Been in Texas since Aug. 2011 and love it~ (Dallas, Fort Worth: 2014, rentals)

[Thomasfamilymove2009]

Hello Everyone,

I relocated to Texas from Chicago in Aug. 2011. Thanks to all of you who gave me tips on schools, areas to live, etc. We have been in the same area (Watauga) and ISD (Birdsville) since we moved here.

The job I relocated for in Southlake, Texas for will be phasing out Sept. 2014. As such I started my job search about a month ago and have received great feed back even a few interviews but they are all in the Irving/Dallas area even though I am applying in Fort Worth. One in particular I am hoping to land is in Downtown Dallas (a commute time of one hour, which I am sure will double with an accident or a thin layer of ice).

I don't want to uproot the kids (ages 15,13 and 10) and my husband loves his job in Keller, Texas. However, my income is the most so I can't pass up a great paying job.

Wondering if I land a job in downtown Dallas (surrounding areas) will I be able to commute from Watauga and not disrupt my husband and kids lives. Or should I prepare to relocate to areas such as Arlington, Grand Prairie to get to the center of Fort Worth and Dallas so both my husband and my commute will be doable.

As I research the school scores for Grand Prairie and Arlington I am not impressed. And for the school scores that are acceptable the house rental prices are out of our range (we are renting a 2100 SF home for $1,300).

If we have to move I would prefer an area similar to Watauga - not that it matters but we are an AA family.

I would appreciate any advice.

Many Thanks.

[WorldKlas]

Euless has decent schools

[Thomasfamilymove2009]

Thanks WorldKlas. I didn't think the commute time to downtown Dallas would be any different but I will check again :-)

[hypocore]

Depending on the actual location of the new job, you may be able to take the train (TRE) and if necessary the DART rail to get you there. That will eliminate the issue of accidents/traffic, except in the rare case of train trouble.

You could stay where you are, but you would have a commute longer than what you have now. Not ideal, but it's doable.

[Thomasfamilymove2009]

Thanks hypocore. I would listed to audio books when commuting from Watauga to Southlake and I swear the 35 minute commute would feel like 10 minutes. I will check into the TRE and Dart rail. Thanks for your help.

What are your thoughts on possibly moving to Arlington or Grand Prairie?

[4Movingeast]

Check the Grapevine High zone, or the Euless portion of the Colleyville Heritage High zone for rentals in your price range. Definitely look into using the rail to commute to Downtown Dallas as well! I don't know if you can do any of your ype of work remotely during your commote on the train but it might help. good luck!

[WorldKlas]

Can you think about enrolling your children in an Uplift charter school if you need to move closer in? Lamar HS in Arlington is not wonderful. Don't know about Grand Prairie; just unfamiliar with it.

[hypocore]

Originally Posted by Thomasfamilymove2009

Thanks hypocore. I would listed to audio books when commuting from Watauga to Southlake and I swear the 35 minute commute would feel like 10 minutes. I will check into the TRE and Dart rail. Thanks for your help.

What are your thoughts on possibly moving to Arlington or Grand Prairie?

I think that in most cities within DFW you can find pockets of areas that you like and would be similar to Watauga. I just don't know any personally because I've never lived there. Generally speaking neither of those cities appeal to me enough to want to move there, but that's just me I guess.

My husband had no other choice but to take the TRE, DART rail and a bus to get to work (north Dallas!) for a while when we were down to one car. It was not ideal by any means, because of the scheduling of the train, how far he had to go and how long he was in transit. However it did work.

He says if he was only going to downtown Dallas it would not have been much of an issue. I know several people who take the TRE and walk a couple of blocks to get to their work. I think I'd much rather try that than to uproot my family from a place we all like.

[30_miles]

I agree with hypocore, TRE and DART would be the way to go depending on where your job is located. The only issue that may arise is the scheduling and if you ever need to get back home in case of an emergency...