Best area in DFW area for young families who want some space
Posted by Creative-Active-9937@reddit | askdfw | View on Reddit | 67 comments
We are considering a move to the DFW area from Long Island, NY. We want to buy a house that can have a decent amount of property (maybe half acre minimum) in a good area that still is close to shops/activities, that is a pretty good value in terms of bang for your buck (perhaps an up-and-coming neighborhood?)..we dont need to be in a suburban or crowded area, as long as we are about 30-40 minute drive from downtown dallas, live in a safe area, and access to decent private schools, we would be happy! any suggestions welcome. thank you
ahava9@reddit
If you want a .5 acre+ lot and a house <$1mm, you need to look at towns/suburbs way outside of Dallas and Fort Worth. I think you might find something like this by Fort Worth in Cleburne, Burleson, Joshua, Weatherford, etc and by Dallas in Midlothian, red oak, forney or maybe Princeton.
All the new build communities have smaller lots so the builders can maximize profit. Theoretically you could buy a piece of land and custom build a house. Really just depends on your budget and if you don’t mind driving 1+ hour to a big city. You could still get to a target or major grocery chain in 20-30 minutes though.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
Yea this seems most realistic, I’m ok being an hour from downtown. Would prefer a decent private school that isn’t an hour away though
txchiefsfan02@reddit
Just circling back to this thread, and I would also consider options east near Lake Ray Hubbard, which is a bit more scenic and chill than Collin/Denton County. The eastern-most private school I'd vouch for is Bishop Lynch, a catholic school with a sizable non-catholic population because of its location. The daily commute downtown from Rockwall/Rowlett/Heath is oppressive, but if you're both WFH it's a great area albeit no longer cheap.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
as a follow up question here, does your comment above mean that there arent many great private schools much farther east than bishop lynch? anything else good around lake ray hubbard (be it north, south east, or west of the lake?
thanks again-
txchiefsfan02@reddit
I do not know tbh, whether they exist or are good. My friends out there do not have kids. A couple extended family members attended BL and loved it.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
This is awesome thank you!
txchiefsfan02@reddit
Key question regarding private schools: secular or religious?
In DFW, that makes a big difference. If you are certain you want private, I'd talk to an ed consultant at the same time as a realtor.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
thanks thats helpful, I'd honestly be open to either. my wife is fairly religious but i am not as much, i think quality of education and college readiness stats would be most important
txchiefsfan02@reddit
The most elite private schools (St. Marks, Greenhill, ESD, Hockaway) are in Dallas proper, skewing to the northwest. As are Dallas Jesuit and Ursuline Academy, the catholic prep schools. You can find some estate homes on a half-acre plus in that area.
There are also a few good private schools in Lakewood vicinity, and you'll also find large estate lots in that area as well, especially near White Rock Lake.
There are a good number of evangelical private schools in Denton County, which also has larger lots if you have the budget. Places like Bartonville, Argyle, and Flower Mound.
You didn't ask, but if you were looking for Long Island-caliber public schools here you'd start in Highland Park/University Park. The cost of private school tuition you're avoiding is priced into the real estate.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
wow, awesome thanks!! this is so helpful.
Bbkingml13@reddit
I want to add that many of the upper tier Dallas proper schools are religiously affiliated, but many of them are really good about it not being a “religious” education. I went to one of the Episcopal ones, and we had more Jewish and Muslim classmates there than I did at a non religious college. There’s normally a non-specific or non denominational “chapel” service every day, and then they require some religion classes. But the religion classes are “world religion” and completely based on basically historical world relevance. It’s basically “world history through the lens of how religions shaped the world,” not Bible study.
txchiefsfan02@reddit
Right, I sorta glossed over that, but in DFW there's a big difference between a prep school that has religious origins like St. Marks and some of the evangelical schools in Denton/Tarrant County. Some of the latter feel more like little incubators for christian nationalism, and would be a shock to the senses of many Long Islanders who consider themselves quite religious.
bubblebumblejumble@reddit
Also, no free buses from the local district to private school (Long Island does this)
YeMajorNerd@reddit
You are getting a lot of over-reactionary responses here. .5 acres may be a hard find at your price point combined with everything else you are looking for, but you can find .25 acre lots with nice, usable yards in some of the up-and-coming neighborhoods well within your price point.
We bought a .25 acre move-in ready house in Far East Dallas (East of White Rock Lake) for under $1M. It is 15-30 minutes to drive into downtown, depending on what time of day you go. But there are lots of other shopping and rec areas nearby so we don't often go downtown. There are several other similar houses for sale in our neighborhood and other surrounding neighborhoods and the area is constantly getting new restaurant and activity offerings. I think it is a good area now and will be great in the next 5-10 years.
There are several private schools nearby here as well that have good reputations. They aren't the 'elite' private schools as those are in NW Dallas as some other commenters stated, but I can't speak to the affordability or quality of the neighborhoods on that side of town.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
awesome thank you for the feedback. what are some of those good reputation schools?
