Is Deep Ellum/Downtown REALLY that Bad? (Dallas, Fort Worth: sex offenders, safe area)

[albert648]

Originally Posted by happycrow

Try living in the terrifying wastelands of working-class Irving.

Hahahahaha. I almost died LOL'ing. There's a cluster of million dollar homes dotted around a golf course across the freeway from where I live in Irving. I've been to parts of Plano that looked looked like a ghetto and I wouldn't be caught dead living anywhere near there. Good, I say, keeps my area affordable.

I had a realtor sing Plano's praises as if a Plano address was some mark of prestige..... Me: Mate, I went to high school in a school that backs up to a golf course down the road from 11 million dollar mansions. I don't even find Southlake that impressive, let alone Plano. In fact, that part of Plano was a dump and I'd rather live in my current zip code any day of the week and twice on sundays.

And...if everything south of LBJ is the ghetto, then George W. Bush lives in a ghetto.

[happycrow]

You laugh, albert648, but we've actually had "is Irving safe to walk in" kinds of threads here.

I poke fun in good spirit, though. I grew up upper-middle-class, and sank rapidly due to chasing difficult aspirations which may eventually pay off fiscally for my family, and for now do so personally. It is jarring to come from that environment, and see working-class sprawl, and I remember the first time I did it, myself, and how long it took me to be able to "read" a place to tell whether it was full of strivers and young families and totally wholesome, or whether I was going to walk another block before turning right...

[albert648]

Originally Posted by happycrow

You laugh, albert648, but we've actually had "is Irving safe to walk in" kinds of threads here.

I poke fun in good spirit, though.

The LOL was directed more at the "everything south of LBJ is a dump" type comments or the likes of people who talk up Plano because...Plano. I've looked at houses everywhere from North Dallas to McKinney to Flower Mound, and I think parts of the north are totally overrated. Every municipality of size has "good" and "bad" parts from what I can see and not even a zip code is specific enough to tell if it's "good" or "bad".

Like I don't know what I'm getting in 75075 (Plano) that I'm not getting in 75039 (Irving) for example, besides houses with horrible foundations that have been sinking unevenly and floors that are visibly uneven, and roads full of potholes. I guess my view is more data and numbers-driven and not tainted by old "reputations" of particular areas because I'm a transplant. Not all of Irving is made equal just like not all of Plano is made equal.

Back to the topic of Deep Ellum....based on my limited exposure it didn't seem particularly run down or sketchy or anything. Just very commercial.

[RadiantBaby]

Downtown has gotten a lot worse since COVID hit. A ton of homeless, many of them extremely hostile and looking to pick fights amongst each other. I don't see a lot of DPD presence either.

I always found it odd that a small park separates so much between Uptown and Downtown. It's night and day.

[TheOverdog]

Like I don't know what I'm getting in 75075 (Plano) that I'm not getting in 75039 (Irving) for example, besides houses with horrible foundations that have been sinking unevenly and floors that are visibly uneven, and roads full of potholes.

You picked one of the older zip codes in Plano (2x the size and 3x the population of the Irving one) vs a newer one in Irving. More houses were built in the 1970s in that zipcode than total in the Irving one. Despite the age, larger number, and smaller average size of houses (all of which lower the median price) (1970s vs 2000s), the prices are only about 2.2X as much in the newer Irving zip code. So what you get in 75075 is way more stable housing value. The median income in each is pretty much the same, so that means the Plano residents are also comparatively less leveraged. The Plano one also has way more kids.

[skyline122]

Im guessing the apartment complex is in the old farmers market area, I could be wrong. But, yeah Deep Ellum is very gentrified, but that does not mean it is safe. Shootings, while not common, do happen. Fights definitely happen every night there, due to all the bars. If you are living in the farmers market area, (you are part of the problem) then you may need to worry about homeless people. Only last week I was riding my bike though east end to get home and there was a shooting event which left a homeless man dead. So besides crackheads, drunk white ******* gentrifiers, and the occasional gang event, you should be fine.

