Arlington area - the good, the bad...the ugly? :) (Dallas: real estate, apartments)

[Tedology]

Hello all,

Just wondering what people's views on Arlington are.

It doesn't appear to be TOO far from Dallas (about 30 minutes I guess?) and on Realtor.com the houses seem reasonable.

After doing a brief search on here, it seems that SW Arlington is favored.

Just wanted to hear more views, I guess.

Thank you!

[tcualum]

Honestly, it depends on where you live in Arlington and what sort of lifestyle you want. We live near the Lake Arlington area. We have two kids in a private elementary school. We love the area where we live because it's very family friendly around here. The city library and parks systems are top notch. They're even building a brand new central library downtown. We also like the easy access to Dallas and Fort Worth. The restaurant scene isn't great but is improving. If I had to rely on public transit or was young and single though Arlington wouldn't be for me.

As for neighborhoods, if you're buying a single family home and don't care about schools, I like certain areas of North (the new master planned community of Viridian in far north Arlington is awesome if you have the money) or SW Arlington, Interlochen or Lake Arlington. The towns of Pantego or Dalworthington Gardens in the center of Arlington are good choices too. There are pockets of nice older small homes near UTA but you have to be careful about the neighborhood.

If you want an apartment or are considering public school instead of private or charter then you really need to do your homework.

[Tedology]

Originally Posted by tcualum

Honestly, it depends on where you live in Arlington and what sort of lifestyle you want. We live near the Lake Arlington area. We have two kids in a private elementary school. We love the area where we live because it's very family friendly around here. The city library and parks systems are top notch. They're even building a brand new central library downtown. We also like the easy access to Dallas and Fort Worth. The restaurant scene isn't great but is improving. If I had to rely on public transit or was young and single though Arlington wouldn't be for me.

As for neighborhoods, if you're buying a single family home and don't care about schools, I like certain areas of North (the new master planned community of Viridian in far north Arlington is awesome if you have the money) or SW Arlington, Interlochen or Lake Arlington. The towns of Pantego or Dalworthington Gardens in the center of Arlington are good choices too. There are pockets of nice older small homes near UTA but you have to be careful about the neighborhood.

If you want an apartment or are considering public school instead of private or charter then you really need to do your homework.

Wow! This was tremendous help. Thank you SO MUCH for helping!

I'm 50 years old, single, so I am not too worried about schools. I'm a teacher, but not sure I want to teach in TX once I get there.

I especially appreciate the specific neighborhoods you offered. Thanks again!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Search the forum about Viridian's location. Some feel quite strong about it.

[WorldKlas]

I bought my first house in Arlington in 1988 and continue to own investment homes there. I actually resided in Arlington for about 5 years and my adult son has lived there since 1994.

The good: Real estate prices are great for the DFW area. Some beautiful neighborhoods in zip codes 76017, 76016, 76012, 76006. -- but also some not so great neighborhoods in those and other Arlington zip codes. In general, very good schools in all the elementary, middle and high school in the Martin HS attendance zone. Also great shopping, some nice restaurants, and good proximity to both Dallas and Fort Worth. River Legacy Park and many feeder liner trails are lovely and very popular. There are many parks and playgrounds. It is a very family friendly city. Interlochen and Prestonwood are gorgeous North Arlington neighborhoods.

The bad: traffic can just be awful on professional baseball and football games all around the northern sector. Traffic during rush hours is awful on highway I-20. There is also a fairly consistent issue of property crimes in the Central part of the city -- within about a 1 mile diameter around the University. The schools are only high performing in the Martin HS attendance zones -- with the notable exceptions of some public elementary schools in North Arlington (Butler Elementary is exceptional) There is not a good public transit system

The Ugly: A sea of tract homes in the southeast sector that were built in the 1980's that have a high percentage of rentals and are served by low performing schools. The city dump in the northern sector off hwy 157 and Green Oaks directly across from the Viridian emits an occasional sewage odor. It is said to be a rare and intermittent problem. I was in the area a week ago and I smelled it.

[Tedology]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

I bought my first house in Arlington in 1988 and continue to own investment homes there. I actually resided in Arlington for about 5 years and my adult son has lived there since 1994.

The good: Real estate prices are great for the DFW area. Some beautiful neighborhoods in zip codes 76017, 76016, 76012, 76006. -- but also some not so great neighborhoods in those and other Arlington zip codes. In general, very good schools in all the elementary, middle and high school in the Martin HS attendance zone. Also great shopping, some nice restaurants, and good proximity to both Dallas and Fort Worth. River Legacy Park and many feeder liner trails are lovely and very popular. There are many parks and playgrounds. It is a very family friendly city. Interlochen and Prestonwood are gorgeous North Arlington neighborhoods.

