Feeling out of place in Dallas. Help us find a neighborhood. (Fort Worth: apartment, to rent)

[brizo]

Don’t get me wrong. I love Dallas. I have lived in Dallas suburbs nearly my entire life. Though, now I am having trouble finding the right neighborhood for my wife and I. We are a young married couple (I am 28, she is 25) with no kids and don’t plan to have any for at least 5 years. I grew up in Rowlett and bought a house there when I graduated high school. After meeting my wife a few years later, we both decided Rowlett wasn’t for us. I work by day while my wife takes care of things at home, and we love to go out and have fun by night

I found a tenant to rent house and we moved into a "luxury" downtown high-rise condo for contrast. It is a fun place to live and we have definitely taken advantage of its conveniences, but it seems that all our neighbors are either divorced single fathers with weekend visitation, alcoholics / addicts with too much money, or mid-30s singles picking up party girls from the main street "ultra lounges".

I would like to be around other young professionals in a quiet neighborhood convenient to some nightlife. We don’t need much space. A 2 bedroom with 1000sqft would suit us fine. I would like a place where we could go bicycling, go for picnics, or have some brunch on the weekend. A safe place for my wife to walk the dog day or night. A yard, a fireplace, some romance. You get the picture.

I would like to keep price under $1500 a month. Since we plan to upsize our family in the distant future and I don’t know what neighborhood really suits us just yet, we don’t want to buy for now.

Thanks for the help!!!

[lh_newbie]

In that price range, you should be able to get something in the M-Streets. Close to Greenville, Uptown and Knox/Henderson. Speaking of Knox- it seems that crowd might be a little more to your liking, but I don't think you'll find a yard there. It'll be more of an apartment or condo setting. Speaking of apartment, there are some nice places in The Villages that might meet all your requests except for the private backyard. It's pretty quiet, has some great public places - I lived there for 3 months prior to getting married and buying a house - my wife and I still go there a couple times a year to feed the turtles at the bridge and the squirrels around the jogging trails.

Brian

[Lakewooder]

Junius Heights, Cochran Heights, Hollywood Heights, Vickery Place and perhaps even the M-streets would fit the bill - near night life but also near nature - very walkable. Have you ever bicycled around White Rock Lake?

North Oak Cliff might suit you as well - it has Bishop Arts District and a fledgling Fort Worth Avenue but not as much nightlife, restaurants and shops as the Knox-Henderson, Lower Greenville, Lakewood areas mentioned above.

Most of the areas I named are also family-friendly if you want to stay for the future.

[grendlldog]

M streets/Greenville is a decent option but the traffic is a pain. I have a home that I rent out in Turtle Creek Dallas (that is rented and unavailable) and have always thought this area was the best. Recently, I reluctantly moved to Plano and was in for a wonderful surprise. I think you should investigate properties near Frankford between Davenport and Preston. You have great shopping, safe neighborhoods, wonderful restaurants ... Nightlife in Addison is great fun for young couples and is roughly 5 minutes from this area. Plus, you have the Tollway and the George Bush Turnpike within a few miles. You can zip down to Downtown Dallas in 15 minutes. I highly recommend this area.

[HappyinDallas]

This map should be helpful for the crime of various areas you chose to look at:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

[artsyguy]

Have you tried Addison yet?

[Grainraiser]

I kinda agree with Lakewooder. North Oak has a more laid back vibe. The residents tend to be a bit older also. There are some nice little neighborhood eateries but not much in club life. It is worth checking out.