Best Urban(ish) area Close to Sherman/Denison (Dallas, Austin: HOA, condo)

[austin-steve]

My brother and Mom, and Niece and other family live in Sherman. I'm close to retiring and thinking of moving to North Texas to be closer to my Mom as she ages. Then return to Austin eventually.

I don't want to seem snobbish, but Sherman is a bit "working class" for me. I currently live in downtown Austin and enjoy walkability and a certain amount of "Urban" energy, good coffee shops to walk to, restaurants, entertainment, an urban running/biking trail around Town Lake, etc. (And there is a lot I don't like also, such as the congestion and some of the hipster people, tourists, etc)

Is McKinney the furthest north toward Sherman where a lifestyle even approaching a reasonable facsimile of an Urban "lock and leave" condo lifestyle can be had? And still not be too far from an airport that flies Southwest?

I can ask some of my Realtor friends in McKinney but I find that non-Realtors often have as good or better insight into the nooks and crannies of areas.

Steve

[mSooner]

Yep, that's about it :/

The good news is you might really enjoy the area around downtown McKinney. It's really charming

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Yeah, that's it.

[CMC_TX]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

My brother and Mom, and Niece and other family live in Sherman. I'm close to retiring and thinking of moving to North Texas to be closer to my Mom as she ages. Then return to Austin eventually.

I don't want to seem snobbish, but Sherman is a bit "working class" for me. I currently live in downtown Austin and enjoy walkability and a certain amount of "Urban" energy, good coffee shops to walk to, restaurants, entertainment, an urban running/biking trail around Town Lake, etc. (And there is a lot I don't like also, such as the congestion and some of the hipster people, tourists, etc)

Is McKinney the furthest north toward Sherman where a lifestyle even approaching a reasonable facsimile of an Urban "lock and leave" condo lifestyle can be had? And still not be too far from an airport that flies Southwest?

I can ask some of my Realtor friends in McKinney but I find that non-Realtors often have as good or better insight into the nooks and crannies of areas.

Steve

McKinney is nice, but I don't think McKinney offers a true "lock & leave" urban lifestyle. It's also challenging to get from that area to Love Field during peak traffic times.

From what you described in your post, it almost seems like to really get what you want, you'd have to go further South or just live in Dallas proper.

I will say the McKinney Square is awesome. Lots of quaint shops and local restaurants. It's a true historic square.

Outside the square, what McKinney is going to offer are standard suburban amenities and homes like any N Texas exurb. Many of these same chain stores are in Sherman as well now, so the only real benefit to McKinney is you're closer to areas you might like that you could drive to thank you would be in Grayson County.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

My brother and Mom, and Niece and other family live in Sherman. I'm close to retiring and thinking of moving to North Texas to be closer to my Mom as she ages. Then return to Austin eventually.

I don't want to seem snobbish, but Sherman is a bit "working class" for me. I currently live in downtown Austin and enjoy walkability and a certain amount of "Urban" energy, good coffee shops to walk to, restaurants, entertainment, an urban running/biking trail around Town Lake, etc. (And there is a lot I don't like also, such as the congestion and some of the hipster people, tourists, etc)

Is McKinney the furthest north toward Sherman where a lifestyle even approaching a reasonable facsimile of an Urban "lock and leave" condo lifestyle can be had? And still not be too far from an airport that flies Southwest?

I can ask some of my Realtor friends in McKinney but I find that non-Realtors often have as good or better insight into the nooks and crannies of areas.

Steve

The closest urbanish area with nature park and trails nearby is Shops@Legacy and Austin Ranch. Since you are temporarily moving to Sherman to be near your mom, these areas are still too far. Look at Watters Creek in Allen near McKinney.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

The closest urbanish area with nature park and trails nearby is Shops@Legacy and Austin Ranch. Since you are temporarily moving to Sherman to be near your mom, these areas are still too far. Look at Watters Creek in Allen near McKinney.

Watters Creek is like living in a mall (literally). It is completely un-urban in any reasonable use of the word. Downtown McKinney is certainly not Austin, but given the desire to be close to Sherman, it seems like the best compromise other than living somewhere in Dallas and having an awful drive up Central for every trip up to Sherman. I can't possibly see making the case to live in Allen vs McKinney's downtown area given what OP has said.

[austin-steve]

Thanks for the replies. It confirms what I expected.

[Austinite76]

Steve,

I'd take a long look at Plano along Central Expwy (either East or West). Might add 15 minutes to the Sherman drive, which is against traffic, but you'll find a lot more of what you're looking for.

[RedTexanTea]

Lock and Leave communities would be the townhouse communities in Fairview and McKinney. Fairview community Villas in the Park is walking distance to Village at Fairview, which has movie theater, bowling alley, JCP, Dillards, Macys, a few other shops and restaurants. Wooded Creek by Grenadier Homes is under construction and a similar concept to Villas in the Park. All of the landscaping and external maintenance is done by the HOA at Villas in the Park and it is a tight knit community where the neighbors look out for each other. You don't have to paint, plant, mow, weed, water, clean the gutters, fix the roof, replace the skylight or anything on the exterior.

It is 37 minutes to Sherman from Fairview and 37 minutes to Love Field, non-rush hour traffic of course. There are other similar communities in McKinney as well.