (inside 635) zoned to good Richardson ISD schools. It's diverse (economically & racially) and family friendly. Probably about a 20 minute drive to downtown in rush hour. Some houses have pools, some don't, but your budget is the "sweet spot" for the neighborhood where there are lots of choices - and lots of buyers so lots of competition!

Tons of shopping nearby, but no cute "historic downtown" areas...closest one is Lakewood Village, about a 10 minute drive south. There is a Whole Foods on Greenville & Park. Lots of food coops and healthy stores south of LH around White Rock Lake. I don't know of any indie coffee shops in LH but there are several in the. Lakewood vicinity. Zip code 75238.

You could also look at Lakewood but houses will be MUCH smaller and no chance of a pool at that low price point. Elemetary school is great, middle & high are iffy. The neighborhood is trying to make them better but SAT scores are pretty low for Dallas area public schools. Depends on how old your kids are and if you would have funds available for private schools if needed. Lakewood schools are diverse and about. 10 min from downtown . Zip code 75214 (most of it) & parts of 75223

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by lokijuhy

Hello,

My family and I are starting the process of relocating to the Dallas area and are looking for schools and neighborhoods that will be a good fit. Here are some of the criteria we're looking for. Let me know if you have any suggestions or advice.

-within 30-40 min from downtown
-"good" schools, and not just good test scores, but quality teachers and schools that address overall wellbeing
-ethnically diverse (we are an interracial family)
-house with a pool
-near a natural foods store
-have a nearby shopping district or downtown with character
-good coffee close by

Thanks in advance!

Richardson, zip code 75080. The only thing it's missing is a jazzy downtown. Most of the "hip" families favor the Richardson Heights shopping center.

In the area we have Natural Grocers, Sprouts, a Kroger with a decent selection of healthy/organic foods, and a couple of other independent health food stores. There is also going to be a new Whole Foods built close by.

I don't know what you consider "good coffee" but Richardson has several Starbucks, a Cafe Brazil (local chain), Pearl Cup (another local chain), and probably a few others I don't know about.

The location also puts you close to DART rail and the only free north/south highway that goes downtown east of 35E.

I recommend looking in The Reservation or Canyon Creek at your price point, maybe Waterview Preservation. They're all in the 75080 zip code.

As TC80 suggested, Lake Highlands is also a good place to look. Same school district but closer to downtown.

[GiantCow]

If you're coming from SF/LA, you'll be disappointed by the quality of coffee here. So far I've found 2 good places, Ascension in the design district and Houndstooth in Greenville. There's also a few Starbucks here that have a clover machine.

Your best bet is to do what I do and just order good beans and make your own coffee at home.

[lokijuhy]

Thanks for all of your replies. Lake Highlands is coming up a lot in our search.

[Kosmonova]

Originally Posted by GiantCow

If you're coming from SF/LA, you'll be disappointed by the quality of coffee here. So far I've found 2 good places, Ascension in the design district and Houndstooth in Greenville. There's also a few Starbucks here that have a clover machine.

Your best bet is to do what I do and just order good beans and make your own coffee at home.

Ever try Oak Lawn Coffee Company? I love it.