Young Professional (23y/o male) Best Place to Live in Dallas Area (Fort Worth: 2015, apartment complexes) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

mpredmon · 08-21-2021, 01:11 PM

Hi I am a single 23 year old male professional. I just accepted a position with American Airlines in their new Skyview Headquarters. I need to relocate from Chicago in the next month or so. I would like to spend no more than 1200 - 1400 per month rent, of course less would be better. I would prefer my commute to be around 30 minutes. I have heard of Uptown and the Village of Dallas. Am I missing any others? I am pretty social and want to meet people around my age as I obviously don't know anyone. I enjoy sports, golf, working out and would like to be near bars and nightlife. Looking for recommendations for possible locations as well as specific complexes.

RJ312 · 08-22-2021, 12:33 AM

Nothing exists that meets all of your criteria. The American Airlines headquarters is not conveniently located near anything that people in their 20s consider fun.

Uptown (including a broader definition of West Village and Victory Park), Downtown, The Village Apartments, Knox-Henderson, Deep Ellum, and Lower Greenville are more than a 30 minute commute from American Airlines HQ during typical AM and PM commute periods. Those are all the areas with fun things. Deep Ellum has taken over from Uptown as the primary nightlife area. Also, COVID-19 has made nightlife a lot worse.

Which sports do you like?

Are you will to take on a roommate? That would open up some options in Uptown/Downtown Dallas. However, Uptown has lost a lot of its luster since the mid-2010s. Uptown was the place to be from roughly 2005-2015, but the crowd has gone downhill in the last 5 years. Downtown

With your budget, you would be able to get a 1 bedroom in an older complex in The Village Apartments. I used to recommend The Village Apartments as an option to examine as an Uptown/Downtown alternative since it is well located and has historically attracted a 20s/30s crowd. It is important to be aware that The Village recently completed a poorly conceived, multi-year renovation project. The Village is not within walking distance of most nightlife except for their own restaurants/bars that recently opened as part of the renovation but are not likely to be successful.

texstout · 08-22-2021, 08:35 AM

"With your budget, you would be able to get a 1 bedroom in an older complex in The Village Apartments. I used to recommend The Village Apartments as an option to examine as an Uptown/Downtown alternative since it is well located and has historically attracted a 20s/30s crowd. It is important to be aware that The Village recently completed a poorly conceived, multi-year renovation project. The Village is not within walking distance of most nightlife except for their own restaurants/bars that recently opened as part of the renovation but are not likely to be successful.[/quote]

Have you been to the new Meridian restaurant at the Village? Its AMAZING! Pretty hard to get into, but well worth it. Everyone I have sent there finds the food wonderful. The Village looks nothing like it did 15 years ago. There definitely seemed to be a lot of foot traffic when i was there.

I actually think the suggestion of the Village is pretty good as it has some older (cheaper) apartment complexes still, but has a hub of activity/gym/sports leagues. But it would be a drive!

As for the OP - yep, American Airlines and DFW are pretty far removed from Dallas proper. Uptown, Bishop Arts, Lower Greenville, Deep Ellum are all popular areas for young (and old) people.

You might look into Ft Worth - DFW is actually a bit closer to Ft Worth. The 7th street area is quite popular with young people for nightlife.

Potentially cheaper and closer locations would be Las Colinas and Addison.

RJ312 · 08-22-2021, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texstout

Have you been to the new Meridian restaurant at the Village? Its AMAZING! Pretty hard to get into, but well worth it. Everyone I have sent there finds the food wonderful. The Village looks nothing like it did 15 years ago. There definitely seemed to be a lot of foot traffic when i was there.

I have not been to Meridian but it seems to be generating some buzz for reasons unknown. The Village has put in ~10 restaurants where 10 restaurants were not needed. Before the renovation project, The Village had 1 restaurant/bar that could barely draw anyone outside of special events. There's not a market for 10 restaurants.

Also, why would anyone outside The Village go to Meridian or any of the restaurants/bars? The Village residents alone cannot sustain 10 restaurants. They couldn't even sustain 1 prior to the renovation. The Meridian is super pricy and the majority of Village residents (the ones in the 1970s-1980s era complexes) are not likely to go to Meridian because it is out of their price range. A high end restaurant like a Meridian would be better served in an commercialized area of the Park Cities or Preston Hollow. The NW Hwy/Preston area would be an example of this.

If Village residents want to go to restaurants/bars, there are plenty of options outside of The Village. Most of the outside options are likely better than than what's inside The Village.

The amenities are overrated too. People in the know say that the gym is poorly laid out. The new main pool is a functional downgrade from the pre-renovation main pool. The state of the art softball field is currently unusable, though that could change.

Quote:

Originally Posted by texstout

You might look into Ft Worth - DFW is actually a bit closer to Ft Worth. The 7th street area is quite popular with young people for nightlife.

Potentially cheaper and closer locations would be Las Colinas and Addison.

Downtown Fort Worth isn't any closer. Neither is Addison. Las Colinas is closer, but I can't imagine being a 23 year old in Las Colinas and wanting to have a social life with 20 somethings. Las Colinas might be feasible for a 35-40 year old.

HeadedWest2020 · 08-22-2021, 10:33 AM

With a roommate, being closer to the action with your budget could happen in Uptown/Downtown/Victory Park, etc.

ChristieP · 08-22-2021, 01:37 PM

There’s no way you can commute to the AA HQ from The Village in 30 minutes.

Uptown will even be pushing 30 minutes in rush hour traffic. If AA has an employee shuttle from the TRE Rail station, or you could find the correct DART Bus, that would definitely be a great alternative to driving every day.

I know many posters here don’t like Las Colinas, but it would really make a lot of sense for you. It’s very close by, and there are a lot of other young professionals like yourself there. The urban center by the DART Rail station, has brand new apartments and several fun restaurants/bars in the area.

R1070 · 08-22-2021, 09:45 PM

You can live in uptown and or downtown with a roomie on that budget to be close to the fun nightlife. The commute may take longer than 30 minutes. Fort Worth is cheaper and a little closer.

kt2le · 08-23-2021, 10:33 AM

I'm afraid that Uptown won't be in your budget plus it'll take longer than 30 minutes to get to AA. You might be able to swing The Village, financially, but it would also be a long way to/from work. It could be done, however. Las Colinas could be a good option for you - lots of new apartments and convenient to AA.

Lots of people like you live on West 7th in Fort Worth so that could be an option, too.

On the other hand, paying a little more to live close to other young professionals and places they frequent might be worth it in terms of getting to know people and spending less time driving/money on Ubers on nights/weekends.

ChristieP · 08-23-2021, 10:54 AM

West 7th to AA (360/Trinity) will definitely be more than 30 minutes. Maybe once the construction at 30/360 is done it will be better, but right now that intersection is a horrible mess.

mpredmon · 08-23-2021, 08:53 PM

Thanks for all the info and suggestions. When I looked at google maps in real time (like 8am) it was showing the commute from Villages and Uptown area to be 32 minutes. Guess that's not possible. I would hate to be spending so much time in traffic but also don't want to be isolated. I will check out Ft Worth West 7th or just figure on a longer commute. Any guesses as to how long is the rush hour drive from the Village to AA HQ would really be? No such thing as an ideal situation I guess.