Relocation from wash dc area to ft worth (Fort Worth, Arlington: apartment, rentals)

[jlgmx]

Hello there! So we (that is, a family of 4 with middle and high school aged kids) may be leaving the Wash DC area to relocate to Fort Worth for work and just trying to get housing and neighborhood info. The job would be just north of where I-35W and I-20 intersect.

I definitely want my average commute each way to be 30 mins or less, so I was hoping to get advice on specific areas to check out and areas to avoid.

Looking to rent in an apt community ($1400 or less) until we sell home back here in DC area. Prefer 3BR/2BA townhome apt in a nice, safe, fairly diverse neighborhood with good schools.

Feeling really excited. Any info (townhome rentals, schools, areas to avoid, etc) would be extremely appreciated.

Thank you so much in advance!

[WorldKlas]

Look in Burleson

[jlgmx]

Thank you for the reply.

Looking for areas that are accessible to grocery stores, shopping, movie theater, etc. Is Burleson like that? Rural? Diverse? Don't want to be too far off the beaten path.

[Squirl]

Originally Posted by jlgmx

Thank you for the reply.

Looking for areas that are accessible to grocery stores, shopping, movie theater, etc. Is Burleson like that? Rural? Diverse? Don't want to be too far off the beaten path.

Burleson has a shopping, etc. Mansfield and Burleson are the closest towns to where you will work that have good schools. Both are typical burbs with typical burb shopping, fast food chains, etc.

[texas_nightowl]

There are actually several areas you could consider. And no, Burleson is not rural. There are some semi-rural areas around it, but Burleson is pretty suburban these days and definitely has grocery stores, etc. I would call it slighly less diverse than locations in Fort Worth or Arlington.

One thing to keep in mind is that townhomes have not been widespread in Texas. So "townhome communities" are not commonplace...definitely not as common as on the east coast (I spent 12 yrs in Raleigh and of course many more townhomes there than here). So you will likely be either in an apartment or in a home.

To be honest, I don't know what rentals are going for in most areas. That said, you have options including Burleson, SW Arlington (Martin HS zone), SW Fort Worth, and Benbrook (don't know much about the high school Benbrook is zoned into though). I would normally recommend Aledo too, but it is more rural still for now and would be slightly longer than your desired 30 min commute. Tanglewood/Westcliff/Overton communities in Fort Worth would be good areas to consider also however your budget might be low.

[Squirl]

Southwest Arlington is a good suggestion; but only if in Martin High School. Be sure about which high school your rental is zoned to. Kennedale would be ok, too. I would recommend, if looking at Mansfield, that you confine your search to Mansfield high school. Arlington is huge, diverse and offers many shopping and dining options.

Your budget will not work out well for you in Fort Worth for Tanglewood area.

[jlgmx]

Thanks all so far.

-- I realize that things are priced differently depending on what part of the country it is in. So is $1400/mo for a 3BR unreasonable for a fairly safe community in Fort Worth and surrounding areas?

-- Also, since Arlington was mentioned - just how bad is traffic traveling on I-20 WEST from Arlington, Duncanville, Cedar Hill, or those areas towards Fort Worth where I-35W and I-20 intersect in the AM and then on the return heading EAST on I-20 in the PM commute back towards Arlington, Cedar Hill, etc? Looking on Google maps, it does not seem that bad, but I realize that may / may not be the case.

Pls advise on the above. Many thank you's in advance

[WorldKlas]

Cedar Hill and Duncanville are too far. Traffic on I-20 is a jam but all freeways are congested during rush hour. Duncanville HS is a rough school, btw, I recommend you avoid it. Martin HS is large and has a good reputation but also its share of drug issues-- pretty common for any high school. All other high schools in Arlington are bad. Really.

You should be able to rent a 3 bedroom house albeit small in zip codes 76016 or 76017, and several homes in those zip codes are zoned to Kennedale district or Martin HS/AISD. Be very certain about the high school because many houses in ip 76017 are zoned to Summit....

[Restrain]

I would second Burleson. My cousin raised kids there, really love it. Easy commute into Fort Worth and you are not dealing with Fort Worth schools. Further south you will find Italy (that is It-ly not like the nation). A rural community, but again an easy commute into your work.

[The Mysterious Benefactor]

Originally Posted by jlgmx

Thanks all so far.

-- I realize that things are priced differently depending on what part of the country it is in. So is $1400/mo for a 3BR unreasonable for a fairly safe community in Fort Worth and surrounding areas?

-- Also, since Arlington was mentioned - just how bad is traffic traveling on I-20 WEST from Arlington, Duncanville, Cedar Hill, or those areas towards Fort Worth where I-35W and I-20 intersect in the AM and then on the return heading EAST on I-20 in the PM commute back towards Arlington, Cedar Hill, etc? Looking on Google maps, it does not seem that bad, but I realize that may / may not be the case.

Pls advise on the above. Many thank you's in advance

You've got me a bit confused. Are you looking for a community that is fairly diverse, or fairly safe? There's an inverse relationship between the two.