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

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? :D

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).

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?

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

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. :-)

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

RJ

We are a club! :wink: 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? 8)

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

RJ

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

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

RJ

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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...

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.

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.

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? :wink:

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

Iain

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!

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

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Originally Posted by Miatamaniac92

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

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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).

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Originally Posted by onething

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

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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.

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!

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.

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Originally Posted by 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).

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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

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Originally Posted by 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?

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

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Originally Posted by 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.

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Thanks Mathews2004... this is the type of info I need. Most of these areas don't seem to be actually cities/towns, as they don't show up on city lists in any of the MLS search sites. Perhaps you have a zip code I could search on? I found Highland Park and University Park, but they are WAY out of my price range (least expensive house listed is $458,000 for 2072 sqft).

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Originally Posted by altiain

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? :wink:

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Thanks Iain. What type of commute does this area offer?

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Originally Posted by Miatamaniac92

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.


Chris

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I have a 1.6. FM and BRP both have said they have plans for 1.6 versions. I am also very interested in the BRP Coldside which thay plan on re-tooling for the 1.6. I guess it will come down to what is available when my next bonus comes!

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Originally Posted by altiain

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

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That is about the experience I had when I tried the Sacramento Light Rail system that we have here. I will check it out, but I prefer to keep my Miata far away from "uncovered parking in a high crime area".

For the record, I've never used any mass transit in the U.S. :oops:

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Originally Posted by onething

For the record, I've never used any mass transit in the U.S. :oops:

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all depends on your definition of mass... what's that van weigh again?

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Originally Posted by onething

For the record, I've never used any mass transit in the U.S. :oops:

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There's nothing like the NYC subway system... probably my favorite! It's always an experience.

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Originally Posted by Treibenschnell

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Originally Posted by onething

For the record, I've never used any mass transit in the U.S. :oops:

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There's nothing like the NYC subway system... probably my favorite! It's always an experience.

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A bunch of us from work were up in the Washington DC area last year performing our Disaster Recovery testing. We got there 2 days early (cheap bastard's saving airfare $) and had a few days to kill. We rode the Metro subway all over the place! I was really impressed with how clean and efficient it was!

People here in the Metromess are too in love with their pickup's, Hummer's, Benz's, Beemer's and Miatae to bother with mass transit (IMHO).

ran across this article in this Month D Magazine

http://www.dmagazine.com//article.asp?articleid=677

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Originally Posted by Mathews2004

ran across this article in this Month D Magazine

http://www.dmagazine.com//article.asp?articleid=677

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Interesting article, but it reminded me of another reason I like living in the 'burbs: my circa 1991 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 2100-square foot home with central heat & air, attached two car garage, and a large yard cost me a whopping $117,000 three years ago. :wink:

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Originally Posted by altiain

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Originally Posted by Mathews2004

ran across this article in this Month D Magazine

http://www.dmagazine.com//article.asp?articleid=677

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Interesting article, but it reminded me of another reason I like living in the 'burbs: my circa 1991 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 2100-square foot home with central heat & air, attached two car garage, and a large yard cost me a whopping $117,000 three years ago. :wink:

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Different strokes for different folks. Sure you paid less and you get less charm, little community interaction, unknown resale value and no history.

Nothing against your choice but those premiums people pay in older neighborhoods offer distinct value to many.

We all know you love the mid-cities but some of us would never consider it. I have nothing against the burbs but would much rather live in a historic neighborhood with quiet tree-lined streets, neighbors that interact with each other and distinctive architecture.

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Originally Posted by droptop

Different strokes for different folks. Sure you paid less and you get less charm, little community interaction, unknown resale value and no history.

Nothing against your choice but those premiums people pay in older neighborhoods offer distinct value to many.

We all know you love the mid-cities but some of us would never consider it. I have nothing against the burbs but would much rather live in a historic neighborhood with quiet tree-lined streets, neighbors that interact with each other and distinctive architecture.

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Sorry if I offended, droptop. I was just offering my perspective on another location. I understand that many would never consider living in the suburbs. To give you a little perspective on my own situation, I've also lived in the Electric Building in downtown Fort Worth, so I've done a little "city living" as well. It was fun and interesting, but in the end I do prefer the 'burbs for reasons I've previously listed.

As for neighborhood interaction, I know most of the neighbors on my street by first name, and we often go out to dinner together or have each other over for parties. I feel safe enough in my neighborhood that I typically left the Civic unlocked when we owned three cars and it lived in the driveway.

As for resale value... well, my next door neighbor (who moved into his house 6 months before I and paid $116,500 for his) just sold his house for $152,000 after 26 days on the market. I've also watched two other houses on my street go for $150k+ in the last year. So I have a pretty good idea of what my resale value is. :wink:

As for charm... I find not having to deal with Dallas city traffic chraming enough in its own right to justify a little less individuality in the architecture around me. I also find houses designed with central a/c very charming, especially in this climate. :P

Iain,

You didn't offend me but you don't know what you're talking about when it comes to Dallas and the neighborhoods mentioned in the article.

