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Old 08-15-2018, 06:55 PM
 
Location: Dallas
989 posts, read 2,427,290 times
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I know there is a whole city initiative about "growing south Dallas", but I guess what I mean is - instead of continuing the march upwards all the way to southern Oklahoma, why haven't businesses looked into some of the southern suburbs as potential relocations? I presume (and I mean no offense) that there is a better educated populace as you go further north, but if companies started opening up shop in some of the southern suburbs, would the more affordable housing and real estate be a draw to start developing the southern suburbs similar to the northern suburbs? I am mainly thinking about as north dallas/suburbs become over-developed, does it make sense to keep expanding north (eventually touching Oklahoma) or start to develop the south?
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Old 08-15-2018, 07:16 PM
 
Location: Dallas,Texas
6,619 posts, read 9,827,120 times
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You hit it right on the head. Some companies are not willing to risk expanding to the southern suburbs because of some of the things you’ve listed. Some of it...umm mostly all of it (even what’s not mentioned) is fabricated.

Some developers and companies just follow the growth.

People really don’t know how many nice neighborhoods that are located in places like DeSoto, Cedar Hill, etc. A lot of people let perception guide them rather than reality. Geographically speaking, the southern suburbs has the best topography in all of Dallas-Ft Worth. I have yet to see an area in The Metroplex with so many elevation changes. If the area were to boom, people would move there just for that alone!

There’s so much room for growth in the southern suburbs. Some suburbs still resemble small towns. We just need to have a major company willing to expand into the area, to drive the growth southward.
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Old 08-15-2018, 08:17 PM
 
5,425 posts, read 4,403,345 times
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I have wondered that as well over time. I think it is mostly fear based.

Last edited by RJ312; 08-15-2018 at 09:13 PM..
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Old 08-15-2018, 08:50 PM
 
Location: Dallas,Texas
6,619 posts, read 9,827,120 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RJ312 View Post
I have wondered that as well over time. I think it is mostly feared based.
Pretty much.
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Old 08-15-2018, 09:28 PM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
1,067 posts, read 1,085,181 times
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The southern suburbs have actually seen a lot of growth (population and employment) compared to most areas of the country. It just doesn’t seem like it in comparison to the explosive growth on the north side, but Midlothian, Waxahachie, etc. have all grown a ton.
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Old 08-15-2018, 10:14 PM
 
Location: Lancaster, TX
1,636 posts, read 4,079,013 times
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We have had this discussion many times, but I'll take a shot at answering it. The "grow south" plan was initiated by the city of Dallas and focuses on attracting new development to the southern half of the city proper.

The thing about the southern suburbs is that they are indeed growing, just not at the rates of some of the northern suburbs. This isn't a metro area where suburbs on one 'side' are losing large numbers of residents and businesses to the other 'side.'

There has been a lot of growth in the area and potential catalysts for further growth, for example:
--The I-20 corridor and areas near I-45 are booming with logistics/distribution-related developments. Amazon, Wayfair, BMW, and Quaker Oats/Pepsico all operate large distribution facilities in southern Dallas County and others continue to seek out the area. Places like Wilmer and Hutchins now have enough of an employment base that apartment complexes and residential subdivisions with new homes from the $200s are going up. That would have been unheard of five years ago.
--UNT-Dallas is still expanding with ambitious plans for the campus and surrounding areas. A mixed-use development called University Hills at I-20 and Lancaster Road is in the works.
--Cedar Hill continues to be a shopping and retail hub for southwest Dallas County.
--Further south, Waxahachie is still attracting development and serves as an employment center for Ellis County.
--Southwestern Dallas county and northern Ellis county have mostly middle class demographics, which has played a prominent role in attracting new residents and businesses to the area.

