75214 Lakewood area or 75209 area or where?

[susan_hopper]

Hi Texan by Choice,

With the requirements that you describe, I'd definitely vote for the M Streets which is made up of Greenland Hills, Munger Place, and Vickery Place. It's only about 5 minutes from Downtown, 3 minutes from uptown, and just a few minutes from Greenville Avenue. The homes were built in the early 1900s (about 1920 - 1940) and many are tudor and bungalow style. It's a very popular area and the majority of the homes have been maintained and updated impeccably. They are so charming. I'm waiting 5 more years for my daughter to graduate from high school and it's back down to the M-Streets for me. I lived down there when I was single with my large golden retriever and absolutely loved it.
Moderator cut: no soliciting, please

[eastdallasson]

good thing you left before your daughter could go to the local high school! jeeez

[movcharov]

Originally Posted by pattiwacks

I live in Junius Heights Historical Neighborhood just west of Lakewood. You can not beat this area.

I am looking around the same area close to Oak Lawn and/or Lakewood. Could you be more specific - with the zip/s, bounderies, website of the Junius Heights neighborhood? And WHY you cannot beat it ; ), as well. Thanks.

[Macbeth2003]

Originally Posted by movcharov

I am looking around the same area close to Oak Lawn and/or Lakewood. Could you be more specific - with the zip/s, bounderies, website of the Junius Heights neighborhood? And WHY you cannot beat it ; ), as well. Thanks.

Why? Well you just can't.
No seriously I live here and I hope to be here a long time. The people in the neighborhood know each other. They say hi when they see you out walking your dog. They know your kid, and your family. They are a diverse group of higher, and lower incomes, and different social backgrounds.

Let me give you one story about why this part of town is so great.
A couple of months ago while my son was playing with some friends on the playground at Lipscomb elementary (our fantastic local school) one of his friends offered ot share his chocolate bar with his friends. They walked up a flight of concrete steps to eat their chocolate out of the dust.
While my son was breaking a piece of chocolate off the bar he lost his balance and went down the steps. When he hit the landing 10 steps down he broke his arm in two places, one badly enough for the bone to brak through the skin. My heart stops (as woudl any parent's when their 5 year old screams like that) by the time my wife and I were up those steps two other neighborhood parents who were ther were behind us. By the time I got his shirt off to see if he was ok, another parent had wrapped a coat around him as it was bitterly cold. We threw him in my car and drove to the emergency room. One hour later two moms showed up at the ER. They had brought a portable dvd player and dvd's for my son to watch. A spare set of clothes as they knew his would be cut off of him, and snacks and drinks for all of us. They insisted on getting the keys to my wife's Jeep (left at the school) and driving it home so we did not get a ticket or have it towed. We explained that the drivers side door didn't work and they would have to climb over the console from the passengers side. They couldn't believe we concerned about them having to do that. They tried to get us to give them a house key so they could also walk our dog. We didn't have a spare though.
By the time I got home that evenign we had four calls from other neighbors wanting to know if our son was ok and what they could do to help.

At the time we had been here about six months total.

Those are the people in this part of town, that's why we love it here. Junius Heights (and Munger Place) are fantastic.

Also on a less emotional note it has charming homes, walkable streets, a park in the neighborhood, a great little restaurant for breakfast and lunch, excellent public schools, is convenient to Downtown, Fair Park, Deep Ellum, Uptown, Mockingbird station, and Knox Henderson.

As for the Boundries
http://www.juniusheights.org/juniushistoricmap.jpg (broken link)

[Lakewooder]

Good story Macbeth - I hope your son has healed - a broken limb as a lad is sort of a rite of passage.

I must have been out of town when this happened - I can see those steps from my front porch!

Yes, people around Lakewood and East Dallas are like family - we are tied together by the sidewalks, the schools, the YMCA, scouts, the churches and the shops. I have found that when meeting older residents, 'being friendly' is the at the top of the list of their attributes. So I think it has been passed down along with many of the historic homes - each of which has a few great stories.

One of my friends was hurt a couple of years ago and had to undergo emergency surgery - when I got to the second floor of Baylor Roberts building, there were probably 100 people in there!

[LakewoodLifer]

I've lived in Lakewood for 26 years and, prior to that, in Hollywood Heights for 6 years. Much has changed over this 30-year period. As a mid-40s, single female who has lived in other metro areas, you have probably checked the crime stats. If not, be sure to do so for all of these neighborhoods.

A dog helps but, increasingly, Lakewood, Hollywood Heights, the M&M area and other East Dallas neighborhoods have experienced a rash of daytime burglaries.

While the beauty and proximity of this area is alluring (I walk to the lake from my neighborhood), be sure to consider your safety. The Park Cities is well regarded as a "safe haven." Lakewood's Neighborhood Assn. offers additional crime patrol which we pay to have (about $180/year for membership/crime patrol), but we are challenged by burglaries of motorized vehicles (never park your car on the street and leave it there overnight) and these daytime break-ins.

Does Lakewood's value seem to hold? Years ago, there was "white flight" due to the problems with our public schools (which haven't been resolved). The good news is that Lakewood has excellent elementary schools and private schools so we are seeing more families return to the area from the suburbs. Buyers have also noted that the big, new homes in Lakewood are a better value than those in the Park Cities so you can buy more space here for the dollar.

The other good news is that we are an eclectic neighborhood with great support for the local businesses. Our location has always been a plus for those who love to walk, bike, kayak, eat, drink and be merry. Many entrepreneurs, bankers, lawyers, doctors, musicians, artists and gardeners live here.

Just spend some time exploring and talking with people in their yards. I've learned much about a neighborhood by rolling down the window and asking. Good luck!

[Lakewooder]

I see that you are mid-40s but have only spent 32 years in Lakewood and have lived in other metro areas. So I am assuming you did not attend the schools. What is your perception of "the problems with our public schools" and why you don't think they have been resolved?