Might be moving to Dallas…. Advice on where I should live?

[Titus]

It looks very likely that I will be transferred to Dallas in the Next few months. I will be working downtown, and would like no longer than a 45-minute rush-hour commute (I don’t care if it is only 30 minutes from downtown at noon. I won’t be driving a noon! ) I am interested in areas with good schools, and young families.

What communities fit the bill, and what communities should I avoid?

I have been told that the Frisco, Plano, and Rockwall areas all fit the bill. Would you all agree with this assessment?

Where are the Miata club meetings held? I would hate to be to far from the meetings! :)

Thanks!
Todd
Dreaming of breaking free from the CARB Nazis.. perhaps an Übercharger in my future?

[Treibenschnell]

Frisco's good... depends on your price range. Do you have a family with? The schools in Frisco are pretty nice. My neighborhood is mainly young married couples - some with new families.

If you work "normal" hours and live anywhere outside of downtown... you're pretty much up for a long commute. Luckily the Tollway spans downtown to the suburbs (North Dallas, Plano, Frisco) and pretty much takes care of shortening the drive (well, just a bit anyhow).

[tailchaser]

Welcome to the metromess, Titus...

I'm in Plano. Nice place. The key is getting close to one of the tollway routes, as traffic is marginally better.

Where downtown are you going to be?

[channelmaniac]

Always nice to have another Miata nut in the area!

Working downtown is OK, just make sure that you know alternate routes to work

I'd say 45min is with decent traffic...

If you are in Frisco or Plano then the North Dallas Tollway, Hwy 75, and Preston Road are your friends. A Mapsco will be your best friend!

I live in Lewisville. It's a good town with decent schools and a great police department. But you'd have to navigate I-35E and it's a PITA.

Oh and you'll want to listen to a good AM radio station... I use 1080, KRLD. They do the traffic and weather on every '8' (:08, :18, etc...)

Not sure on what to tell you on the club meetings... I don't belong to any Miata club here... unless you count hanging out on the board here.

Raymond

[tailchaser]

As a brief "historical" point, the board here exists largely due to some dissatisfaction with the "club" offerings in the area.

The Lonestar Miata club meets in Irving (Hwy 183 & 161 on your map) monthly. The meetings aren't very exciting, but hanging out at Sonic afterwards is cool. They do some decent day trips and overnighters throughout the year.

The Outlaws don't meet, per se, but tend to be located in the Plano/McKinney/Allen corridor. Not sure what they're doing these days.

We don't know what we're doing yet. However, numerous subsets of us tend to congregate at autocross events several times a month.

The North Texas S2000 Owner's Club is a great group, and they don't seem to mind that our roadsters are a tad lighter than theirs. They host autocrosses, drives and socials throughout the year without the burden of "meetings."

In short, the under 65 crowd seems to be happier playing with some of the other marque clubs at the moment.

[channelmaniac]

Well, if someone wanted to start a club out of this... I'd join.

RJ

[sammm]

We are a club! Didn't you see our mantra on the front page of www.dfwmiata.com ?

We are an informal group of Mazda Miata enthusiasts, who enjoy performance related activities with our Miatas. Tech Days, Autocross, Track Days, and enthusiastic cruises through twisty Central and North Texas roads are just some of our favorite pastimes

We even have some official decals coming! What more could you want?

[channelmaniac]

HAHAHAHA - Well, I could've used a Tech Day at my house today to help with putting Blue back together

RJ

[tailchaser]

HAHAHAHA - Well, I could've used a Tech Day at my house today to help with putting Blue back together

RJ

There's now a forum for just that sort of thing... Feel free to recruit folks for help in the garage, a trip to Sonic...

[Mathews2004]

Well, I think the only way he would be able to commute from Plano and Frisco to Downtown in 45 minutes would be in a helicopter. Trust me I did the downtown area to EDS on Legacy commute for 3 years and that was going against traffic. I prefer to live 5-10 minutes from my work. Depending on preference, budget, need for schools and kids, etc. I would recommend Uptown, Highland Park/University Park, Lakewood, North Dallas inside the loop, Kessler /Stevens Park, Devonshire, Greenbriar. Never cared much for the burbs myself.