The area lacks is a huge corporate presence, but you have to start somewhere. While the southern suburbs are viewed as lower cost/more affordable, we are experiencing increased home prices, low inventory, etc. found elsewhere. Even with all the recent growth, places like Cedar Hill and Lancaster aren't even half 'built-out' yet and neither are the places further south, so the southern suburbs still have a lot of potential. They may never be the "it" places to live in DFW, which changes from place to place every couple of years, but can still offer a good quality of life for those choosing to live there.

This forum is heavily and overwhelmingly dominated by posters in northern Dallas and the northern suburbs. Its been that way since I joined back in 2007 and remains that way today. I do believe that perceptions about the area, at least on this forum, have improved. Eleven years ago, the few who inquired about any of the southern suburbs would be told to look elsewhere, often by people living in other parts of DFW with little to no encounters in the communities they were steering people from. There are still blanket generalizations and negativity that pops up from time to time. With more members from the area joining and participating over the years, however, its much less of an issue now. When seen as a viable option to a poster, its no longer uncommon to see Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Lancaster, Midlothian, Waxahachie, Red Oak and others being recommended for consideration. The wholesale "writing off" of every single school and school district south of Dallas has also calmed down to an extent as well.
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Last edited by Acntx; 09-15-2018 at 01:29 AM..
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Old 08-15-2018, 10:24 PM
 
68 posts, read 148,096 times
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It is very simply due to the type of people. There is a reason that I-20 and south is a hub for warehouses, factories, & manufacturing. Employers set up where they can attract employees. South Dallas is known for its unskilled/uneducated workers that fill these jobs. Just like Plano/Frisco is known for highly educated tech based talent. Notice that every business around I-20 has a huge chain link fence around it, have to keep crime out and you can’t keep anything nice. It is a shame that such beautiful landscape is wasted down there.
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Old 08-15-2018, 10:57 PM
 
738 posts, read 751,577 times
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An interesting reality about American cities is that while they do tend to grow outward from their downtown area there is always a radial quarter of it that is the high income growth corridor. Over the last 30 years these areas tend to be the dominant growth corridor that get the bulk of the development. Dallas it's North, Houston West, San Antonio North, Austin Northwestly, Corpus South.

Retail and Office space tend to follow roof tops so if the corridor with the high income housing will get the high income retail and office space. With increasing construction costs over the last 40 years and the ageing of first ring suburban neighborhoods there's been less and less mid or low income neighborhood development because it's got to compete with the old housing on the price front and "good" schools in the new rich areas.

The largest change to this pattern is urban core density increases and gentrification which until the last 20 years wasn't happening anywhere except the land constrained east coast cities. Pretty much every city has some sort of effort to encourage development and jobs on the less wealthy side of town.
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Old 08-15-2018, 11:13 PM
 
5,673 posts, read 7,381,685 times
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TIME is the most important factor...As mentioned before the southern sector IS growing. But not nearly as fast as the North. This could be viewed as a bad thing and good thing.

Bad because it's been that way for decades and it seems as if it will never change.

Good because eventually all of the closed minded individuals who despise the southern sector based on old stereotypical facts will slowly and then briskly become more open minded when the median home price hits 800,000 in the northern sector.

And when that happens(it won't be quick but right on time) the pace of growth will slowly and then BRISKLY pick up for the southern sector. And that will be the time when we'll start to see the benefits of all the infrastructure and "Grow South" Initiative that's being put into place now.

We just have to let everything play out.

It takes TIME!!
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Old 08-16-2018, 07:03 AM
 
242 posts, read 356,602 times
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I would never invest in South Dallas until I started to see corporate relocation and there is a good reason why. I don’t even want to go anywhere near there. Back in the 90s you had a good chance of getting shot during wn there. In fact the only place I ever seen someone shot and lying on the street was in south Dallas in the 90s. I knew some truck drivers who were robbed or shot down there doing deliveries.

The place was a war zone back then and in many cases still is. It may have changed a bit but the area has a lot problems. South Dallas is not really a nice place to live and if your poor your really better off anywhere else.
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