Best places to live for young professional

[Lakewooder]

For less expensive but nice apartments I always recommend the area just south of The Village Apartments - I just posted about that for somebody looking for condos -- this is south of Lover's Lane along E. University from Greenville Ave to Skillman. Streets are Sandhurst, Birchbrook etc. Good mix of people including young professionals, students, SMU staff, long-time tenants to some elderly folks.
Older converted condos in well built buildings with wood floor dens and real brick fireplaces. Several complexes have been completely renovated New development as well - framing is going up on the latest one at Lover's and Skillman. Zip is 75206

SMU has a free shuttle bus for anyone and it goes to campus and the DART rail stations. And the coveted Central Market grocery extravaganza is right there -- you can walk a block or two.

[cr1039]

There are numerous apartment complexes around SMU that are not too far and may fit your budget. Try near "university and mockingbird"

[jsoto3]

Gables Carlisle on the Creek, while old and not so great, is in the perfect location for you and has small one bedroom units in your price range:
Gables, Gables.com - DallasÂ*TX Apartments for Rent, Dallas Luxury Apartments

It is centrally located in Uptown, the mecca of the yuppie lifestyle in Dallas, and is a short two blocks from the West Village shopping/entertainment district. You can commute to work on the McKinney Avenue trolley with no bus/rail transfers required. You would only have to walk one block from McKinney Avenue over to your office on Cedar Springs via Olive Street. There are many excellent restaurants along McKinney and off the side streets and you could hop off the trolley on your way home to catch dinner and/or happy hour. While not an ideal apartment complex, living at Carlisle on the Creek served me well enough for the first couple years out of school until I could afford a nicer place in Uptown or Downtown

Good luck to you.

[sneha_manohar]

Thank you for that information about Gables. It certainly looks very affordable. I just wondering why you said that it's not a great place - any particular reason? Also, what is the community like over there? As in, demographics of the occupants - age group, etc?

[jsoto3]

I only say that it's not great in that it is an old complex (probably built in the early 70's) so the interior finish out and exterior appearance leave a lot to be desired. I was okay with it (especially given the price), but for people with high expectations it can be a problem. While I personally didn't have any issues with poor maintenance or management, there have been many complaints written on internet reviews. You get what you pay for.

As far as demographics, it ranges quite a bit (which I liked). When I lived there four years ago it had everything from low-income families with children, to young upstart professionals like yourself, to $30,000 Millionaires, to mid-to-high-income but modest-living seniors.

I forgot to mention another major plus in regards to its location. The apartment complex is located right at one of the major entrance points to the very popular Katy Trail, a former railroad turned pedestrian path running from Downtown (at the Victory Park development, not far from your office) up through Uptown and teeming with people from all walks of life walking, jogging, roller blading, and biking.

There is also a grocery store (Albertsons) and a Walgreens just a block away. And having the Magnolia Theater in the West Village just two blocks away was quite nice as well. Writing this is making me want to move back to the neighborhood! (I live Downtown now)

[Lakewooder]

Yes, be sure to visit Primo's on McKinney Avenue on Sunday afternoon (Breadwinners in the morning or brunch/lunch) and take a look around Turtle Creek if you are interested in jsoto's recommendation. He certainly knows Dallas.

[sneha_manohar]

Thanks for your suggestions!

I checked out the Carlisle on the Creek property online - and also the apartment ratings at Apartment Ratings :: The leading source of apartment reviews by renters for renters. , and it seemed incredibly negative with respect to that particular property....so have decided against it.

If I were to increase my budget to say about 750ish, are there any better, more modern-ish constructions in downtown/uptown? Even loft-styles would work...

Thank you all for your continued help! I really appreciate it!

[jsoto3]

$750 might get you into a studio apartment at a Post Properties complex (much nicer than Carlisle on the Creek), but that wouldn't include electricity. It's good to consider paying the higher rent to live in Uptown if you also work and entertain yourself there. The savings on the gas you would use if you lived elsewhere can offset the higher rent.

[lampley m]

where would be the best place to start a church in DFW area to reach ages 30 to 40