Lower income family wanting to move to Frisco, Tx (Dallas: fit in, 2013)

[DaveinNY]

We want to move to Frisco. I can afford a house, but I am having trouble finding a job that pays over 45k. No degree does not help. Will the public look down on my kids and myself because they make so much more? The stats show average house hold income is near 90k.

[bluescreen73]

If I may be nosy, what's the motivating factor for living in Frisco? Houses in Frisco tend to be higher priced (20-30%) than The Colony or Little Elm, which are right next door.

You can get a lot more home for your money in either of those two areas. Now the middle and high school in Little Elm, quite frankly, aren't that great, so if you have teenagers the school district might be a turn off.

[DaveinNY]

The wife has been told the schools are great. My son is 10 and my daughter will be 14. We went last week to check things out. The homes there are still cheaper than here. But I am open for suggestions. The most important things to us in an area is safety (crime), schools and future income.

[wanderer74]

I can say that a lot of the "great schools" issue in DFW often comes down to a a very minor difference in a couple of points on average scores on standardized tests - it's not really a true indicator of what your children's educational experience will be like at a school. I have friends whose kids are in supposedly "terrible" schools like Grand Prairie and Irving who have had excellent school experiences, and have had friends with kids in some of the highest rated districts like Carroll (Southlake) and Keller whose experiences weren't so good - it varies so much by individual school and teachers and administrators. Additionally, I can say that in some parts of DFW you and your kids will definitely stand out if you are much less wealthy than the average in your area. I have been that kid who was much poorer than the average at her school and I can tell you it's not fun because kids do make fun of those who are different. There is also an assumption that kids in the same school will be more or less financial peers, and a difference becomes very apparent in all sorts of smaller choices like where birthday parties are held (for the younger ones), where the family goes on vacation, what kind of furniture is in your house, whether or not the kids get a car at 16 and if so what kind/how new it is, etc. It's not just about whether or not you have a house in the upscale area, it's about whether or not others think you "fit in" - both you and your kids. If your household income is half of the average in the area where you live, that's pretty hard to hide - though in my experience a lot of people in DFW have moved to the high-profile areas and tried to fake having a lot more money by using credit, which seems to be catching up to them now. Additionally, lots of the so-called "great" schools have problems of their own, including drugs. You don't have to be in one of the very top-rated suburbs to live in a safe place with a good quality of life, and depending on where you'll be working, Frisco could be a really long commute when there are other places that are much closer in to the city.

I'm sorry that I don't know as much about the N. Dallas suburbs (as it sounds like you're interested in) as I do about the N. Tarrant County ones, but I hope others will have good recommendations. Overall I really strongly urge you not to live in an area that has such a higher average income than yours though - moving is hard enough on kids without putting them in a situation where they really stand out from their peers, and there are plenty of great school districts that might not get all the "buzz" but where your children will still get a quality education and fit in with their peers.

[loves2read]

the important thing is can you even get a job that would let you live there---and there are plenty of ISDs in DFW area where housing is less expensive than Frisco and education is just as good---

[txsizzler]

I agree with loves2read... first and foremost, GET A JOB! There are many, many good areas around the metroplex that you can send your child to, with a similar education. Jobs these days are more scarce however, so consider that before making the move.

Don't forget, there are other areas of Texas that are quite wonderful, with a good education system. Why limit yourself to just Frisco?? The DFW metroplex isn't the only game in town....


Ian

[bluescreen73]

If you want the best of both worlds, the dividing line for Frisco ISD cuts through the eastern part of Little Elm. You could (depending on where you work) get a lower-cost house in Little Elm but send your kids to Frisco schools.

Now, this comes with a caveat. The highway infrastructure in Little Elm stinks. The roads for the most part are still 2-lane Farm-to-Market roads. This is changing, though. Eldorado Parkway is currently being widened from two to six lanes to accomodate traffic going to and from the Lake Lewisville Toll Bridge. The bridge will be open in August, but the roads won't be done until 2011, so traffic is about to go from bad to worse.

Plus FM423 will soon be undergoing construction from SH121 in The Colony to US380 on the Northeast side of Little Elm/Northwest side of Frisco. That likely won't be done until 2012 or 2013.

If you're willing to live in Little Elm and put up with the traffic for the next 3-5 years you could see some very meaningful appreciation of your home value.