North Dallas v South Dallas (Canyon, Trinity: low income, homes, income)

[TrueDat]

There are nice areas all over Oak Cliff, despite the stereotypes that people on C-D -- who've never lived in and rarely visit -- continue to trade in as if they're the last word. Oak Cliff covers a large area, especially in the media where anything and everything south of I-30 is labeled Oak Cliff and used interchangeably with South Dallas (which is an incorrect thing to do but whatever). Within that area are all sorts of neighborhoods, good and not-so-good.

Kessler Plaza and Ravinia Heights are two areas west of Hampton that are quite nice though you'd still might find it hard to get something for under $150K.

Neighborhood Spotlight: Ravinia Heights - D Magazine (this is from a few years back so the prices have obviously gone up from there but gives you some idea about the neighborhood)

[Aceraceae]

I spent some time in Overton rd Tacoma st Ann Arbor areas today. Brutal down there.

[Grainraiser]

Originally Posted by Aceraceae

I spent some time in Overton rd Tacoma st Ann Arbor areas today. Brutal down there.

I know that area well and it is not a place I would want to purchase a home.

[bencronin04]

Originally Posted by TrueDat

There are nice areas all over Oak Cliff, despite the stereotypes that people on C-D -- who've never lived in and rarely visit -- continue to trade in as if they're the last word. Oak Cliff covers a large area, especially in the media where anything and everything south of I-30 is labeled Oak Cliff and used interchangeably with South Dallas (which is an incorrect thing to do but whatever). Within that area are all sorts of neighborhoods, good and not-so-good.

Kessler Plaza and Ravinia Heights are two areas west of Hampton that are quite nice though you'd still might find it hard to get something for under $150K.

Neighborhood Spotlight: Ravinia Heights - D Magazine (this is from a few years back so the prices have obviously gone up from there but gives you some idea about the neighborhood)

If you want to try and be all accurate...good and "not-so-good" is not the correct definition. Good and terrible is a better representation. I think everyone on this post has been pretty fair to the Oak Cliff area so far, no need for you to try and make it something it's not. There are some nicer areas of Oak Cliff, but not many in OPs price range if any. I visit Oak Cliff a few times a month. My dad's practice is there, our old maid lives there (that we visit often) and we go down there usually once a month for groceries (mexican marts) and eating out.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by Rowan123

Oak Cliff is in south Dallas. Some areas of it (like Kessler Park) are quite nice, other parts of it have very high crime. I don't know anything about the area where that home is (or a much about Oak Cliff other than what I posted in the first two sentences).

Native here: Oak Cliff is not in South Dallas. They are completely separate.

Also, East Dallas is not in North Dallas!!!

[TrueDat]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

If you want to try and be all accurate...good and "not-so-good" is not the correct definition. Good and terrible is a better representation. I think everyone on this post has been pretty fair to the Oak Cliff area so far, no need for you to try and make it something it's not. There are some nicer areas of Oak Cliff, but not many in OPs price range if any. I visit Oak Cliff a few times a month. My dad's practice is there, our old maid lives there (that we visit often) and we go down there usually once a month for groceries (mexican marts) and eating out.

The general impression from reading these posts is that Oak Cliff, unless you can afford Kessler Park (which clearly the OP cannot from his budget), then it should be avoided. Or that Oak Cliff and South Dallas are synonymous.

My point is that there are all sorts of neighborhoods in Oak Cliff -- and, yes, some are terrible, some are good, and others are somewhere in between. But the same is true of North Dallas. And there are cool neighborhoods outside of Kessler Park and the Bishop Arts District, like the two I mentioned in the previous post which, until fairly recently, were still pretty affordable.

if the OP has kids (which I don't think any were mentioned) and wants them in public schools then, yeah, Oak Cliff probably is not going to work. And, yes, in some areas it can be block by block, with one block nice and another ratty. And there's still a dearth of retail in Oak Cliff though that's slowly changing.

But we agree that, with a $150K budget, the OP's not going to have many options in whatever part of Dallas they decide to look.

[Rowan123]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Native here: Oak Cliff is not in South Dallas. They are completely separate.

Also, East Dallas is not in North Dallas!!!

I meant Oak Cliff is geographically south as in the southern part of the city (I didn't capitalize south in my post as in South Dallas).

I never said East Dallas was in North Dallas.

[J.Thomas]

Originally Posted by TrueDat

The general impression from reading these posts is that Oak Cliff, unless you can afford Kessler Park (which clearly the OP cannot from his budget), then it should be avoided. Or that Oak Cliff and South Dallas are synonymous.

My point is that there are all sorts of neighborhoods in Oak Cliff -- and, yes, some are terrible, some are good, and others are somewhere in between. But the same is true of North Dallas. And there are cool neighborhoods outside of Kessler Park and the Bishop Arts District, like the two I mentioned in the previous post which, until fairly recently, were still pretty affordable.

if the OP has kids (which I don't think any were mentioned) and wants them in public schools then, yeah, Oak Cliff probably is not going to work. And, yes, in some areas it can be block by block, with one block nice and another ratty. And there's still a dearth of retail in Oak Cliff though that's slowly changing.

But we agree that, with a $150K budget, the OP's not going to have many options in whatever part of Dallas they decide to look.

I'm finding houses even at 80K

No idea about neighborhood but that doesn't matter.

I can spend 5K on assault rifles, handguns, ammo and alarms.

That would be a wise investment

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by J.Thomas

I'm finding houses even at 80K

No idea about neighborhood but that doesn't matter.

I can spend 5K on assault rifles, handguns, ammo and alarms.

That would be a wise investment

And the house would get broken into and all of those guns would be stolen.
Or you could be killed in a random drive-by shooting by a bullet going through your window. That has actually happened!

Trust us when we say you don't want an $80k house, no matter where it is.

[J.Thomas]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

And the house would get broken into and all of those guns would be stolen.
Or you could be killed in a random drive-by shooting by a bullet going through your window. That has actually happened!

Trust us when we say you don't want an $80k house, no matter where it is.

OMG

It's brutal.