YeMajorNerd@reddit
I don't have children, so I am not familiar with all of the options. But the schools I have heard good things about are:
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School (K-8)
White Rock Montessori (K-8)
St. John's Episcopal School (K-8)
Bishop Lynch High School
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
thanks so much, i'm just building lists at this point, so i'll look into these as well!
YeMajorNerd@reddit
Best of luck with your search!
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
appreciate it!
CajunAsianTexan@reddit
Might want to check out Parker, TX, but the drive is gonna be a bit longer than 40 min to d/t Dallas.
Ex: https://apps.realtor.com/mUAZ/fr7w3012
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
wow i love that, this is right up our alley..thank you
CajunAsianTexan@reddit
If you want to build or buy new, then Shaddock builds in a couple of communities in Parker: https://www.shaddockhomes.com/homes/parker
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
the parker/plano area is growing on me, the more i review the areas, the less interested i am in being close to downtown dallas LOL. my sister in law lives in casa linda, and although this isnt really close, 45 minutes isn't so bad
madagascarprincess@reddit
Plano is a very easy drive down 75 to downtown if you ever feel the need to go there. But aside from cool museums, there’s nothing in downtown Dallas that you can’t find in Plano/Frisco.
msondo@reddit
It really depends on budget. The best private schools are in North Dallas, near the 635/DNT area and you can buy a decent sized property there if you have at least $1.5MM, which is pretty typcial for most good Dallas neighborhoods. Older neighborhoods tend to have bigger property sizes and there are lots of good older neighborhoods in that area.
Aster007@reddit
There are some but you’ll have to spend a lot! It depends on what all you need in your ideal home and at what price point. What is your motivation for Dallas Downtown proximity is also another thing you might want to elaborate on. There are various things you might want to consider. DM me or call me and I can help you figure out stuff. My number is in my profile.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
We work remote so the 30 Mins from downtown thing was more a “nice to have”. Honestly an hour would be fine and so is a .25 acre lot
lovelylotuseater@reddit
I think you’ll be best served by looking into schools and basing your home search around that. That is the thing your household will be doing five days a week plus extra curriculars, that is the thing that is going to suck the soul out of the top of your head. One day you are going to be chatting with the other parents and one of them will be talking about how they have to get everyone in the car at 6 AM so they can get the kid off to school and then turn right around and make the drive to the office (including said wfh office) and it’s the winter and the house is dark when they leave and dark when they come home and they’re just dreading that the kid will join the band and need to arrive even earlier and the other kid wants to join the football team and stay late, and you are going to be so, so glad that you prioritized not having to jump through those hoops over having a larger backyard to mow on the weekends.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
Thank you, I needed to hear this
ThePianoKeysTPK@reddit
Not sure of your reason for wanting to be downtown, but you should know that downtown Dallas doesn't have a whole lot going on that you can't find in the bigger suburbs. You should visit different areas in the metroplex and find the vibe that suits you.
justonemom14@reddit
Seconding this. There's really no need to go downtown, pretty much ever.
godleymama@reddit
I'd look in Ft. Worth if you want a little land and be 30-40 minutes from downtown. Smaller towns south like Crowley, Joshua, Burleson or west like Weatherford, Brock, Aledo will give you more choice.
Far-Presentation6768@reddit
Your best bet is somewhere like Fate, Texas. It’s right outside of Rockwall where there are some private schools. Fate will have land and still be about 45 mins to Dallas.
madagascarprincess@reddit
What’s your budget? It better be in the millions with that wishlist.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
yeah i mean we're going to sell our house for right around a million, so probably 1-1.2 would be the comfort zone..
angelaenger@reddit
for private schools commute in that price range you maybe able to look at Midway Hollow for a good sized lot with Ranch style homes. The new builds in that area would be at least 2+ but there are lots of ranch homes there in good condition. it is a good area that is convenient to schools and errands and tollway.highway to commute to both downtown and north of dallas.
luxveniae@reddit
Could maybe do Farmers Branch as well.
bigdeallikewhoaNOT@reddit
You aren't getting a half acre in MH.
angelaenger@reddit
Yeah you are right. Ok can get 1/2 acre in old Preston hollow east of midway hollow but you need $5mil 🤣. I’m not a good genie 😢
bigdeallikewhoaNOT@reddit
At least 5M
Connect-Top95@reddit
Parker, Lovejoy, Wiley, Celina, Aubrey ..you will get something ..
TotesMcGotes13@reddit
Check north into Argyle, Bartonville, Flower Mound, Highland Village maybe even Coppell. Not sure if public schools are a no-go but there are highly rated schools in these suburbs.
aireoko@reddit
You won't find many options available for 1/2 arce anywhere 30 minutes drive to downtown for reasonable price. Those that are near are either 1 million or more and/or South dallas that is developing, which won't get you an established good area or the shops you want. I suggest look at zillow search and look around for now far/near of available homes within your budget.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
great thanks! we're early on in the search (if you can't tell) appreciate the help
madagascarprincess@reddit
Look into far north DFW. Prosper, Celina, Gunter, you can build your own new home within budget.
aireoko@reddit
I would also recommend looking at private school you want to enroll it. That may also help you narrow down the location. DFW is huge and normally drive for local is 1 hours one way. If you are determined for 1/2+ lands, the suburbs area would be the easier option. I'm not familiar with the south dallas area, but in the north you can easily find 1/2+ in the upcoming cities like Celina, Anna, Melissa, McKinney, Princeton etc. Happy house hunting and early welcome to Dallas!
