Southlake racism (Dallas, Plano, Galveston: mortgage, loans, house)

[kangaroo12345]

Such fantastic advice - thank you anonymous Dallasites! It's great to hear about all the opportunities at HP. I think we are leaning in that direction, though will also look into Lakewood and some of the other places mentioned.

[280Tony]

Here's some other useful advice: stop obsessing about race.

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by 280Tony

Here's some other useful advice: stop obsessing about race.

Asking about racism in a town with a pretty well documented history of it isn't obsessing, it's being smart about making an informed decision where they should buy a home.

[tcualum]

Originally Posted by kangaroo12345

Thanks to all for the very thoughtful feedback. We will be working in Dallas so the initial recommendation was for Highland Park public schools, but we wished for an area that was more diverse. Highland Park seems to us to have a reputation for old money, 97% white - but we've also heard that things may be changing in terms of more diverse perspectives/tolerance (even if the demographics remain). How would Highland Park/University Park compare to Southlake in these respects? Thank you all for your time and insight.

When my older son was a toddler, my husband sold his first company. Once that happened, our options regarding where to live opened up and we could easily afford anywhere in DFW. We wanted to stay in the Metroplex so we could be close to my parents. We decided not to move to Highland Park or Southlake for the reasons you outlined. We're a biracial couple who were turned off by the racism in both cities. I am a native Dallasite and remember reading in the newspaper when the first black family moved to Highland Park even though I'm only in my early 40s. I also remember reading about high school students getting into trouble for dressing as maids and bringing leaf blowers to school on Cinco de Mayo. As for Southlake, I have friends who attend high school there and complained about the racism there. I have little reason to assume that either area has changed enough for us to feel welcome there.

The rampent materialism in both areas doesn't appeal to us either. We trying to raise our kids not be materialistic and have no desire to be judged based on what cars we drive or whether we wear the right designers. We also don't want our kids to learn to judge others based on those metrics either.

[As Above So Below...]

When we lived in Dallas, we looked at Southlake. We bought in Plano instead because if the incessant materialism. And yeah, Southlake is not where Id want to stay. Id look at Plano.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/wh...-back/2533096/

[4Movingeast]

OK Southlake stinks but let's not kid ourselves that it's the only suburb in the area displaying excess materialism/consumerism. The DFW area is just overall bad in that regard. Dallas has always been known for "more is more" type of style and spending and Ft Worth has gotten just as bad IMO with all the big oil/gas money there now. The original story was about racism and I don't disagree at all that the two are intertwined, but I think there is a pile on here that is missing the point. The point is there are other cheesy flashy suburbs in the area where people have lots of dough and the football team is great, but you wouldn't be unwelcome there as a person of color would be in Southlake.

[280Tony]

Originally Posted by Katana49

Asking about racism in a town with a pretty well documented history of it isn't obsessing, it's being smart about making an informed decision where they should buy a home.

You sound smart.

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by 280Tony

You sound smart.

Indeed. You should spend more time listening rather than trolling.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Katana49

Indeed. You should spend more time listening rather than trolling.

That should yield a quick tap out.

[widespreadfan]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Highland Park = old money snobby people
Southlake = new money snobby people

You are very correct that both communities are not really diverse, and that Highland Park is even less diverse than Southlake.

What’s your budget for housing? You could also look at buying in Dallas’ Preston Hollow neighborhood and using private schools.

This post is pretty accurate.

Someone mentioned that they didn't like Southlake because it was built on pasture land. I hate to break it to you, but most of the Metroplex was built on pasture land. Unfortunately, consumerism/materialism can be found anywhere.

Racism also can be found anywhere. My family is multi-ethnic ourselves (Anglo-Latino) and my second grader got asked if he was an illegal at school last week. He thinks it was a joke. I am still in shock and am speechless. He has an Anglo name and both sides of our family have lived in Texas for six generations or more. Point is there are racist idiots everywhere. I mean if someone made this comment to my kid then what would they say to someone who is even darker skin toned. It is just such an ignorant thing to judge someone based on their skin color.