Relocating from Wisconsin 2 Texas (Dallas, Fort Worth: transplants, apartment, to rent)

[simplydeep81]

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Hello everyone. I am looking for any info that can be given for the following areas’: Arlington TX, North Irving, Valley Ranch area, and Richardson. I am seeking to relocate to one of these areas from Wisconsin, and I have heard great things but don’t know what area would be a good fit for me and my little ones. I am a single parent of two girls ages 3 and 8. I am looking to purchase a home with a max of $200k. I am seeking areas with great elementary schools, diverse in culture (I am African American), close to grocery stores, hospitals, pharmacies, etc. I will be working in the healthcare field. If there is any suggestions to areas’ that are safe and that you would recommend, please post your comments. Thanks.
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[Eric S]

I just wrote half a page and lost it because of a key stroke error!

*sigh*

Here's the short version: I've heard nice things about Richardson. That's in Dallas County. I don't know a lot about that side of the DFW metro. I do know that the mid cities towns of northeast Tarrant County (Ft. Worth side) are very nice. The schools are overall pretty good and the area is diverse enough that an African American woman need not feel out of place or isolated.

When it comes down to the "social set," it may not be as comfortable. As a single mom and health care professional you will likely be too busy for much interaction with the stay-at-home-mom set, which is... different and can be cliquish. Most of the people around here are from here - know what I mean? Lots of religion in the 'burbs. (I'm an outsider, by the way. I'm also male, so what do I know ?)

Arlington is large and diverse, but isn't known for its schools. There are some good schools in Arlington, but you'd just have to plan to live near them.

I'd say that a $200K budget will definitely get you a home in Arlington, Mansfield, Hurst, Euless or Bedford - not a mansion, but anything from a modest new construction home to some older ranch style homes in the more established areas.

I'll tell you like I tell everyone - renting is a low risk option. Use it to allow you to get to know the area. You can rent a whole lot of apartment in DFW for a little over a grand a month - two car garage, three bedrooms, etc.

Good luck. Moving with kids is really tough.

Bring more questions. I'm pretty sure we have the answers. We relocated here as recently as just 11 months ago. All of our experiences are still fresh. We're still transitioning, actually, though we're fairly well settled.

-Eric

[msrn2004]

Hello, I am to relocating to DFW area from Michigan. I am looking into the Arlington area. Eric or others if you don't mind can you give me the areas of Arlington that's within Mansfield School District. I've also heard Richardson was a good place but I'm unsure if I want to be that far north. I prefer to be between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Thanks

[Eric S]

Originally Posted by msrn2004

Hello, I am to relocating to DFW area from Michigan. I am looking into the Arlington area. Eric or others if you don't mind can you give me the areas of Arlington that's within Mansfield School District. I've also heard Richardson was a good place but I'm unsure if I want to be that far north. I prefer to be between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Thanks

Mansfield Schools, eh? OK. In the school district are Mansfield, of course; some parts of south Arlington; unincorporated areas of S. Fort Worth and east Burleson; and some ares of South Grand Prairie. These all fall somewhere within the Mansfield School District.

A short story: Prior to our relocation to TX from NJ, Mansfield had the Internet "buzz" as the next big thing in the DFW area. Even an old co-worker whom I had worked with in NYC said to me that if he had to relocate all over again, Mansfield would be the place for his family. For reference, he has been in Waxahachie for the past 11 years after leaving NY.

Well, that endorsement coming from a dear old friend carried a lot of weight. I was just about 100% convinced that we would be moving to Mansfield once we got here. As a matter of fact, I refused to even look at any homes in the northern 'burbs - at first.

I've got to tell you, though, once we got here and looked at homes... the drive out to Mansfield (from N. Arlington where my office is) became more and more tedious with each successive visit. Then when you look at the area itself, it's not so much a small town as a vast sea of homes... and the area is far from "finished." There is a really bad section of town west of 287 off of downtown. There are nice homes, but also lots of really junky homes and trailer parks thrown in... and the roads and access leave a great deal to be desired.