[albert648]

Originally Posted by skyline122

So besides crackheads, drunk white ******* gentrifiers, and the occasional gang event, you should be fine.

That by definition doesn't sound fine to me.....

[skyline122]

Originally Posted by albert648

That by definition doesn't sound fine to me.....

Yeah, kinda my point.

[cristhianagui]

Originally Posted by papi-p

I'm a former New Yorker (Upper West Side and Brooklyn), I currently live in Uptown and I (used to) work in Deep Ellum.

Crime isn't really my main concern in Deep Ellum (pfft, I used to live in Baltimore), but I personally wouldn't want to live there. There are no grocery stores in the neighborhood and few corner bodega type places you've come to love in NYC. It's more just a bar scene. And because Downtown is completely emptied out of professional workers, there is basically a very limited daytime population in Deep Ellum at the moment, which makes it a bit hollowed out feeling. Riots and COVID have bombed it out too since most of the bars are just bars and don't serve food. Uptown doesn't have a much of a bar scene these days either, but at least it feels like a neighborhood. We have grocery stores, trees/parks, the Katy Trail, and people live and hang out here (it's not empty feeling).

Avoid the city. There's a ton more going on in Plano and Frisco these days. You'll have more fun up there because it's not half boarded up, there's more transplants, and there's a bright future ahead for those areas. I know it's not cool like Deep Ellum. This is Dallas' problem overall, it can't really serve people like us.

Dallas isn't like Northeast cities, the city itself is very underwhelming and most of the life and vibrancy is in the suburbs. It's a sad thing to admit as a former New Yorker. Fort Worth is probably a better city from a urbanite standpoint, I dunno if you considered it.

Because a lot of jobs are permanently remote now (mine is one of those), I don't think Downtown/Deep Ellum has a bright future ahead unfortunately. 6 months ago I would of said "Deep Ellum is booming". Now I think it's headed for Detroit territory. I personally know a few people who have left the city because of the riots, don't want to be near the epicenter in Deep Ellum/Downtown. Also, people who left the region overall. Why choose Dallas if you can live anywhere? I'm probably moving to South Florida, where New Yorkers tend to thrive.

Hey Papi just wanted to pick ur brain, we from Long Island, here in NY, and are thinking of relocating to DFW area, we think we could get more house for the price, tired of the snow, traffic and just looking for a better life for myself and fam, we also Spanish which I know is big in Tx but I was sock to read you like to move to Fl, I know u don't know us but am I just eager to move without really looking at the bad? I understand crime also is pretty big over there, especially property crime.

[papi-p]

Originally Posted by cristhianagui

Hey Papi just wanted to pick ur brain, we from Long Island, here in NY, and are thinking of relocating to DFW area, we think we could get more house for the price, tired of the snow, traffic and just looking for a better life for myself and fam, we also Spanish which I know is big in Tx but I was sock to read you like to move to Fl, I know u don't know us but am I just eager to move without really looking at the bad? I understand crime also is pretty big over there, especially property crime.

Florida is a big state, but I'm moving to Tampa, which is probably the safest large city in Florida (And more affordable). South Florida in general, and Broward County in particular, has a lot of crime. I don't think you're going to get a cheap house in South Florida. Other parts of Florida, maybe. I personally love Miami, and you can't beat the culture and food there (Dallas will never beat Miami). Expensive though.

I've never really noticed the crime in DFW other than downtown/deep ellum and some of the areas in South Dallas where I'd never go for anything. There are so many nice, safe, and diverse suburbs here that are in close proximity to jobs, you can easily find a place with affordable housing. It's getting more expensive though due to the influx of people moving to the area. I'm seeing a lot more New York plates around since COVID. Catch a good deal while the market is not too high.

Having gone to downtown Fort Worth recently to see a comedy show, it felt like there's a lot more being built there. They have an H&M in downtown Fort Worth now, which I find kind of wild. There's nothing like that in Downtown Dallas even though it's a bigger city. Fort Worth is definitely safer than Dallas, lots of people hanging out downtown including families.