Why do Mesquite, Arlington, and Garland have a bad rap?

Posted by periwinklecosmo@reddit | askdfw | View on Reddit | 56 comments

My in-laws have been wanting to move to the Houston Area or DFW to be close to their grandkids. We persuaded them not Houston because of the flood risks (particularly in the area they liked) and they’re too old to deal with this at this point, having flooded twice in the past.

So they started looking in the DFW area and have been showing us homes in the aforementioned areas. Anytime we ask our Dallas friends their opinion they laugh or say avoid. Even our friend out in Flower Mound says absolutely not. Curious why? I’ve read the stats on crime and whatnot but is it really “that” bad? A lot of the homes they’re looking at are gorgeous in clean looking neighbors so i am just confused (and concerned)!

If anyone can help that would be great. Additionally if you have other recommendations I would greatly appreciate it. They are not looking for spend more that $600K and want a pool to entertain, if that helps. 🙏🏼

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nova2726@reddit

I just moved my family from Virginia to the Crandall/Forney area and we got a lot of house for our money. They could easily score something really nice with a pool for less than $600k.

Don't get me wrong, it's a freakin hike to anything really good but you got all the necessities close enough and it's definitely quiet.

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Big__If_True@reddit

Crandall/Forney area

How’s Heartland these days? I graduated from CHS nearly a decade ago, I hear the growth out there is even crazier now

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nova2726@reddit

I can’t speak on growth since I’ve only been here since June but there are like two elementary schools and one middle school with another school under construction, just in the heartland neighborhood

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Big__If_True@reddit

When I moved to Crandall in 2011, Walker was the only CISD school north of 175, and it had only opened a few years prior. Heartland was the only neighborhood in CISD north of 175, and even then it was only the part inside the Heartland Pkwy arc so it was way smaller. There were 0 businesses on either side of the highway off the Heartland exit, no traffic lights either. Lots of racial tension because before Heartland started being built, CISD was basically an all-white district with some Mexicans thrown in, so the old guard HATED Heartland with a passion.

So yeah, very different from now

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nova2726@reddit

that's wild! my wife and i were talking about how diverse heartland is haha. I lived in downtown richmond virginia for over 20 years and while it isn't as big as say DC or Baltimore, it's still the capitol city of Virginia, and Heartland seems more diverse.

anyway, it's a huge change for us. I really hate all the driving and the fire ants are also a new thing for us. Oh and i also saw the biggest wolf spider i've ever seen in my life. i didn't freak out because for some reason r/spiders is showing up in my feed all the time and everyone talks about how they're good to have around the house and how chill they are lol

Grand_Song8535@reddit

Good luck 🍀

thelittlemermaid86@reddit

There are lots of areas in DFW where they could get something very nice and with pool. I would look up crime rates and that should help with narrowing down location, and answering your questions. What things do they like to do ? That will also help. Feel free to message me if y’all need help -a realtor

SpecialMud6084@reddit

Arlington has HORRIBLE traffic. It is also a big highway nightmare hub for attractions people come far and wide for (six flags, AT&T stadium, etc). Mesquite and Garland are fine if you don't mind being kinda rural (especially in mesquite)

hondo9999@reddit

If you watch King of the Hill, Arlen is based on Garland.

(Or so I’ve been told..)

goodjuju123@reddit

There are some nice parts of Garland around the golf course but I wouldn’t use the school system.

satam55@reddit

What's the wrong with the school system?

Tito_SDobleP@reddit

YTs give them that rep because there’s brown and black people.

fadedblackleggings@reddit

Because they are trashy areas of town. Stay far away.

Sanchastayswoke@reddit

Gross comment

Nope, gotta keep the rent low.

username-generica@reddit

Wearing faded black leggings is trashy too.

Recent_Opinion_9692@reddit

Forney is a good option

KitchenPalentologist@reddit

So far out though. OP didn't mention where the grandkids are; if they're in central or west DFW.. Forney won't work.

unbrokenSGCA@reddit

Any time I hear someone from here tell someone else not to move to a city it's because it's either too black or too gay. Ask yourself where the info is coming from and think about if that lines up.

allmyargumentsRvaild@reddit

Came here to post this. Arlington and Garland are hella Black and Brown.

I don't think that's what u/unbrokenSGCA was trying to convey.

They were suggesting using critical thinking skills.

asil518@reddit

How about the mid cities area? it’s quieter for an older couple.

Traditional_One8465@reddit

600k with a pool..? Hard to find there, i imagine

There’s a lot under that budget https://www.zillow.com/districts/9393/hurst-euless-bedford-independent-school-district/?searchQueryState=%7B%22pagination%22%3A%7B%7D%2C%22mapBounds%22%3A%7B%22west%22%3A-97.212739%2C%22east%22%3A-97.03384%2C%22south%22%3A32.771838%2C%22north%22%3A32.873959%7D%2C%22districtId%22%3A9393%2C%22filterState%22%3A%7B%22sort%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3A%22globalrelevanceex%22%7D%2C%22sch%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%22pool%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Atrue%7D%7D%2C%22usersSearchTerm%22%3A%22Hurst-Euless-Bedford%20Independent%20School%20District%22%7D

Wow! Even changing it to the settings im looking for, i found some with a pool that didnt look ragged. Thanks!!

Hidden gem area imho

I ride through the mid cities regularly, there are a lot of really nice neighborhoods.

