Moving to Fort Worth, where to live? (Arlington, Benbrook: apartment complexes, rental)

[multicog]

I just accepted a position in Forth Worth, with a start date of the 9th of December. The company will reimburse me for up to two weeks of a hotel stay, so I can look around a bit once I get there (although I'd like to keep the hotel stay as short as possible, I don't like the hit on the tax forms). I like to mountain bike (and bike in general) and the better rated trails appear to be at sansom park and gateway park. I'd probably like to be close enough to do a couple weekday rides (so one of those parks in under an hours drive would be nice, and the closer the better). I'm single with no dependents, so school districts don't matter to me, and I'd like to be close to an area where I can meet other young professionals if possible.

Where I'll be working: South of Lake Worth, East of 820, North of I20. It's near White Settlement. It may actually be in White Settlement, but the address says Fort Worth.

Budget: I'd like to keep it around $1000 a month rent.

What I'm looking for: A large 1BR to a 2BR apartment (thinking 750-1000 sqft) or a small house (A townhouse would be awesome, but I know that isn't popular in this area). There are appears to be a ton of apartments right in the spot (although I did see a place that was well reviewed south of 20), but most houses appear to be east of 35W. I saw a couple houses in the Meadowbrook area that looked nice, but I have no idea how good that area would be for the social life of a young professional.

I noticed that there's a train that runs through the metro area. Even if it takes longer driving, easy access to this would be a plus. I would love to take advantage of living in a big area like this and catch a few Stars games - but it would be so much better if I didn't have to drive through traffic to do it. Also the more walkable the better - I would very much like to be able to do some things without driving.

I'd really like to keep the commute to under 45 minutes in either direction. Spending more than 1.5 hours driving each day kind of sucks (I did this when I lived in Northern VA, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't fun).

Are there any areas that mesh well with my needs? Any spots that I should avoid? Thanks in advance!

[kennygoat29]

you can likely find a duplex in the cultural district or arlington heights for that price. both neighborhoods are on the west side of fort worth and are near the museums, several bars, shopping and restaurants. lots of rental spaces near camp bowie blvd. and west 7th street. Arlington heights is not in Arlington, texas. this confuses a lot of people that are new to the area.

[kennygoat29]

-the two neighborhoods I mentioned above are both near bike trails. we have a 60 mile trail system in the city and a mayor that is an avid cyclist. bike lanes are popping up all over town.
-7th st is a very walkable neighborhood. newer nice apartments, a lot of choices for dining and entertainment. if I were in my twenties and single. this is where I would live.
-there are also high rise apartments downtown in sundance square. we have a very safe downtown with plenty to do.
-the area around camp bowie blvd. is not as walkable but I see neighbors out riding their bikes to dinner or for a drink all the time. there are also a lot of small apartment complexes scattered throughout the neighborhood that are reasonably priced.
-there are also a number of smaller homes in the TCU area near university and west berry street. the down/upside is that there are a lot of college students in the area.
-you might be able to find a duplex in fairmount for a reasonable rate. this is an up and coming area with lots of good independent restaurants along magnolia ave.
-as far as social life goes for the meadowbrook area, well there really isn't much of one for a young professional in that part of town. there are some cool places for rent(probably the best $ per square foot ratio in town) but the area has numerous patches of very sketchy neighborhood.
-Oakhurst/riverside is another interesting neighborhood.(NE of downtown along yucca ave). not very walkable but there are a number of cheaper homes for rent and it is a safe area.
-white settlement, westworth village, Samson park, Benbrook, north richland hills, Haltom city, river oaks and lake worth(all suburbs) are all decent, safe places to live with low rent, but you will have to leave the area for any entertainment.
-the area south of I-20(hulen st, bryant Irvin) is a safe area, but traffic is horrible. it should improve when the new tollway opens in a few years. there are tons of large gated apartment complexes within your budget. tons of shopping. tons of restaurants. however this part of town not walkable AT ALL. I wouldn't ride a bike in that area either.
hopefully this is more helpful than confusing. I am happy to answer any other questions you have.

[ChristieP]

The train runs from downtown Fort Worth east on Monday through Saturday. Home - Trinity Railway Express (TRE)

Be careful in Meadowbrook. It was discussed at length is a previous thread. The immediate neighborhood is nice, but it is surrounded by some of the worst of Fort Worth, and there is some spill-over crime. Personally, I would not recommend it for a newcomer. //www.city-data.com/forum/fort-...-stunning.html

Walkable really doesn't exist in Texas. (That's a common request from newcomers.) About the only part of town where it does is West 7th, and you pay quite a pretty penny for it.