Blindly moving from CA to Dallas & need neighborhood/apartment suggestions! (Highland Park: apartments, rentals)

[chefinthemaking]

Hello all,

I received a job offer to work at Knife Dallas off of N. Central Expressway. I live in the bay area and know absolutely nothing about Dallas. I'm noticing that there's a bunch of little sub-towns and it's a very confusing for me to try and figure out which listings are where and how far they are from my future place of work. I'm hoping to bring my car, but it's possible that I won't be able to. So to be safe, I'm looking for places within at least 30min of public transportation. I'm still in the works with figuring out pay and hours, so I'm not sure what I'll be able to afford just yet, but I'm thinking in the ballpark of $700/month. I also know that the cost of living is completely different than here in the bay area, and probably isn't quite as expensive. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which neighborhoods surround the area or apartments? It'd be greatly appreciated!

[RonnieinDallas]

$700 a month is a really low budget for anything decent in Dallas. You may be able to find something decent in one of the older buildings in the Village. The Village is pretty close to your job, there are bus stops nearby, and a DART rail station.

The Village Apartments

[chefinthemaking]

Originally Posted by RonnieinDallas

$700 a month is a really low budget for anything decent in Dallas. You may be able to find something decent in one of the older buildings in the Village. The Village is pretty close to your job, there are bus stops nearby, and a DART rail station.

The Village Apartments

Thanks for the link,
So what do you think is a more realistic budget?

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by chefinthemaking

Thanks for the link,
So what do you think is a more realistic budget?

It looks like there are a few places in the village with apartments under $700, but anywhere else that low I'd be pretty skeptical of. Especially since you are new to Dallas, and don't know the good parts from the bad. $700 is about rock bottom when it comes to something safe, and I definitely wouldn't pick a complex where $700 is one of the more expensive units.

[TrueDat]

The Village is a good choice as it's not far from Knife and it's a good, relatively central location.

Rents have gone up in Dallas though, overall, it's still not nearly as expensive as coastal California. I'm curious where you are living in the Bay Area, are you looking for something similar to that, and are you only paying $700 out there as well?

[chefinthemaking]

Originally Posted by TrueDat

The Village is a good choice as it's not far from Knife and it's a good, relatively central location.

Rents have gone up in Dallas though, overall, it's still not nearly as expensive as coastal California. I'm curious where you are living in the Bay Area, are you looking for something similar to that, and are you only paying $700 out there as well?

I'm living in the contra costa county, but I'm with my parents so I'm not paying rent. I can't afford it with how little I work due to schooling. When I was paying rent tho, I lived in Monterey and it was about $700 just for a room, and about $1100-$1500 for a small 1 bd apt, which is still cheaper compared to Oakland/San Jose/SF's $2,000+ for a 1bd or studio. Where I live, a 1 bed can range from $800 which is in a lesser quality neighborhood to $1200 in a decent area, maybe $1500 at the most for a 1 bed, but that's more towards a 2 bed apt price. So I'm not really sure how to gauge anywhere else because most of the Bay is grossly overpriced, but the non-tech company based areas are inexpensive.

[TrueDat]

Ah, gotcha.

If you do bring your car, another area you might consider is North Oak Lawn, between Lemmon Ave. and the Highland Park border (if you look at a map, it would be streets like Bowser, Prescott, Holland, Hawthorne, Gilbert, etc. It's not far from the nightlife areas of Uptown and Oak Lawn but it's quieter, tree-shaded, and filled with older duplexes, apartments and condos with some new construction. Lots of young professionals.

It tends to be cheaper (and quieter) than Uptown itself with its huge, corporate, apartment-homes complexes with their marble countertops, swimming pools, and nice gyms. A few years ago, I had a friend who was only paying around $600 for an older, no-frills unit in North Oak Lawn but prices have gone up since then so that might not be possible anymore. And, unlike Uptown, it's not directly on the DART light rail line. But it's worth a look.

Also, many of the owners of many of these North Oak Lawn buildings tend just to put out "for rent" or "for lease" signs so the best way to find them is to drive or bike around the neighborhood.

[WorldKlas]

The Knife restaurant is directly across the street from the train station. If you don't have a free place to park at work, consider renting something walkable to work or the DART rail line. Look on Padmapper.com for places to rent near a rail station. The Village (near Lovers Lane and Central/75) is a great choice, too, because its very close and you can take a bus to work. Also, there are some lower rentals around Royal Lane and Central (75) and that's not a scary area either and not far.

The area around your new job is generally safe neighborhoods.

These would be a great walkable location for you -- safe neighborhoods

http://www.padmapper.com/show.php?so...09076&src=main

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/apa/4967350056.html

[chefinthemaking]

Thank you so much for the info! I'm hoping to fly over for a few days, so I'm glad you mentioned that certain neighborhoods typically advertise with signs instead of a posting online. And the public transportation suggestions help, too. I really appreciate it!

[metroxian]

I'll second TrueDat's north Oak Lawn. There is a bus that runs on Oak Lawn Ave. that goes to the DART City Place where you can get the train to Mockingbird. It's a drive by neighborhood... that is, usually 'for rents' are found by signs in yards or on Craigslist - yes. I had a place there in a eight-plex a few years back @ $400. There were other place for $500. It's a great place to find oneself.

https://goo.gl/maps/Nldf8

On Craigslist, filter for 'Oak Lawn' and enter a 'Max' rent, then search

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/apa/4986997451.html
> I used to live a block from here

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/apa/4946221548.html
> could be a place to get started

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/apa/5003604948.html
> a possibility

Good luck