DeepYogurtcloset3235@reddit

No, they’re fine. Some neighborhoods are much nicer than others, but all are perfectly good places to live. Some of the schools in those areas aren’t as good as the northern suburbs but that doesn’t matter to your in laws.

Yeah, every 'burb has nice and not so nice areas, maybe just in different proportions. But that can affect the quality of surrounding businesses (shopping and restaurants).

OhManisityou@reddit

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with those areas. They’re known as regular middle class suburbs.

okiedawg@reddit

My only gripe with Arlington is that it was a little overpriced for what you get for a home. That's because it's centrally located. You overpay for convenience.

vryvrybadluck@reddit

Centrally located in regards to where?

Hozay_La15@reddit

Between Fort Worth and Dallas.

Yeah, Arlington is the 7th largest city in Texas. It's also close to DFW which appeals to a lot of people.

MarcoEsteban@reddit

Arlington is not a member of DART, so no public transport and spends a lot on sports facilities. That's my gripe, at least.

Hembalaya@reddit

There’s nothing wrong with any of them. They are all just first ring suburbs, so the homes and infrastructure is a bit older than surrounding suburbs. They are perfectly fine places to move if you can find a home in the right neighborhood and the right budget.

If you’d like some boots on the ground help with your search, let me know. I’m a realtor and I’d be happy to scout neighborhoods in any of those cities or anywhere else you’re interested. Shoot me a DM and we can chat more.

Arlington has some lovely neighborhoods with well kept up older homes and huge mature shade trees.

Our family lived in Arlington for a decade when our kids were young and we loved it. Arlington has excellent libraries and some wonderful parks. There are great affordable ethnic restaurants and you can easily get to downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth when you want to. While I love living in Fort Worth, I still miss some aspects of Arlington.

wanderingwispey@reddit

Get boots on the ground during your search. No 2-mile radius in DFW is the same. I grew up in Arlington and live in Garland now. Both have great areas and you'll have nice 3/4 bedrooms homes with run down apartments half a mile away, it's the reality. What is most important in DFW is your commute/driving needs.

StumpyTheGiant@reddit

You sound like you've never been to a single area you mentioned, including Houston.

Munchkin531@reddit

I grew up in Arlington. It was great. There were so many things to do but the traffic was always a nightmare. My sister lives there and has no problems. I'm in Denton so it's easy for us to visit one another. I'm not sure how much has changed in the last 25 years but The Rangers stadium, Cowboys and Sux Flags are all huge attractions.

TeacherExit@reddit

Garland = King of the Hill

Farwalker08@reddit

Our downtown square in Garland is pretty awesome now.

SpuddMeister@reddit

Zombieland:

"And it may look like zombies destroyed it, but that's actually just Garland. "

thenry1234@reddit

If you love your parents, do not let them move to any suburb in DFW that will require them to have to drive on 635 regularly. It's a never-ending mess of horrible construction and road rage.

They all have large immigrant and working class populations. Nothing wrong with either. It's snobbery. In the DFW area, if you have an upper middle class income, probably everyone you know lives in a northern suburb.

Hell, they're putting the big corporations up there now, instead of Downtown. If you work there and don't want a terrible commute, you end up there. And they generally pay well, so people need to show off their superiority by nature people, and they tend to fear that which is different, and voila! You get "Everyone must avoid the poors".

Appropriate-Lettuce@reddit

Arlington is way better than the other places in consideration

justonemom14@reddit

I live in Garland. Nothing wrong with it.

biggersjw@reddit

Hold on there- you completely forgot to include Balch Springs. LOL.

North Garland is not bad but Mesquite and Garland around 635 has always been considered the armpit of Dallas.

Arlington is not bad but it’s a decent sized city with a lot of revenue from Six Flags, the two stadiums and countless businesses yet the city offers no way to get around unless you use your personal car. What the heck are they doing with all that revenue?!?

RealtorReichert@reddit

All cities you mentioned have pockets of good and bad like every city. Most people who say bad things about them have never lived there. They should look at houses and get a feel for the neighborhoods.

Fit-Detail-4326@reddit

A lot of people don’t realize how big Garland is. A lot of low to middle income, but great areas up north near Firewheel. Just stay away from 635.

Double_Reply1407@reddit

They aren’t considered as prestigious or desirable if you have financial means, partly because of schools, location, amenities, local investment, etc. it’s like looking at a Ford when you want a Lexus.

coral225@reddit

Mesquite sucks, but I'm biased because I've spent time there (and been robbed there)

msondo@reddit

Where do their grandkids live? There is a huge difference between living an hour away from the grandkids and living 10 minutes down the road. For the former, they will see them a few times a year. The latter, they will see the kids probably weekly.

As others have said, there isn't anything explicitly wrong with the suburbs you mentioned. They are just typical working-class suburbs, though they do have some nicer areas. I like the Garland area near Duck Creek, and even more the area in Richardson closer to downtown Richardson. If I had to live in a suburb, I'd honestly probably choose Carrollton but only because I'm a foodie and love asian food.

chipcinnati@reddit

I can’t speak for Mesquite or Garland, but Arlington has many great neighborhoods - some established, some new - that could be a good home for your parents.

whiteholewhite@reddit

They are fine. Some areas aren’t great, but they are fine. I live in grapevine and would be open to looking for houses in those places.