Bbkingml13@reddit
Agreed. If you’re in Dallas proper and wanting a top tier private schools, you’re basically looking at North Dallas. And there’s not affordable acreage really around those schools
turdybirdee655@reddit
I think it’s worth mentioning since you’re from out of state that Texas has very loose requirements for private school teachers. Like they don’t even need a teaching certificate
liloto3@reddit
Thank you. I wondered if anyone was going to mention this or if OP had done any research on Education in Texas. It’s one of the last places I’d be moving with kids.
turdybirdee655@reddit
Same🥲 I homeschool our kids because we had negative experiences with SPED services at our public school
TexasLiz1@reddit
Argyle is too far out for you probably.
gillandred@reddit
How about an acreage property 30 minutes drive from downtown McKinney?
OR! Maybe you’re overreacting to cramped New York and would be happy on a standard lot with a yard in Old East Dallas or Bishop Arts adjacent?
AlmaReville@reddit
Check Parker and Lovejoy. Lucas Christian Academy.
The public schools are excellent too.
entropicitis@reddit
Is this a troll post? 30 minute drive downtown, bang for your buck, a half acre of land are mutually exclusive in DFW
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
LOL, i've only visited twice before, usually for most major cities if you're 40 minutes away you can actually get some good property
fridahl@reddit
You’re a little late for this wishlist unfortunately. I’m sorry.
Creative-Active-9937@reddit (OP)
Yea our current house we made out in terms of timing (2019) but looks like gonna have to pay up here
lovelylotuseater@reddit
DFW isn’t most cities, it’s rated by the census bureau as the highest population in any US metro area, and individually both Dallas and Forth Worth are in the top 15 US cities by population.
You can have space for “value” if you want to compromise on distance from things. That is what people most commonly do.
Do be aware that most commutes double or more during rush hour, and rush hour is 3-4 hours long.
bigdeallikewhoaNOT@reddit
I literally snorted out loud when I read this. I am 40 minutes from downtown in North Oak Cliff if the traffic decides to be fucked up that day.
mattmitsche@reddit
Not if you go south
AssignmentSecret@reddit
They want highland park, but don’t want to spend $2.3 million, basically lmfao.
spacedman_spiff@reddit
I can tell a lot of comments don’t travel south of I-30
PomeloPepper@reddit
You can buy two houses and knock one down to double your yard size.
Bbkingml13@reddit
For the Dallas private schools, (specifically Dallas, Forth Worth has several of its own), if you want the upper tier, you’ll be looking at the bulk of them in north and far north Dallas, Farmers Branch/addison, and maybe Plano.
Hockaday, St. Marks, Ursuline, Jesuit, ESD, Parish, Greenhill, Lamplighter, and Dallas International School.
These are the main ones for upper tier. There are several others depending on age, and Cistercian in Irving. I would recommend looking at proximities you mentioned in conjunction with these particular schools unless you want to go to Forth Worth.
There might be a few areas in North Dallas to look at, but for the most part, those will be very expensive and less acreage. There are actually some areas in Carrollton and farmers branch that might meet your criteria, and maybe a couple in Plano/frisco. But for the most part, the areas around the private schools are $$$.
I’ll try to answer any questions you have if I can!
Hembalaya@reddit
What’s your budget? It’s going to be tough to hit all of your criteria unless you have a sizeable budget to work with. I just checked the MLS and there’s nothing available on half an acre for less than $1.2 million. However, I did find a couple options scattered across the metro that sit on a little less than 0.5 acres. Those options are in Plano, Sasche, Grapevine, and McClendon Chisholm. You could also look far to the north in McKinney, Allen, Prosper, Celina, and Melissa if you’re flexible on drive time.
If budget isn’t an issue, there are some incredible homes and estates in Preston Hollow, but inventory is limited because it’s such a desirable area.
As others have said, I would narrow down your school choices, and then base your home choice off school location. Drive time is something you’ll definitely want to consider as you plan your move.
If you need any assistance, I’m a realtor and can help you find your home. DM me if you’re interested and we can keep chatting.
Shaken-Loose@reddit
Think you are going to need a realtor to assist you on this one. Your main challenges will be the 30-40 minute drive to/from downtown and the half acre minimum at a good value. Have you tried detailed searches using online tools to see what pops up? Maybe you can enquire about those areas here. Just a thought.
My initial thinking is perhaps try a search radius that includes Irving, Coppell, Southlake, Grapevine and south Flower Mound areas.
Kathw13@reddit
Not really. The older homes in Farmers Branch fit the bill.