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Old 03-15-2018, 02:16 AM
 
3 posts, read 7,612 times
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Hello all. I recently moved from the East Coast to Dallas for work. I will primarily be working in downtown Fort Worth (close to I-30). My wife will be working in Arlington for the time being but could also work in Dallas or elsewhere in DFW if she chooses.

We just moved to the North Oak Cliff Area and really like it so far, however that may change when I start working in a week and have to deal with the commute to Fort Worth. I've done the drive a few times and it's doable although that was in off peak hours. We chose to live close to I-30 and west of downtown Dallas to cut down on traffic and see if it the commute is feasible long term as we narrow down locations to purchase a house.

We would rather live in or close to the city, particularly as we don't have children yet, however plan on starting a family in the very near future. I know places like Grapevine, Keller, Southlake and even Fort Worth are wonderful but we are coming from large cities and would prefer to stay as close to in-town as possible. Our budget is around $600k for a 3 BR house, although that's flexible.

I just wanted to see if anyone had any experience or opinions regarding the commute from Dallas (specifically the Kessler Park, Oak Cliff, Bishop Arts areas) to downtown Fort Worth? Am I crazy to think this is sustainable in the long term? I'm also a little worried about the schools in the areas I mentioned as we'd like to stay for at least 5-7 years.

Thanks in advance - any advice or input is appreciated.
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Old 03-15-2018, 05:48 AM
 
Location: Kaufman County, Texas
11,816 posts, read 26,650,028 times
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Commuting from Dallas to Fort Worth long term is going to wear you down. It's a long drive, and often with heavy traffic. Learn when there are Texas Rangers games in Arlington and either leave your office early or stay much later to avoid sitting in game day traffic on I30. You'll also be putting a lot of mileage on your car.

If she's working in Arlington, and you're in Fort Worth, why don't you buy a house in Fort Worth? It is a city with urban areas, just like Dallas. Personally, I like Fort Worth's downtown a lot more than I like downtown Dallas. There are many neighborhoods there that are quite similar to North Oak Cliff (Tanglewood, Fairmount, Arlington Heights). That would make both of your commutes much better and give you more time at home once you do start a family.

As for schools, you don't even have kids yet, so the 5-7 year plan will be fine.
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Old 03-15-2018, 08:22 AM
 
Location: North Texas
24,561 posts, read 40,080,953 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fallon21 View Post
Hello all. I recently moved from the East Coast to Dallas for work. I will primarily be working in downtown Fort Worth (close to I-30). My wife will be working in Arlington for the time being but could also work in Dallas or elsewhere in DFW if she chooses.

We just moved to the North Oak Cliff Area and really like it so far, however that may change when I start working in a week and have to deal with the commute to Fort Worth. I've done the drive a few times and it's doable although that was in off peak hours. We chose to live close to I-30 and west of downtown Dallas to cut down on traffic and see if it the commute is feasible long term as we narrow down locations to purchase a house.
It is not feasible long-term unless you're not bothered by excessively long commutes.


My advice: Move to Tarrant County (where Fort Worth & Arlington are).
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Old 03-15-2018, 08:32 AM
 
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You're in the best spot already for living in Dallas and commuting to Fort Worth. From North Oak Cliff to downtown Fort Worth, it's about a 30 minute commute and maybe 35 minutes in the afternoon rush hour. That's shorter than most people's commutes from the burbs into downtown so I would say that's definitely doable. I also know some people who have made the commute from Midway Hollow (NW Hwy and Midway) and say its not bad.
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Old 03-15-2018, 08:37 AM
 
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I did this commute daily from 2014-2016, but starting from mockingbird and the tollway. It was routinely 40-45 minutes in the morning and 50-60 in the evening. It’s a long drive (35 miles). The morning traffic was almost never bad. The evening traffic was usually somewhat heavy but was almost never terrible.

I think it’s completely doable while you don’t have children but that it will be a huge burden once you do.

Would you consider living near Downtown Fort Worth? It’s a great area and there are neighborhoods you might like since you like NOC. Your wife’s commute would be worse, because the traffic is much heavier going west to east, plus the sun would be in her face in the morning, which makes the commute on I30 much tougher. I suggest it only
Because you she could change jobs so maybe the commute to Arlington would be temporary?
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Old 03-15-2018, 10:51 AM
 
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Thank you all for the very helpful and detailed responses.

We very briefly explored downtown Fort Worth and thought it was very charming, but still on the small side. Also, my wife is originally from the Dallas suburbs and we have friends in town (as well as her parents in Frisco) so wanted to stay in Dallas for at least a year to explore/enjoy the city and assess our options.

We are planning on spending more time in Fort Worth to see if we could live there. We are also going to visit Southlake, Grapevine, and Keller as that would be a feasible commute and still relatively close to her parents and Dallas. We really love the rolling hills and large lush trees in the Kessler area (like everyone else) and from what I understand the other areas I mentioned don't really have terrain like that?
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Old 03-15-2018, 11:31 AM
 
Location: Fort Worth, TX
2,502 posts, read 2,171,145 times
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There are areas of North Arlington that have rolling hills and large lush trees. You'll be also close to the huge nature park River Legacy if you like to walk or bike. It'll be an easier commute to Downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth. The commute though from Dallas to Fort Worth won't be pleasant if you have kids in school.

Fort Worth also has some beautiful character neighborhoods that are hilly and tree lined. Fort Worth residents take their heritage seriously and love to preserve historic homes and neighborhoods. I will agree though that it definitely feels smaller than Dallas where I was born and grew up. A lot of us who have lived in Fort Worth joke that it feels like the biggest small town (in a good way). Fort Worth though is growing rapidly and is becoming more urban in character.
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Old 03-15-2018, 11:58 AM
 
Location: Kaufman County, Texas
11,816 posts, read 26,650,028 times
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Keller to Fort Worth is a bad commute. The traffic on I35W is very heavy, and all of the alternatives have stop lights and school zones. Keller to Arlington would be an absolutely horrible commute.

Parts of Fort Worth (Mistletoe Heights especially) do have hills and trees, though not as much as Oak Cliff.

A word to the wise: don’t tell your coworkers in Fort Worth that you think Dallas is better than Fort Worth...
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Old 03-15-2018, 12:30 PM
 
1,428 posts, read 1,740,977 times
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Welcome to N Oak Cliff. I have lived here for more than 10 years and absolutely love it. Will never leave the area so long as we call DFW home. There are lots and lots of people who live in NOC and commute to Fort Worth, plenty with kids. People who don’t live in this neighborhood just don’t get it. You either love it or you don’t get why people love it so much.

So long as the job in FW is downtown or near the hospital district (is that what it’s called? Near Cooks Children’s is where I am talking about) then it’s really not bad. Frankly it’s not much different and sometimes quicker than living in parts of Plano or Frisco and commuting downtown.

Feel free to DM me if you have other questions.
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Old 03-15-2018, 01:55 PM
 
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I also forgot to comment on schools. We send our kids to a private school but Rosemont Elementary is well-liked by most middle and upper income parents. With your budget it will be easy to find a 3 bedroom house zoned to Rosemont. Other public schools in the area are untested by the middle class and up, though as Rosemont district prices rise, we know people testing a few out. Results TBD.
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