[Treibenschnell]

No lie - I've done the Frisco to Dallas (Mockingbird and 183 intersection) in 17 minutes.

That was September 11, 2001 - I had to get to the station for obvious reasons. The tollway was eerily empty that morning and I maintained over 100 mph all what way down there. I was in my Passat.

But realistically, if you don't work the 9 to 5 bit the drive isn't that bad. If you're a regular hour person and hate traffic then I would listen to Mathews2004.

[altiain]

Jeez... I always thought that living in the north Dallas area would make for a much shorter commute, but it sounds like that isn't the case. My wife worked for KPMG in downtown for a while last year, and her average commute from North Richland Hills (waaaay out in the 'burbs, in Northeast Tarrant County) was only an hour.

Factor in the lower property taxes, insurance, less congestion, good schools, etc., in the Mid-Cities/Colleyville/Grapevine/Southlake area, why would you want to live in North Dallas?

Besides, we don't have to drive nearly as far to Texas Motor Speedway, Motorsports Ranch, Mineral Wells... :P

Iain

[onething]

Looks like someone ought to mention that there is a Commuter Rail System in the area.

Depending on his present location, Titus might actually understand and appreciate the benefits of such a convenience.

www.dart.org is the link for Dallas Area Rapid Transit or DART Titus and welcome to Texas!

[Miatamaniac92]

Treibenschnell- What do you do, or where you doing on 9-11?

Titus quoted "perhaps an Übercharger in my future?"

Why not a M62? They are out and there are atleast 3 in the area with plenty of support. Plus they are already in production.

Speaking of Dart, isn't there a rail station in Irving or the mid cities?

Chris

[sammm]

Speaking of Dart, isn't there a rail station in Irving or the mid cities?Chris

There's a TRE rail station right over here by Bell Helicopter in Hurst. There's also one close to DFW airport and another in West Irving somewhere (I think).

[altiain]

Looks like someone ought to mention that there is a Commuter Rail System in the area.

Hmm... mass transit. Hey, isn't that where I get up at the crack of dawn in order to drive 20 minutes to the nearest train station, just so I can leave my car in uncovered parking in a high crime area all day, take a 30-minute train ride into downtown, then catch two buses in order to get to my office? All of which takes me longer than my typical commute, and also costs more than gas and covered parking? :P

Yes, DFW does have some mass transit options, but they're few and far between, and they're only really useful to you if you happen to live right by a rail station, imho.

[Mathews2004]

actually Dart has expanded a lot in the last few years, but I never had a work situation that allowed me to take advantage. I'm just not wired for 45-60 minutes commute twice a day. I consider Dallas and Downtown the center of things for me with family, work, social, etc. DISD? don't even get me started. Hello private schools! Let's just say when my son gets to college, it will be a relief!

Seriously don't rule out some of the areas I mentioned. Kessler Park, where I used to live is the most beautiful area of Dallas. Closest thing to Austin in DFW!

[general default]

You might find this link interesting. Top 100 cities data. For Example Frisco was #19 in the nation with the newest houses. There is a list which includes the longest commute. Believe or not there where no Texas cities even listed in the top 100.

[Titus]

Frisco's good... depends on your price range. Do you have a family with? The schools in Frisco are pretty nice. My neighborhood is mainly young married couples - some with new families.

If you work "normal" hours and live anywhere outside of downtown... you're pretty much up for a long commute. Luckily the Tollway spans downtown to the suburbs (North Dallas, Plano, Frisco) and pretty much takes care of shortening the drive (well, just a bit anyhow).

I am 31, Married, with a 1 year old. I need to find that balance between safe, good schools, afordable, close to downtown, and young families like us. I don't really need to worry about schools for another 4 years, but it is a consideration for the first time in my life!

Todd

[Titus]

Welcome to the metromess, Titus...

I'm in Plano. Nice place. The key is getting close to one of the tollway routes, as traffic is marginally better.

Where downtown are you going to be?

Thanks tailchaser.... I will be working in what I believe is the hart of downtown... corner of Elm and Main.