Is Aledo a real town? (Fort Worth, Plano: houses, schools, college)

[phines]

I heard great things about Aledo, so I decided to drive through it today. All I saw was a tiny strip of stores that consisted of a gas station, some professional offices, a bank, a boutique, and a restaurant. Then I saw hundreds of houses grouped into various sub-divisions. I noticed Aledo has a population of over 2,000, so I find it hard to believe there are only 5 businesses in the whole town. Did I just not go far enough? Is there a downtown? A grocery store? Anything other than sub-divisions? It's so pretty there, but it seems more like a giant housing development than a town.

[legalsea]

If you were 'downtown' then you probably saw the railroad tracks, the hairpin turn, the church, etc. There is not much. Note that the downtown section is a couple of miles south of I-20.

The city limits of Aledo are quite large. For instance, years ago I lived off the Linkcrest exit of I-20, in a subdivision around a golf course; although far from 'downtown' Aledo, it was considered part of Aledo.

So, while there is a 'downtown' Aledo, there is not much of it left. I believe your view that Aledo has become a series of housing developments is the correct one.

[loves2read]

Aledo started out as a farming/ranching community and it is not a county seat so in TX all you need for that type of town is a stop light, grocery store, gas station, and probably a beer joint...
and depending on the town--you might not even get a stop light--just a 4-way stop at the main intersection...

Businesses have been reluctant to build out that way--most people either drive to Weatherford which I believe is county seat and has Weatherford jr college and some shopping/restaurants/medical facilities but are more likely to drive into FTW's west/southwest side...

we know people who live out that way and it is difficult to do anything like grocery shop even without making a 25-35 min trip each way...

and there is going to be another fairly large housing development being built in Aledo soon
so maybe the critical mass of residents will go up high enough to get a Target...but there is no mall in the immediate future I am sure...

[phines]

Thanks for the great info!

[MovingFortWortWard]

@Jessica- Do your children attend Aledo schools? My family is moving from West Plano and a private Christian school. Our daughters are good girls, not spoiled, but definitely more accustomed to the city side of things. I'm trying to get a feel for Aledo. Is it buttoned-up, fundamentalist, tea-leaning, and Fox Newsy? Or is it more moderate, Christian, educated, well-rounded?

[CelestinoZ]

Originally Posted by phines

I heard great things about Aledo, so I decided to drive through it today. All I saw was a tiny strip of stores that consisted of a gas station, some professional offices, a bank, a boutique, and a restaurant. Then I saw hundreds of houses grouped into various sub-divisions. I noticed Aledo has a population of over 2,000, so I find it hard to believe there are only 5 businesses in the whole town. Did I just not go far enough? Is there a downtown? A grocery store? Anything other than sub-divisions? It's so pretty there, but it seems more like a giant housing development than a town.

If you are considering moving to Aledo, you should also look at Weatherford. Weatherford offers a little more in terms of stores. The schools in both districts are comparable. In regards to the post above about the houses off of Linkcrest, while they do have an Aledo address don't be fooled. Those houses are about 6.5 miles from downtown Aledo, they are unincorporated Tarrant County, which means they aren't apart of any city. Those house are in Fort Worth's ETJ, located next door to the Lost Creek Estates, which are in Fort Worth's incorporated city limits. And lastly, the houses on Linkcrest are in the Fort Worth ISD.