Best DFW suburb for 2nd-gen Pakistani-American family? (Dallas, Plano: houses, neighborhoods)

[relocating2dfw]

We are a late 30s (and this part is really important...) AMERICAN-BORN "Pakistani" couple with three young kids.

Accordingly, I would say we are 75% "American" and maybe 25% "Pakistani" in terms of what we are looking for.

We have up to $1M to spend on a home (but ok spending half of that too), don't have a fixed daily commute, and will be flying out of DFW airport two or three times a month.

Well-intentioned advice for "Pakistanis" does not seem to differentiate between families like ours and those who immigrated recently.

Most people have told us to check out Frisco and Plano, but the homes seem overpriced, are on extremely small lots, and are way too close to each other.

We are also concerned that the school districts are more "recent immigrant" in terms of overemphasis on academics and not enough on "American" things like athletics, socializing, etc.

I have read that Coppell is now over 50% Indian, which would probably not be the right fit for our family.

We are thinking Southlake, but the concern there is that we would be extremely isolated far away from Pakistani culture, restaurants, mosques, and activities, so we are a bit lost in terms of where to turn.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Extremely devoted 10+ year lurker turned first time poster..

[TeamLynn]

Southlake or Prosper or maybe Flower Mound?

Where are you moving from?

There is a mosque in Colleyville which is the city next door to Southlake and could be 5-10 min drive from Southlake depending on where you live. There are also mosques in Coppell, several in Irving which is not that far away....I guess depending on how often you want to go. There's also a pretty big mosque in Euless which is also pretty close by..maybe 15 mins from Southlake (again depending on what part of Southlake. Could be more, that's just the ones I know about.

There are Paks in Southlake. Restaurants...sorry I'm not saavy enough to know the difference other than in some names to know the differences, but there probably is one or two truly Pak rest in Southlake area...maybe some Indian if that works, and some Nepalese if that is close enough. You can tell me to take a hike if that doesn't work foodwise. I'm guessing if it is a Nepali restaurant, it is run by Nepalese, but say they serve Indian food and Pakistani food too. Maybe not the same for true Pakistani restaurant.

I think you will be in a situation where you can't have everything you want unfortunately. Almost everyone is 1st generation that I meet. If you want better pricing and bigger lots, you have to go further out than Frisco and Plano, so then when you go further out it also means you are further away from culture, restaurants, grocery, mosques, and the Pak population will thin out.

Weldome to Texas and I hope you can find the right balance.

[Pinkett]

Private message me please. I am from the same background.

[FranklinsTower18]

You may want to check out Murphy or eastern part of Richardson off of Renner.

[turf3]

How about...


Dallas?


For that kind of money you can go to UP or Preston Hollow.

[fleaflicker]

If Frisco and Plano is considered extremely small lots for you, I recommend Parker. Houses are typically on 1 acre lot. City is right next east of Plano.

[biafra4life]

Off the top of my head, Richardson would probably be the best fit for you. Especially the portion zoned to Pearce High school. Your budget would allow you to buy a top of the line home on a decent sized lot.

Pearce high school is not on Coppell/Plano level but is considered by most around here to still be a very good school academically without being dominated by Indian immigrant kids and all the pressures that would entail, allowing for a more typical middle class American educational experience.

Finally, Richardson offers arguably the richest ethnic diversity when it comes to food and shopping, including plenty of Indian/Pakistani stores. No idea on mosque locations, but due to the central location of Richardson, they cant be far away. Since you only go to the airport 3 times a month I dont think a commute from Richardson would be a killer for you.

[relocating2dfw]

Originally Posted by TeamLynn

Southlake or Prosper or maybe Flower Mound?

Where are you moving from?

There is a mosque in Colleyville which is the city next door to Southlake and could be 5-10 min drive from Southlake depending on where you live. There are also mosques in Coppell, several in Irving which is not that far away....I guess depending on how often you want to go. There's also a pretty big mosque in Euless which is also pretty close by..maybe 15 mins from Southlake (again depending on what part of Southlake. Could be more, that's just the ones I know about.

There are Paks in Southlake. Restaurants...sorry I'm not saavy enough to know the difference other than in some names to know the differences, but there probably is one or two truly Pak rest in Southlake area...maybe some Indian if that works, and some Nepalese if that is close enough. You can tell me to take a hike if that doesn't work foodwise. I'm guessing if it is a Nepali restaurant, it is run by Nepalese, but say they serve Indian food and Pakistani food too. Maybe not the same for true Pakistani restaurant.

I think you will be in a situation where you can't have everything you want unfortunately. Almost everyone is 1st generation that I meet. If you want better pricing and bigger lots, you have to go further out than Frisco and Plano, so then when you go further out it also means you are further away from culture, restaurants, grocery, mosques, and the Pak population will thin out.

Weldome to Texas and I hope you can find the right balance.

Thank you! This was really awesome.

You are so sweet for being so helpful, and yes we would be looking for pure Pakistani food and not Indian/other (we are big on beef lol).

Which of these neighborhoods would you consider "upscale"?

We don't have anything against the sensible Honda/Toyota crowd, but my husband and I are afraid of being judged or not fitting in.

I would also add that we have zero 1st generation Pakistani immigrant friends and find that we don't have much in common with them.

[relocating2dfw]

Originally Posted by FranklinsTower18

You may want to check out Murphy or eastern part of Richardson off of Renner.

Thanks! Do you consider these areas to be upscale in terms of dining, shopping, nicer cars, etc?

[relocating2dfw]

Originally Posted by turf3

How about...


Dallas?


For that kind of money you can go to UP or Preston Hollow.

Sounds really nice!

Do you think our budget would limit us in terms of what we could afford there?

Is there a significant 2nd gen Pakistani population there or close by?

We honestly had not considered this area because we heard it was super expensive.