Army Vet moving to Dallas (Plano, Garland: apartments, rentals, neighborhoods)

[Armyvet13]

My wife and I (late 20's) are thinking of moving to Dallas in January. I loved everything about Texas while I was stationed in Fort Hood a few years ago. A little about us and factors to consider:

- I work for the Fed, my office will be downtown and, I would love to use the subway/regional train if it is considered reliable. My agency pays for a transit pass and park to ride options.
- I will still have a car to use for everything except the commute to work. I don't mind the serious BURBS as long as the commute to work is an easy ride on the train.
- We have no kids.
- We are not into the club scene but love to go out and try new restaurants and explore good food.
- We are used to paying a lot for rent and would love to keep our costs a little lower for the next couple years to save some money - thinking of a 2 BR apartment and would like to keep it at or under $1100 / mo
- We prefer a quiet and safe community that's not too old

I would love recommendations on which neighborhoods or apartments would fit these criteria. Thank you!

I am planning to explore options based on your recommendations and visit in December to get a feel.

[ChristieP]

Yes, the DART rail is a great option for commuting downtown as long as your office is close enough to the rail stations. They are basically down the center of downtown, so if your office is off at the south end, you will still have to get on a bus or have a long walk.

Look at a map of where the rail stations are, and pick an area near one of them. Http://www.dart.org Personally, I would go towards the northern end of the blue, orange, or green lines, which would be Rowlett, Irving/Las Colinas, and Carrollton. You could also pick almost anywhere on the red line (Plano/Richardson) and be fine, too. You could also choose neighborhoods near the TRE stations: Centreport is nice and in a great location with lots of apartments.

DFW has great restaurants all over the area!

[LeagleEagleDFW]

Are you working in the Cabell federal building? If so, the train stops within a 5-7 minute walk from there.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Armyvet13

My wife and I (late 20's) are thinking of moving to Dallas in January. I loved everything about Texas while I was stationed in Fort Hood a few years ago. A little about us and factors to consider:

- I work for the Fed, my office will be downtown and, I would love to use the subway/regional train if it is considered reliable. My agency pays for a transit pass and park to ride options.
- I will still have a car to use for everything except the commute to work. I don't mind the serious BURBS as long as the commute to work is an easy ride on the train.
- We have no kids.
- We are not into the club scene but love to go out and try new restaurants and explore good food.
- We are used to paying a lot for rent and would love to keep our costs a little lower for the next couple years to save some money - thinking of a 2 BR apartment and would like to keep it at or under $1100 / mo
- We prefer a quiet and safe community that's not too old

I would love recommendations on which neighborhoods or apartments would fit these criteria. Thank you!

I am planning to explore options based on your recommendations and visit in December to get a feel.

Do you work for The Federal Reserve per se or the federal government?

[Armyvet13]

Originally Posted by LeagleEagleDFW

Are you working in the Cabell federal building? If so, the train stops within a 5-7 minute walk from there.

Dealey Plaza - I think the Union station is the closest? Looks like the Red line goes all the way upto union station but the green and orange ones don't.

Is there such a thing as one of the train lines being better than the other in terms of safety? Plano, Carrolton and Las Colinas all seem like good options.

[Armyvet13]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Do you work for The Federal Reserve per se or the federal government?

Just realized 'The Fed' is short for the federal reserve! No, for the federal government. Thanks!

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by Armyvet13

Dealey Plaza - I think the Union station is the closest? Looks like the Red line goes all the way upto union station but the green and orange ones don't.

Is there such a thing as one of the train lines being better than the other in terms of safety? Plano, Carrolton and Las Colinas all seem like good options.

All of the train lines are safe. Plano is more crowded than the others, and will have higher rent, due to the desirable school district. Since schools aren't a priority, I would look at Las Colinas first.

[RonnieinDallas]

Why not just move to Downtown? You'll have a super short commute to work, you'll be centrally located, so a good place to be for exploring the area on weekends, and you could walk or ride the train to a lot of cool things after work. I would hate Dallas if the first place I experienced was Las Colinas, Garland, or Plano. Yuck

Unlike a lot of cities Downtown Dallas isn't super packed with crowds and loud nightlife, and there's really a great sense of community down there. I used to go to Main Street Park a lot and it seemed like everyone walking there dog knew everyone else. I haven't checked rental rates there in a while, but if you're willing to consider a 1 bedroom I think you could find something descent.

Padmapper zip code search: 75201, 75202

[jdallas]

I second looking downtown first. Wilson for older/lower cost, SoCo for individually owned rentals that might have more wiggle room on negotiating and the collection of units along Commerce/Main. Rents have gone up all over so not sure about your budget. I suspect you won't be able to touch most for under $1500/month.
There are some new units cutting deals over in Deep Ellum close to the DART station.
I would not suggest looking more north than Mockingbird Station just because the vast majority of places you will want to explore will be from there and south.

You might also look over around Bishop Arts. They new Dart streetcar service from union station across the bridge opens that area up to you for the commute.