Commuting times to Dallas (Plano, Garland: apartment, to rent, house) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

Hammie · 09-22-2008, 03:14 PM

I'm going to be moving to the Dallas area and need to know how long it takes to get to downtown Dallas during rush hour from towns around the city. I'm interested in Fairview, but it looks like it may be too long a commute. I don't want to drive more than 30 minutes (40 MAX). Is it true that the nicer areas are north & north east of Dallas? I really need help narrowing down my search, and the most important thing to me is quality of life...I don't want to spend an hour driving to and from work. I'd love to avoid having to pay tolls, but will do so if it gets me there faster. And what about the cost of tolls from different areas?

Thank you so much for any insight you can give! I appreciate it!

$DFW8$ · 09-22-2008, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammie

I'm going to be moving to the Dallas area and need to know how long it takes to get to downtown Dallas during rush hour from towns around the city. I'm interested in Fairview, but it looks like it may be too long a commute. I don't want to drive more than 30 minutes (40 MAX). Is it true that the nicer areas are north & north east of Dallas? I really need help narrowing down my search, and the most important thing to me is quality of life...I don't want to spend an hour driving to and from work. I'd love to avoid having to pay tolls, but will do so if it gets me there faster. And what about the cost of tolls from different areas?

Thank you so much for any insight you can give! I appreciate it!

Fairview to Downtown Dallas during morning and afternoon rush hour takes about an hour or more if traffic is really bad. 75(North Central Expressway) is a mess during rush hour as it is heavily used by commuters from Collin County heading to Dallas. There is some alternate routes but it is still going to take more than 40 minutes. You would need to look into Plano, Frisco, Richardson, Garland, Lewisville, or something inside 635 like Lakewood. From Plano, you would have 2 options, 75 Central or the Dallas North Tollway. A lot of people who have used the DNT have switched to 75 since there is no toll and I have heard that the DNT doesn't have as much traffic, so you might be able to make it from Frisco in 40 minutes(maybe). From Plano, you could also use 75 as it goes right through there and Plano is more south than Fairview so you could probably make it from there in 40 minutes, and this goes for Richardson as well as it is even more south than Plano. Garland and Lewisville are also good choices and within the commute time.

These commute times are valid most of the time. Now if traffic is really bad or if there is an accident, then it could take even longer. It just depends. Before you leave the house, watch the news for traffic conditions so you know how the traffic is.

nsumner · 09-22-2008, 07:46 PM

You can also look at Sunnyvale, Rockwall, Forney and Rowlett on the east side. Rockwall would be the furthest and about 45 in rush hour to downtown.

Where in Dallas will you be working? price range would help too to direct you.

Naima

Grainraiser · 09-22-2008, 08:22 PM

A 30 minute commute during rush hr is going to be pretty tuff. Sunnyvale would be the closest if your looking for a more surburban lifestyle. Lake Highlands, Lakewood, Richardson and Kessler/Stevens Park would be my choice for older more mature neighborhoods. Give a budget,what type neighborhood and if you have school age kids to narrow your search.

Lakewooder · 09-23-2008, 11:44 AM

Hammie you need to be inside LBJ (635) if you can afford it. Even then it might take 30 minutes from the northern sections.

I've heard of three hour nightmares during accidents and bad weather on the far north commutes.

rosscountry · 09-23-2008, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammie

I'm going to be moving to the Dallas area and need to know how long it takes to get to downtown Dallas during rush hour from towns around the city. I'm interested in Fairview, but it looks like it may be too long a commute. I don't want to drive more than 30 minutes (40 MAX). Is it true that the nicer areas are north & north east of Dallas? I really need help narrowing down my search, and the most important thing to me is quality of life...I don't want to spend an hour driving to and from work. I'd love to avoid having to pay tolls, but will do so if it gets me there faster. And what about the cost of tolls from different areas?

Thank you so much for any insight you can give! I appreciate it!

If you go north don't go further than the george bush.
so that cuts out fairview, mckinney, frisco and plano.

There are nice areas all around Dallas so don't limit yourself to the northern burbs. Try looking southwest and northwest within a 20 mile radius and you should find something that will meet your commute time goal and it will be nice.

OR just get an apartment downtown 1st before you settle down and work your way out from there. This should give you a good sense of what traffic is like compared to further away

over the past 3 years traffic is getting worse north of the george bush tollway and more homes are being built/ people moving in and the roads are barely keeping up with the growth...

If you don't want a commute don't come north

jpeagle21 · 09-24-2008, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsumner

You can also look at Sunnyvale, Rockwall, Forney and Rowlett on the east side. Rockwall would be the furthest and about 45 in rush hour to downtown.

Where in Dallas will you be working? price range would help too to direct you.

Naima

I can't remember it ever taking less than 45 minutes to drive home to Rockwall from Dallas during rush hour. 45 minutes would be best case scenario. Normally, it is more like an hour. I-30 is hell and if there is a wreck that ties up the bridge over the lake, you are stuck and there is no easy way around.

Other options to the east are Mesquite (a quick commute and lots of escape routes if your normal route gets backed up), Sunnyvale (if you can afford it. Same story commute-wise as Mesquite), Forney (more affordable, but about 15-20 minutes further out than Mesquite). These are all good communities. Mesquite would be the more urban (working-class) of the bunch, but still a nice community.

Good luck!

Hammie · 09-25-2008, 06:51 PM

Thank you all so much for your input, it really helps. I need to ask, what's the knock on the area south of Dallas, and what towns would be worth looking down there? I'm willing to look anywhere, I just want to be within 30 minutes or so. I'm going to have to rent for now as I have a house to sell, and will look to pay no more than $1500/month. I need to rent a house, too, even though I'd love to be in an apartment in the city. Thanks again!

$DFW8$ · 09-25-2008, 08:38 PM

Ok, I just gotta share this with everyone as I got a big laugh out of it today. Okay, today I was at a meeting at 635 and 75 Central. We got out about 5:00 this afternoon so it was rush hour and traffic was bad. As we were leaving, everybody was talking about how bad traffic is as we walked outside and this one person said that he lives in Stonebridge in McKinney and he can be at 75 Central and 380 from where we were at in 20 minutes! I started laughing and told him that there was no way unless he had some type of flying car that could go over all the traffic. Sometimes, it can take 45 minutes just to get from McKinney to 190(George Bush Turnpike). Geez some people crack me up, like literally I wanted to drive to McKinney myself just to prove that it takes more than 20 minutes!

rosscountry · 09-28-2008, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammie

Thank you all so much for your input, it really helps. I need to ask, what's the knock on the area south of Dallas, and what towns would be worth looking down there? I'm willing to look anywhere, I just want to be within 30 minutes or so. I'm going to have to rent for now as I have a house to sell, and will look to pay no more than $1500/month. I need to rent a house, too, even though I'd love to be in an apartment in the city. Thanks again!

Hammie I suggest that rent in Dallas so you can visit both the north,south, east, west for yourself and do your research.

People will give you out dated and biassed opinions sometimes and that would be ashame if you didn't check it out yourself.

The southern parts of Dallas county IMO has had an image problem that is being changed as we speak.

It took me 3 years to actually go and visit myself as I fell victim to the gossip and moved up north due to the great marketing(Hype) and nice area that the northern dallas burbs are.

As I understand it the burb I currently live in -Frisco was not as nice as it is today 10 years ago.

When I actually took the time to explore east, west and south of the city I was amazed at the different benefits each area offered as far as lifestyle and scenery.

PLEASE explore and make your own conclusion.