Many of those older homes have been retrofitted with CH&A or can have it done. Secondly ,the natural shade of the large trees and the designs of the homes keeps them cooler than you might imagine.

As for Dallas traffic, it is no worse, infact in some ways better that the traffic you mid-cities folk have to deal with. Heck, I van-pool to work for $5 a month. Even before I did that, I made a commute from McKinney to Love Field area in about an hour and fifteen minutes daily. That included transversing the high five. Now that I live in Plano the commute is under 45 minutes.

Other options for Dallas folks are car pool lanes, two tollways and the Dart Light Rail. I've driven 183 and 360 during rush hour and they are regularly worse than 635, NW HWY, 75, G. Bush or the DNTW.

I can't speak for DT Ft Worth commuters. Totally ignorant when it comes to working anywhere near there. I do know this, if you work in Dallas, live near Dallas!

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Originally Posted by droptop

Iain,

You didn't offend me but you don't know what you're talking about when it comes to Dallas and the neighborhoods mentioned in the article.

Many of those older homes have been retrofitted with CH&A or can have it done. Secondly ,the natural shade of the large trees and the designs of the homes keeps them cooler than you might imagine.

As for Dallas traffic, it is no worse, infact in some ways better that the traffic you mid-cities folk have to deal with. Heck, I van-pool to work for $5 a month. Even before I did that, I made a commute from McKinney to Love Field area in about an hour and fifteen minutes daily. That included transversing the high five. Now that I live in Plano the commute is under 45 minutes.

Other options for Dallas folks are car pool lanes, two tollways and the Dart Light Rail. I've driven 183 and 360 during rush hour and they are regularly worse than 635, NW HWY, 75, G. Bush or the DNTW.

I can't speak for DT Ft Worth commuters. Totally ignorant when it comes to working anywhere near there. I do know this, if you work in Dallas, live near Dallas!

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I know, DT - much of what I was saying about a/c was meant in jest. Although I'd still rather have a home designed around it than retrofitted for it... :wink:

Having worked in Carrolton, Plano, and dowtown Dallas during my many & varied careers, I'd have to argue with you on freeway congestion. 183 isn't a picnic, but 635 between I-35W & 75 is without a doubt the worst stretch of superslab in DFW, imho.

Don't get me wrong, the beauty of the metroplex is that it offers so many different housing options, from beautiful and unique 100-year old homes with mature grounds, to lofts and high-rise apartments, to the cookie-cutter (but high value) 'burbs, to cheap land for multi-acre living on the fringes of the developed areas. Even better, they're all typically a lot more affordable than comparable homes on either coast, that's for sure.

Good thing there are so many choices here in the Metromess. We can all choose and live in the environment we like! :D

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Originally Posted by sammm

Good thing there are so many choices here in the Metromess. We can all choose and live in the environment we like! :D

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:? I am really starting to think that so many choices is going to make this a very hard decision to make via the internet and a weekend visit. I may be apartment bound so we can get to know the area a little first.

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Originally Posted by Titus

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Originally Posted by sammm

Good thing there are so many choices here in the Metromess. We can all choose and live in the environment we like! :D

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:? I am really starting to think that so many choices is going to make this a very hard decision to make via the internet and a weekend visit. I may be apartment bound so we can get to know the area a little first.

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That may not be such a bad idea.

Useless trivia alert! Dallas/Fort Worth is, if I'm not mistaken, the largest metropolitan area in the world in terms of square mileage. It's also has the lowest population density of any large metropolitan area in the Northern hemisphere. In other words, this is a big place - there may only be about 4 million people in the metroplex, but the physical area that DFW encompasses is pretty vast.

To put that into perspective, DFW is over twice the size of Rhode Island. :shock:

As they say, everything is bigger here in Texas. :wink:

So yeah, a six-month lease on an apartment while you get to know the area might not be such a bad idea, because there's no way you'll get a good feel for where you want to live in a weekend. Heck, I've lived in DFW for 28 years and there are still huge chunks of it that I've never seen.

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Originally Posted by altiain

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Originally Posted by Titus

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Originally Posted by sammm

Good thing there are so many choices here in the Metromess. We can all choose and live in the environment we like! :D

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:? I am really starting to think that so many choices is going to make this a very hard decision to make via the internet and a weekend visit. I may be apartment bound so we can get to know the area a little first.

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That may not be such a bad idea.

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I second that idea. It will give you a chance to check things out for yourself, speak with co-workers about where they live - along with their likes and dislikes. You can also find out what kind of commute they have to deal with! Keep us posted Titus and best of luck!

In case it works differently where you're from...

The "apartment finders" you'll see located in just about every strip mall in the area just about pay you for the privelege of finding an apartment for you, as they are paid completely by the apartment companies.

There's also no commitment to take anything they find for you. Pretty much the opposite of the way things worked in North Carolina... Dunno how they work in Cali.

For Apartments and working downtown, you might try the Uptown Area near Mckinney Ave. Lots of young singles. Rentals have been a little slow, so they are cutting deals. The women are easy on the eyes, too! (assuming you are a guy)