Help! north richland hills-saginaw-keller? family oriented but decent commute? (Dallas: transplants, rent)

[gogogo]

Looking at a move to FW area. Natives and Transplants-I need advice.

Commute will be to W Fort Worth 76108. The schools out in Western FW don't look so fabulous, so I am open minded to a commute situation.

What are some family friendly neighborhoods within 30 minute commutes to 76108? Is Keller or NRH commutable to the far west side of FW?

For us family friendly means good schools, relative safety, parks, community centers, rec leagues for the kids, but also within 30 min of cultural and recreational activities.

My kids would love a crazy community pool complex, I'd love good schools and my man would like a reasonable commute!

We are open to purchasing or renting-either way, but don't want to spend more than $250k on a house or $1750 in rent for a 3/4 BR.

Please give me your thoughts, suggestions and so forth when you can. I need all the info I can get!

[h152cc2]

Check out heritage which is located in Keller/North Fort Worth. It has a HUGE community pool complex (something like 4 - 5 pools with water slides...etc). Its safe, great schools (cause you will be in Keller ISD) and you should be able to easily find a nice house in your price range there. The commute is about 30 minutes from there to downtown fort worth.

[gogogo]

What do you guess the commute would be to white settlement area? Near 820/white settlement rd...

Thanks.

[h152cc2]

Google maps is showing about 20 miles, 30 minutes (no traffic), 40 minutes (traffic)

[Guingirl]

I would second Heritage. Great community and a lot of retail going in there and a new Kroger is also going in. Exemplary schools as well. Once you get on 820, it should be pretty smooth going over to the white settlement area. Going down 35W in the mornings can be a bear though.

There is also a nice area out by Eagle Mountain Lake that you could get out there. Schools are here and there, so check them out on GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community to get an idea of their rating.

[gogogo]

do you live in keller or heritage?

they do look like good fits for the kids, though it is not as diverse an area a i would prefer.

how long does it take to get to downtown fort worth? dallas?

i like to take the kids on outings to museums and that sort of thing...

thank you so much for the help. i appreciate it!

[Guingirl]

And why would you want to go to Dallas? :P

No, I don't live in Keller or Heritage, but looked extensively when we were moving out here from California. I have many friends that live in both Keller and Heritage. My daughter also swims at Aqua Kids which is right in the middle of Heritage.

There are just all types of people. Is it San Franscisco as far as diversity? No, but everyone I have met, all different races and ethnic backgrounds have been very nice. Remember this is a HUGE area with 6M (supposed to grow to 8M by 2020), so its just a melting pot.

Heritage is on the border of Keller. Keller ISD, but serviced by Fort Worth and you pay Fort Worth taxes. I have friends that live in Villages of Woodland Springs (aka VOWS). They are in Keller and in the Keller ISD. It is west of 377 and you will find an abundance of houses in your price range west of 377. East of 377, you may find something in 250K but it will be an older home and would extend your commute.

As far as museums and culture, Fort Worth really can't be touched. Museums are much better in Fort Worth. Occassionally, we venture over to Dallas for something at American Airlines Center and it takes about an hour.

I had some crazy friends that lived over here and commuted in to Dallas and their commute was HORRID!

Saginaw would be closer and there are some nicer pockets. My mom lives in a very nice home there. Its a little bit more blue collar and probably a little bit more diverse. It just depends on what you are looking for.

[free_food]

Both cities are GREAT. The commute from NRH would probably be better, but not by much. IMO, Keller and NRH are two fantastic areas although I live on the Dallas side.

[hypocore]

Parts of North Richland Hills could be a good choice for you. NRH has a family water park and numerous city parks along with city celebrations. We just had a terrific one for the Christmas holiday.

Check the city websites for more information regarding activities. NRH, Keller, Fort Worth etc.

Also, check the schools in the area on greatschools.net and you can see the breakdown on student diversity and that will give you a good idea of the community in general. That was a very big part of our choice as we are an interracial family.

Then do some driving in the areas. There really is no other better way to figure out where the best fit for your family is.

Depending on what time of day, where in NRH and where in the White Settlement area you can get there as mentioned in 20-40 minutes.

I just drove from my son's school to Casa Manana (just west of downtown Ft Worth) for a field trip and it took about 20 minutes from our part of NRH, only because of an accident on the freeway.

[h152cc2]

I live in Heritage in the "Trinity" neighborhood (homes in prices from $150's - 190's). But they have homes in that area priced all the way up to $500K (so you should definitely be able to find one suitable for you). You should have no problem getting to downtown dallas (I take 820 to 183) to get there-- although if you are planning to go around rush hour you will have a LOT of traffic. I'd plan to take at least one hour to get to downtown dallas. As for downtown fort worth, I leave for work every morning at about 7:15 and get there at around 7:50 - 8:00 (once again, depending on traffic). Sometimes I even go home for lunch (its a <20 minute drive with no traffic). I absolutely love heritage! When my wife and I were looking for a home we looked at over 60+ homes all in North Fort Worth area (roanoke, trophy club, saratoga, woodland springs, heritage, crawford farms...etc) and it appeared to us the best place to be located was in heritage because of the high development going on in the area. I'd also recommend North Richland Hills as I know a lot of people who live there and love it. I'd really recommend taking a day and driving through each of these areas yourself or have a realtor take you around-- thats the best way to find what you like.