Making friends in Rowlett, TX?
Posted by Expensive_Time_5912@reddit | askdfw | View on Reddit | 17 comments
My boyfriend and I are both 25 years old and have 2 dogs. We are relocating to the DFW area for jobs and don’t know pretty much anyone.
We really want to make some friends in the area and build our roots here. We have been looking at different suburbs to live in (we are going to rent for a year) and we are considering Rowlett. We both work hybrid but will need to commute to downtown Dallas around 3 times a week.
Rowlett seems close enough to downtown Dallas, Plano, Rockwall, etc. which all seem to have a lot of things to do, but I’m worried that maybe we aren’t close enough to really be able to participate in things. For context, we really do enjoy a suburb environment and are also looking for an area that is really safe and has potentially more greenery (we are moving from the west coast). We also do enjoy going out to a bar/fun restaurant and participating in social activities.
I guess my question(s) are… does Rowlett seem like it could be a good fit for us or should we pursue a different suburb? Will there be opportunities to make friends our age or will we need to travel to downtown Dallas, etc for that? I’m also slightly concerned about commute time but saw that the DART is an option.
TYIA!
1notadoctor2@reddit
Sirloin as someone who spent almost 2 decades there… If you’re not at the “starting a family” stage in the relationship…. Rowlett will not be fun… look at east Dallas…once the hood, but you know how it goes… white rock lake, Oakcliff, lake highlands (never was the hood) but these places have great walkability with the greenery scenery and lots of young professional couples with dogs and that’s where you’ll meet those close friends that eventually when you’re ready to buy and settle down… you ALL buy in Rowlett and go through the school system together..life will evolve.. but I highly encourage you to drive through Dallas and find a cute nook with adorable rentals with access to transit and closer to downtown for driving…
undertakersbrother@reddit
Go the bars. There are sooo many. Start at the lake then look through breweries.
Heisenberg_Ad_076@reddit
Anything on the dallas side is full of snobs
JPhi1618@reddit
Rowlett has a sub, but it’s pretty dead. This is probably the best place for your question. We’ve lived in Rowlett for 15 years at this point, and it’s a good location for access to Rockwall and Plano, and now even Wylie and Sachse have some things to visit. It’s an older sub-suburb so a lot more trees, and of course the lake.
manifestpr@reddit
r/Rowlett used to be dead because the previous moderator didn't allow anyone to post. After a long request process and appeal I was granted moderator status and we are now growing, slowly but surely.
crestedgeckovivi@reddit
Good to know cause I'm on the border to Garland/Rowlett but always lurk/comment in those subs vs the Rowlett sub cause yeah it was dead etc.
JPhi1618@reddit
Is that what happened? Well, thanks. I’ve noticed the posts happening now, and I try to engage when I can.
TeamImpossible4333@reddit
There’s not much to do in Rowlett, but as you said Dallas is not far. DART is nice and convenient to go into Dallas as well!
Expensive_Time_5912@reddit (OP)
I’m glad the DART is an option! Do you know if Rockwall attracts more people/has more things happening and things to do? The home we are looking at is about 10 minutes from Rockwall (w no traffic) versus 35 minutes from Dallas (w no traffic)
TexasGrrl@reddit
Going east of the lake will make your commute hours!
Cedosg@reddit
no to rockwall. the commute is insane.
TeamImpossible4333@reddit
So I would not trust looking at maps for Rockwall, unless you are looking during your commute.
During rush hour 30 and hwy 66 are essentially grid locked to get back home to Rockwall. I would never recommend anyone moving there, and I would never move there myself.
ravenisblack@reddit
Good trick, load up Google Maps, enter your start and end destination.. And set the "Arrive By Day/Time" to see how bad the commutes can get. Depending on your area it'll almost always be the lower end, but always expect the longest drive time to be an option.
erk_fwd@reddit
I live in Rowlett, and I used to take DART to the office downtown. During regular business hours Monday through Friday taking DART is no big deal, it's pretty busy and mostly professionals. I had a weird experience here and there but everything was easy to navigate with the Go Pass app.
I would recommend against living in the Village in Rowlett. It's the closest apartments to DART but I hear horror stories from that complex having to deal with the middle school kids when they get out of school.
You like bars and restaurants? There's plenty of those around: mostly chains but we have some independent stuff too. Lots of barbecue and Tex Mex spots, and we're pretty close to Garland/Richardson which have some of the best Viet food in the metroplex and probably the country.
We're not known for the greenery, and DFW in general is a terrible place to live if you like hiking or exploring nature.
PS - agree with other posters, you want to live on the same side of Lake Ray Hubbard as your job. If you don't, you're committing yourself to a much worse commute.
ravenisblack@reddit
You will dislike that commute pretty quick, but if its affordable, you'll make it work. I am in Dallas up to a few times a week for creative client work, and I practically drive from Waco. Everything is a drive here if you haven't been to Texas and already knew that. Traffic can be bonkers here but if you're talking Cali west coast, you probably already feel that. DART can be sketch but not any worse than a bus, just don't go alone as a woman late at night ideally?
Rowlett is a pretty area. A little 'country' in parts and that's not a bad thing. Friends are going to depend on what you like to do? Bar crawlers? Lots of places, hit up breweries and trivia nights. Board/Tabletop Game nerds? Check out local game stores. Outdoorsy types? MeetUp app for outdoor activities. Lots of local concerts at various venues. Avoid clubs and anything nightlife trendy, IMO. We do get a lot of really lame 'pop-up events' that are ticketed and charge, those really aren't great for hanging out with people either. Dallas-ites can be standoffish at first but generally very nice.
Expensive_Time_5912@reddit (OP)
This is super helpful, thank you so much!
ravenisblack@reddit
Of course!