The bad: traffic can just be awful on professional baseball and football games all around the northern sector. Traffic during rush hours is awful on highway I-20. There is also a fairly consistent issue of property crimes in the Central part of the city -- within about a 1 mile diameter around the University. The schools are only high performing in the Martin HS attendance zones -- with the notable exceptions of some public elementary schools in North Arlington (Butler Elementary is exceptional) There is not a good public transit system

The Ugly: A sea of tract homes in the southeast sector that were built in the 1980's that have a high percentage of rentals and are served by low performing schools.

Very good information...thank you for this, WorldKlas!

I especially appreciate the zip codes. Makes it easier to pinpoint some possibilities.

[lepoisson]

Here comes lepoisson, the resident Arlington hater. Here are my thoughts:

The good: The food here is amazing! There are so many ethnic restaurants here. I love the hole in the wall type places. One week I had Thai, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Mexican, and Italian. Arlington is one of the cheaper parts of the metro in terms of living costs (but you'll see why below). There are some very nice neighborhoods north of I-30 and south of I-20. These parts don't feel anything like most of Arlington.

The bad: Traffic here can be a nightmare. Be prepared for stop and go traffic because of school zones, stoplights, and wrecks. I live in the Pantego/DWG area and work at UTA. Without traffic, it should take me about 15 minutes to get to work. With traffic it often takes me 30-35 minutes. Cooper Street can be gridlocked sometimes if there is a wreck.

The ugly: A lot of Arlington feels VERY dumpy and unappealing. It's not really a place you can feel proud of living in. Just drive down Cooper Street or Pioneer Pkwy east towards 360 and you'll see what I'm talking about. The "box" inside of I-20, 360, I-30, and 820 has only a select few nice areas. If you rent here, GOOD LUCK finding a safe place to live. Almost all apartments I looked at had reviews about break-ins, car theft, and crappy management.

When I first moved here, I thought to myself "even though Arlington isn't that great, I can drive to Dallas for some culture after work". Yeah... I've done that only one or two times. Traffic is so bad leaving work that you just want to come straight home. Going to Dallas and back will easily chew up hours of your afternoon/evening. So please make sure you are okay with spending time in Arlington, or spend time commuting to work.

[Tedology]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

Here comes lepoisson, the resident Arlington hater. Here are my thoughts:

The good: The food here is amazing! There are so many ethnic restaurants here. I love the hole in the wall type places. One week I had Thai, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Mexican, and Italian. Arlington is one of the cheaper parts of the metro in terms of living costs (but you'll see why below). There are some very nice neighborhoods north of I-30 and south of I-20. These parts don't feel anything like most of Arlington.

The bad: Traffic here can be a nightmare. Be prepared for stop and go traffic because of school zones, stoplights, and wrecks. I live in the Pantego/DWG area and work at UTA. Without traffic, it should take me about 15 minutes to get to work. With traffic it often takes me 30-35 minutes. Cooper Street can be gridlocked sometimes if there is a wreck.

The ugly: A lot of Arlington feels VERY dumpy and unappealing. It's not really a place you can feel proud of living in. Just drive down Cooper Street or Pioneer Pkwy east towards 360 and you'll see what I'm talking about. The "box" inside of I-20, 360, I-30, and 820 has only a select few nice areas. If you rent here, GOOD LUCK finding a safe place to live. Almost all apartments I looked at had reviews about break-ins, car theft, and crappy management.

When I first moved here, I thought to myself "even though Arlington isn't that great, I can drive to Dallas for some culture after work". Yeah... I've done that only one or two times. Traffic is so bad leaving work that you just want to come straight home. Going to Dallas and back will easily chew up hours of your afternoon/evening. So please make sure you are okay with spending time in Arlington, or spend time commuting to work.

LOL! Any user whose name reminds me of the Little Mermaid song can't be all that bad! Seriously though, I want to hear ALL sides of these places...I don't like sugar-coating, but I do hope to be hopeful. If that makes sense.

I appreciate your advice.

I'm pretty much a homebody. When I go home, I love staying there. I guess I should have mentioned that. I don't like going out really at night, and my outings consist more of hanging out at bookstores (a dying breed!), and shopping at malls.

Thanks again, Lepoisson!

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by Tedology

and shopping at malls.

Speaking of that, be careful at the Parks Mall in Arlington. It's actually a really nice mall, but the clientele is super sketchy. There was a shooting there a few weeks ago.

I go during the week and it's okay. Just avoid the weekend crowd.

[mm4]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

The city dump in the northern sector off hwy 157 and Green Oaks directly across from the Viridian emits an occasional sewage odor. It is said to be a rare and intermittent problem. I was in the area a week ago and I smelled it.

That's not the dump, that's the treatment plant. Big deal.