You will find a home in Mansfield if you look. There is a home for every budget in Mansfield. That is without a doubt. I don't think that Mansfield is much of a town as a development of cookie-cutter homes - some of which are very nice. The place has no character at all, though. The area lacks any distinct vibe or theme. If I had to choose w/in the Mansfield School District, I'd choose a S. Arlington subdivision called Hunter Oaks Estates or near that area to keep away from 360 or 287.

Lastly, compared to the areas north, Mansfield's schools aren't terribly great. They do have some good elementary schools. It just doesn't live up to the hype in my opinion. Let me tell you, I tried hard to like Mansfield. It just never lived up to any of the hype for us. We do know plenty of younger people who enjoy the area. Us older folks in our 40s (in my line of work, at least) tend to prefer northeast Tarrant County.

OH!! A biggie: The airport is on the north side of town. For the business traveler that's a huge benefit to living on the north side.

My $0.02.

-Eric

[msrn2004]

Thank you som much for the info. I have no intentions on living in mansfield although I have nothing against the area. A coworker recommended that I live in arlington but with mansfield schools. I've also been looking north arlington, richardson, garland area. I will make sure I look at the subdivision that you recommended when I come down for a visit. A lot will depend on what hospital I will be working at.

Thank you for all the info!

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by msrn2004

A lot will depend on what hospital I will be working at.

Good point. You probably will be better off finding where you'll be working and then picking a suburb. We are very fortunate to have good hospitals all over DFW so you could literally end up anywhere!

[loves2read]

have read that some hospitals are cutting staff--
just be aware that getting work may not be as easy in health care field as some people might think

[5stones]

I prefer to be between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Then I would suggest looking into the midcities area of Hurst Bedford and Eulass. (HEB) price wise it's good and it has solid schools. AND big plus is that that area provides a good place for commuting around the DFW area.
I like North Hurst and Bedford areas betterthan Eulass....but thats just me. North Richland Hills (NRH...Birdville isd) would be another one to consider ,but it's closer to FT worth than Dallas.

[iyamaryam]

Hello all,
I just joined the forum and really need your help.My husband and I are looking at relocating to arlington over the summer from long island,ny.We have two little girls aged 2 and 4 so we would like an area with excellent public schools and relatively safe as my hubby might have to travel for a couple of months leaving me with the kids.He will be getting a transfer from his job to work in coppell while i would be tranfering to uta so we hope to find somewhere in between with commute time not more than 30 mins for him and preferably less for me.I would also like an area with a decent level of diversity as we are African americans.We are looking to rent for now to get accustomed to the area first.All suggestions are highly appreciated.God bless.

[Eric S]

Originally Posted by iyamaryam

Hello all,
I just joined the forum and really need your help.My husband and I are looking at relocating to arlington over the summer from long island,ny.We have two little girls aged 2 and 4 so we would like an area with excellent public schools and relatively safe as my hubby might have to travel for a couple of months leaving me with the kids.

I strongly recommend Hurst, Euless, Bedford (HEB), Grapevine or Colleyville. I travel quite frequently for extended periods of business travel and enjoy the close proximity of the NE Tarrant suburbs to DFW airport. I prefer the quietude of Bedford or Colleyville to the relatively bustling areas of Euless and Grapevine. Hurst can be a bit of a zoo becuase of my favorite mall and persistent road construction to the west.

All of the towns that I mentioned work well for business travelers and have solid schools. I don't expect that to change too rapidly because there isn't any room for the kind of growth in those towns that can rapidly change a school's demographics or tax the infrastructure, too much.

I work in N. Arlington (Lamar Blvd) and like the area. Unfortunately no one sends their kids to Arlington schools - or at least not anyone that I know.

My wife and I are NYC transplants that relocated with two young children (3 and 1) from NJ in the fall of 2008. We have a wee bit in common .

-Eric