Looking for neighborhood recs in Dallas (Plano, West: private schools, property tax, safety)

[headedtodallas]

Thanks so much for all the feedback. Nothing beats a local's point of view!

Re private school - we reached out to the Kessler School and they have space for all three of my kids. Does anyone know about the school? It's hard to get information about private schools (as opposed to public schools which have to report test scores, etc). But from the website, the Kessler School has a really nice approach, would be close to where we'd like to live. I think there are only 125 students, which makes it very small.

Re working v stay at home mom - I didn't mean to open up a whole debate on who/what path is better. My current friends are a mix of full-time, part-time, and stay at home moms (and non moms!). But in terms of making new friends, if a community is all SAHM moms, their schedules are very different and it's harder to find opportunities to meet people. I can't, for instance, drop my kids off at school and stay to volunteer. Though from the feedback, maybe this shouldn't be a concern?

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by NP78

I can answer some of your questions regarding Lakewood. I commute from Lakewood to a location in West Dallas relatively close to Irving and my commute is 25 min (morning) to 35 min. If you are going to Las Colinas for example, add a good 10 min to that, so would probably be longer than you would like. There isn't really a good way to go East/West across Dallas.


In terms of whether or not some areas of Lakewood being more appealing than others, there really isn't. There are sometimes adjacent areas that are marketed as Lakewood that aren't really Lakewood, but your budget would have you in Lakewood Proper for the most part.


I would think University Park would be the best fit for commute, budget, schools, etc.. I wouldn't worry too much about the Park Cities being "money-centric". That location would have the most highly regarded public schools while still having close proximity to most of the "top tier" private schools if you elected to go that route in the future (I would imagine that it would be very difficult to gain admission for the upcoming school year).


The timing makes it fairly difficult, otherwise I would suggest investigating the private school options and select an educational path first. That would open up some other neighborhoods such as Kessler Park, Devonshire, Greenway Parks, Preston Hollow, etc. All of those would have pretty reasonable commutes depending on where in Irving the job location is.

I like Kessler Park and Lakewood but having home there, work in Irving and private schools in North Dallas is making life more complicated then it needs to be.

[CMC_TX]

Originally Posted by headedtodallas

Thanks so much for all the feedback. Nothing beats a local's point of view!

Re private school - we reached out to the Kessler School and they have space for all three of my kids. Does anyone know about the school? It's hard to get information about private schools (as opposed to public schools which have to report test scores, etc). But from the website, the Kessler School has a really nice approach, would be close to where we'd like to live. I think there are only 125 students, which makes it very small.

Re working v stay at home mom - I didn't mean to open up a whole debate on who/what path is better. My current friends are a mix of full-time, part-time, and stay at home moms (and non moms!). But in terms of making new friends, if a community is all SAHM moms, their schedules are very different and it's harder to find opportunities to meet people. I can't, for instance, drop my kids off at school and stay to volunteer. Though from the feedback, maybe this shouldn't be a concern?

If you're looking in lakewood make sure you also look at Lakehill Prep & St. John.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by headedtodallas

Thanks so much for all the feedback. Nothing beats a local's point of view!

Re private school - we reached out to the Kessler School and they have space for all three of my kids. Does anyone know about the school? It's hard to get information about private schools (as opposed to public schools which have to report test scores, etc). But from the website, the Kessler School has a really nice approach, would be close to where we'd like to live. I think there are only 125 students, which makes it very small.

Re working v stay at home mom - I didn't mean to open up a whole debate on who/what path is better. My current friends are a mix of full-time, part-time, and stay at home moms (and non moms!). But in terms of making new friends, if a community is all SAHM moms, their schedules are very different and it's harder to find opportunities to meet people. I can't, for instance, drop my kids off at school and stay to volunteer. Though from the feedback, maybe this shouldn't be a concern?

I am going to DM you about Kessler School - beware it's going to be very long! I have lots of information about the school and certainly more than anyone on this forum.

As to your second point, I think you're generally correct in that it's mostly about having coordinating schedules that allow for the time you need to invest in creating new relationships, but I would bet it will come down more to what type of people you end up surrounded by. Some people like to find a group of friends and keep it tight knit, while others are constantly looking to make connections with new people. My guess is that will be the bigger difference in making friends versus stay at home vs working mom (vs non-mom).

[Waterdragon8212]

I'm surprised so many people are recommending the Park Cities to you given your original post. While both Highland Park and University park have a community/family-friendly feel and are near fun shops and restaurants, both areas trend highly religious (mostly Christian) and there is very little ethnic diversity and even less economic diversity. And while there are plenty of people that live in the park cities that are not "money-centric", the stereotype of the "bubble" exists because of some kernels of truth. That said, most of the elite private schools trend just as wealthy despite a portion of the kids being on financial aid.

I'm a working mom with kids in one of the privates. Most of my friends are other working moms, many from my kids' school. The main line privates require applying roughly a year in advance for when you want to start. Some of the smaller ones are more flexible.

[NP78]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

I like Kessler Park and Lakewood but having home there, work in Irving and private schools in North Dallas is making life more complicated then it needs to be.

Not coincidentally, I never suggested living in Lakewood and attending private schools in North Dallas.


Kessler Park is debatable, but just as easy as living in West Plano and attending North Dallas private schools which I have seen you suggest on multiple occasions.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by NP78

Not coincidentally, I never suggested living in Lakewood and attending private schools in North Dallas.


Kessler Park is debatable, but just as easy as living in West Plano and attending North Dallas private schools which I have seen you suggest on multiple occasions.

West Plano is a good choice for private school folks working in Collin County or Dallas as it's not too far, provides good affordable housing/good city services/safety/lower property tax and great back up schools. As nice as it is, Kessler Park doesn't offer most of these perks.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by NP78

Not coincidentally, I never suggested living in Lakewood and attending private schools in North Dallas.


Kessler Park is debatable, but just as easy as living in West Plano and attending North Dallas private schools which I have seen you suggest on multiple occasions.

You say this, but I know plenty of people who live in Lakewood and do N Dallas private schools. Drive by any of the new construction homes in Lakewood that are selling in the $800-900k and up price point, and you'll see lots of private school signs. Not saying I'd want to do that commute, but it doesn't seem to deter people.

[tcualum]

It would be hard to work in Irving, live in Lakewood and send your kids to North Dallas private schools.

[NP78]

Originally Posted by numbersguy100

You say this, but I know plenty of people who live in Lakewood and do N Dallas private schools. Drive by any of the new construction homes in Lakewood that are selling in the $800-900k and up price point, and you'll see lots of private school signs. Not saying I'd want to do that commute, but it doesn't seem to deter people.

I agree, I see it every day on my street (although those new construction homes are more like $1-1.2M now), but I was just pointing out that I had not recommended that to the OP.