Relocating from central IL to Grapevine area (Lewisville, Flower Mound: best neighborhood, homes)

[Sequoia1]

Hi y'all

Me, wife and two small kids will be moving from small central IL town to a job that will be in Grapevine.

We are completely overwhelmed by all the options and areas to choose from. We've both travelled a lot, but never lived in or around a major metro area. To say we have some reservations about the move is a major understatement.

We would like to find:

Small town feel

300-350k house

A non crazy commute i.e. Less than 30 min

Are we completely out of luck?

Thanks

Update. Wife keeps looking at lewisville lake area as we are big boaters. Is that a doable commute ?

[ChristieP]

You need to look IN GRAPEVINE. Seriously. It has EVERYTHING on your list, especially the small town feel and homes in your price range. Lake Grapevine has much nicer parks and boat ramps than Lake Lewisville, too. Grapevine also has much better public schools than most of Lewisville ISD. Ask me any question you like; I've lived in Grapevine since 2002. Other posters here also live in Grapevine, too.

You do NOT want to live on the north side of Lake Grapevine and commute to the south side every day. There are only a couple of routes (no bridge over the lake) and they both have very heavy traffic.

[4Movingeast]

same as above. I think Grapevine is a great fit! Why commute if you don't have to. GCISD is a great district to be a part of. We love the area!

[TeamLynn]

I would look at Grapevine itself. Cool city, in your price range, close to work, access to the Lake....it borders the lake.
Alternatives, but still close are Euless, Coppell, Flower Mound. I think you will feel like Grapevine and Coppell are the smaller cities. It is tough to know as all are connected....but they really do have as much of the small town feel as you can get in the big city.
Grapevine has pop of about 50,000...Coppell about 40,000.

You tend to see the same people at city events, restaurants, post office, grocery etc.

[Sequoia1]

Thanks for all the great responses! We kind of discounted Grapevine due to it's proximity to the airport, but sounds like it's worth a second look.

I'm flying into town tomorrow afternoon. I want to drive through Grapevine, Coppell and Flower Mound.

Any specific areas I should try and see?

[ChristieP]

Only certain neighborhoods in Grapevine get airport noise. Final approach is mostly over highways/commercial areas. My neighborhood in SW Grapevine gets very little noise. Honestly, Lewisville gets more noise than Grapevine since most of the approach path there is over residential areas.

Keep in mind Coppell has some of the highest property taxes in DFW, and your price point is extremely competitive there.

Best neighborhood in Grapevine for nice homes and best schools is west of 360 and south of Parr Park. The area north of downtown near Lake Grapevine is also very nice. There is a small neighborhood that is in Grapevine and has Carroll ISD schools. It's along Dove Road and Kimball.

[Sequoia1]

ChristieP Thank you. I'm going to check out Grapevine and the areas you mentioned tomorrow.

You've been a huge help.

[Stevehanrahan41]

Welcome to the area OP, I grew up in Peoria!

[ChristieP]

You are very welcome. If you were here next weekend, I'd invite you to come to Grapefest in downtown Grapevine. It's the largest wine festival in the southwest, and 2016 is the 30th anniversary!

[Sequoia1]

Originally Posted by Stevehanrahan41

Welcome to the area OP, I grew up in Peoria!

Thanks! We're in Bartonville. How long have you been in TX? Miss the IL winters yet? Lol