Possible move - Plano or Midtown? (Dallas, Frisco: apartment complexes, homes, neighborhoods)

[HeadedWest2020]

My direct manager is retiring at year-end, and I have a promotion opportunity in my company, which would require a move to the DFW area. I would be required to go in-office at our HQ in Plano 2 to 3x a week, and am trying to gather where I should focus a search on housing.

Should I consider living in Plano or Frisco only, or would Downtown/Midtown/Victory Park be too far to commute daily? I do not want to sit in traffic for hours on end after a long day in the office.

[ChristieP]

What’s your housing budget?

If you hate traffic, then you’d hate commuting from Dallas to Plano. The fact that you pay for the DNT just makes it even worse.

[FreeVilley]

Neither location would have you sitting in traffic for hours. A Google Maps search can give you those travel times if commute time is your only consideration. Those are 2 completely different lifestyles which will also be worth considering. Lastly, I believe you mean Uptown, not Midtown. In Dallas, "Midtown" is a fictitious neighborhood that hasn't even come into fruition yet, which will be located near the Dallas Galleria.

[MurphyPl1]

Consider Addison

[WorldKlas]

Live in Plano. Its fine. Traffic in the DFW metro is awful.

[HeadedWest2020]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

What’s your housing budget?

If you hate traffic, then you’d hate commuting from Dallas to Plano. The fact that you pay for the DNT just makes it even worse.

Trying to stay around $2500 max monthly

[HeadedWest2020]

Originally Posted by FreeVilley

Neither location would have you sitting in traffic for hours. A Google Maps search can give you those travel times if commute time is your only consideration. Those are 2 completely different lifestyles which will also be worth considering. Lastly, I believe you mean Uptown, not Midtown. In Dallas, "Midtown" is a fictitious neighborhood that hasn't even come into fruition yet, which will be located near the Dallas Galleria.

Yes Uptown.
The commute during rush hour would exceed 30 minutes, correct?

[RJ312]

It depends upon your age, biological sex, and marital/relationship status.

Plano has had the reputation for being a family-centered suburb and not offering much to those who are young, never married, and childless. That experience is still common in the Plano neighborhoods with single family homes. However, Plano has changed a little bit in recent years. Due to the areas surrounding The Shops at Legacy and Legacy West, Plano has become a little bit more friendly to non-married people. There are some newer apartment complexes near Shops at Legacy/Legacy West that have drawn some 20s/30s unmarried people. There is now a little bit of scene there, though it's not nearly as exciting as areas closer to Downtown Dallas.

If you're a single, unattached woman, you can live anywhere and men will be pursuing you. In that case, live in Plano.

If you're a 35+ unmarried man moving here without a social circle, you could probably make it work in Plano without having to live in Uptown/Downtown/Victory Park for the more vibrant social circle and take on the long commute. If you're younger than 35, it would be better to live closer to Downtown Dallas. Yes, the Uptown/Downtown commute to Plano is likely to exceed 30 minutes. Commuting on 75 is worse than DNT for traffic flows but DNT is a toll road with associated toll costs. That gets expensive after a while. On days where there are accidents on DNT/75, the backups can double the commute times.

If you're a male and planning on using swipe apps, Plano residents will often be screened out of searches for those living closer to Downtown Dallas due to distance. It would be possible to do in-person approaches around Shops at Legacy/Legacy West. In-person approaching isn't easy but is better than using the swipe apps, especially since swipe apps have way too men on them.

Areas closer to Downtown Dallas are the most socially vibrant. That's the advantage. The long commute is the downside. I wouldn't recommend Uptown anymore. Uptown started declining in the mid-2010s and hasn't been the same. From the early-2000s to mid-2010s, Uptown was the hot young professionals neighborhood. Uptown at night has been attracting a less law abiding element since the mid-2010s and can feel downright dangerous. The Katy Trail during the day is still a decent place and the crowd looks bougie.

Someone else mentioned Addison in this. Addison is meh. It won't have the same vibrancy as the areas closer to Downtown Dallas and it wouldn't be that much better than Shops of Legacy/Legacy West.

[HeadedWest2020]

Thanks for the input. Unattached, unmarried man under 40, who prefers quality of life and ease of commute as much as I do afterwork activities. I will check out a few places near Legacy West. I can't imagine all of the corporate offices nearby are full of married women, right? Lol

[ChristieP]

That price range will be difficult for a single family home close to Plano. You might be able to find something on the east side of Plano closer to 75.

I’d listen to RJ312 for the dating advice.