West 7th for Single Full Time Dad? (Dallas, Fort Worth: apartments, rentals) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

bigpapp · 07-02-2016, 04:20 PM

Ok so here's my dilemma. I work in downtown Fort Worth and currently live in Keller (Town Center) and my commute is awful (1-1.5 hours at times). I also am not originally from TX so need to build a social network and I date so Keller is not the greatest area for either as most in the area are married. I'm about to turn 40 and my son is 12.

Ideally I was looking to pick up a small house in the Mistletoe Heights area however there just not a lot of spaces available and they tend to go in 24 hours when they do pop up. So my thought was to look at apartments in the West 7th area as a temp solution until I could find a small house.

My question is.....would moving a 12 year old into that area be a bad idea? I mean it look slick he would go to Striping/Arlington Heights which from what I can tell are good schools and he is used to living somewhat scaled down version of that in at Keller Town Center. The apartment I found is closer toward the Trinity park and not right in the middle of W7. I've noticed a lot of kids and families during the day and I've spent time there in the evening so know that it's pretty much a party area once the sun goes down.

Thoughts? Am I crazy to consider this area?

ChristieP · 07-03-2016, 09:49 AM

You are correct that the educate commute time would give you more time to spend with him, and those schools aren't bad. Have you looked for a house down near TCU? Paschal HS is the best one in Fort Worth, and there are a lot of rentals down there. The Berry/University area also has a lot of bars/restaurants nearby, and it's a quick commute into downtown.

the_little_truth_writer · 07-03-2016, 01:10 PM

I agree that the area around TCU is nice, but I would not recommend Paschal. In fact, I would not recommend any public school. My personal opinion is to enrol your son in a good private school if you can possibly afford it. The education he gets now is what he will rely on for the rest of his life. Growing up I attended both private and public schools, and I can personally attest that there is a world of difference between the two. If I had a child, I would opt for us to live as inexpensively as possible but in a good, safe neighbourhood, and the money I saved on other things would be funnelled straight into the child's education.

bigpapp · 07-04-2016, 07:38 AM

Thanks of the response.

Yes I was hoping to find a small house in the TCU area to either buy or rent however only a few popped up early on and were gone the same day before I could even get i to see them. I haven't seen much pop up since.

That's why I started looking at potentially renting an apartment so that I could get him in the district before the school year starts and continue to look for a house, just much closer in. Problem is that if I go West 7th for a temp apt that'll put him in Arlington Heights and when I find a home it would pull him over to Paschal. I hate the possibility of two jump for him. Would living even temporary in an apt of West 7th be an awful place for a 12 year old?

I thought about private schools however it's just to costly. The public school seem to get awful ratings online however however word of mouth tends to praise them both. Very confusing.

the_little_truth_writer · 07-04-2016, 09:44 AM

bigpapp, I will speak to you the same as would to an old friend. Your biggest and most important job in your life is your son. Once you chose to bring another life into this world, you closed the door on living like a single man. This is not to say you should not have a social life, but your social life must take a back seat to what is best for your son. Being a single parent is really rough, but being a parent is rough period. I feel for you.

The long and short of it is if you can afford to purchase a home near TCU, then you could easily lease a modest apartment/townhouse near or off Hulen and pay for a private school education. You need to set your priorities, and your son is your first priority. He has no mum at home, and soon he will embark on some of the most difficult years of his life. All he has is you. Please put him first.

bigpapp · 07-04-2016, 06:04 PM

I definitely want to put him first and not really looking at the west 7th area due to the singles scene but more due to the accessibility to things to do for us....bike trails, museums and so on. Are Arlington Heights and Paschal that bad?

the_little_truth_writer · 07-04-2016, 08:13 PM

You would have a quite short drive from Arlington Heights/TCU area/Hulen to West 7th area, so I do not see the necessity of living in the West 7th area. You could get more floor space and amenities for your money further out, too. The nicest park in town is Overton Park with plenty of trails for riding bikes. It is between between Oak Park Lane and Bellaire Drive off of Hulen. For years during the hottest months, I have walked there with my dog at 10 p.m. and later with no fear. It is a very nice area, and there are a few rental properties there, but they do not turn over often. There are some condos literally right in front of the park where you would have a better chance of finding a lease or of buying one of them.

Arlington Heights is very nice if you stay on the north side of I30. The homes are better maintained, and you will have good neighbours, but you will pay more there than on the south side of I30. Arlington Heights High School is on the south side of I30 (public school).

Re Paschal, I would not want my son/daughter to go there or to any public high school for that matter. I have a friend whose daughter went to public high school after her parents's financial situation drastically changed for the worse. She was a talented kid, but she lost all interest in school once she left private school where she began in pre-K and later ended up in public high school. Just sit outside Paschal on a weekday and watch the kids leaving for luncheon. Just the look of them puts me off. Spend some time people watching at some of the better universities. The kids you will see at those universities do not look like the kids coming out of Paschal I promise you. No offence intended to anyone, but the area covered by Paschal includes a lot of kids from troubled homes, kids from families that have never made education a priority. Is that the company in which you want to place your son? Sure, a good private school is expensive, but that fact in and of itself tells you that people in the know are willing to pay what it takes to give their children a good education. Public education in this country is in the toilet, and it has been there for decades, and I see precious little hope of it improving---note the trend in home schooling for families that cannot afford good private schools. I am not trying to hurt anyone's feelings in stating any of this. I am being frank and honest.

If I were in your situation, I would enrol my child in the best private school I could possibly afford. I would put all of my financial resources into giving my son/daughter the best high school education possible to prepare him to get into a truly good university and be competitive therein. In my opinion, this is the most important thing you can do for your son. His education will be his foundation for his career, marriage, family, etc., for the ret of his life. The most crucial years of his life are from birth through to his completion of university. Besides, do not forget that he will be the one you rely on in your declining years. The better prepared he is to lead a successful life, the more he will be able to do to help you as you age. Eventually, the child becomes the parent, and it would behoove us to never forget this.

mschrief · 07-22-2016, 01:29 PM

Check out Hillside which is due east of downtown, within walking distance. Little tri-plexes. Ask for Linda.

RMFW · 07-24-2016, 08:14 AM

Sorry, just needed to respond to the earlier (misinformed, condescending and quasi-racist) reply you received concerning Paschall. Believe it or not, but Paschall is actually one of the best high schools in North Texas and quite regularly sends more kids to the Ivies than any other school in Fort Worth, Dallas or their suburbs (public and private).

The big difference here, though, is that Paschall is very often referred to as a school within a school, due to its stellar Advanced Placement program. So if you are able to get your son into Paschall (and there are many who would fight to get their kids in) and if your son has the aptitude, then make every effort to get him on track to go through their AP program.

You can get a very good education in a public school (though not everyone does or is able to, most commonly for economic reasons and lack of support at home). You also get the benefit of exposing your child to a diverse population of students from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds (which I think some on here could have used).

Campeador · 07-24-2016, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMFW

Sorry, just needed to respond to the earlier (misinformed, condescending and quasi-racist) reply you received concerning Paschall. Believe it or not, but Paschall is actually one of the best high schools in North Texas and quite regularly sends more kids to the Ivies than any other school in Fort Worth, Dallas or their suburbs (public and private).

The big difference here, though, is that Paschall is very often referred to as a school within a school, due to its stellar Advanced Placement program. So if you are able to get your son into Paschall (and there are many who would fight to get their kids in) and if your son has the aptitude, then make every effort to get him on track to go through their AP program.

You can get a very good education in a public school (though not everyone does or is able to, most commonly for economic reasons and lack of support at home). You also get the benefit of exposing your child to a diverse population of students from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds (which I think some on here could have used).

I strongly agree with everything in this post! Well put.