Nice area in Dallas/FW? And does it snow?

Question

I am moving to Texas very soon. Want to move to the dallas/fw area, but i am not sure of a nice area. I also would like to know if it snows there around Dec.? Any info on Dallas/FW area would be appreciated. Thank You. :)

Answer 1

If you are on a very restricted budget the places listed like Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Allen will be too expensive and they can be a good distance to drive depending on where you will be working in Dallas. If Bedford-Euless, Grand Prairie, Hurst, Arlington all of those are too far of a commute if your job will be in Dallas. The prices can be better over there as they are farther west of Dallas, but you will pay the price in your time and gasoline.  Dallas or the close surrounding suburbs are the place to be, so don't let anyone say otherwise. There are lots of suburbs very close within the Dallas vicinity, that give you easy access to downtown and all the restaurants and nightlife you would want.  

Depending on your income, you may want to consider, Carrolton, Garland, Mesquite, Richardson, Far North Dallas near Carrolton or Addison (but not Addison, because the better parts are super expensive), North Dallas, Plano might be okay, but be careful of some areas where the homes are 250,000.00 and up because even apartments are a little more expensive in those areas. Same with Frisco and McKinney.  

Highland Park is for the uber rich. Even the older apartments in that area are expensive.  There are some affordable apartments in the near that area just not immediately in Highland Park.  University Park I think was mentioned already and there may be some reasonable prices as it's near the SMU campus, so there are several apartments in that area.  I haven't been out there in a while. From what I remember it was more expensive down that way, than Far North Dallas, but that was sometime ago.

You can get the same apartment, same beautiful area, safety, etc. in many locations, for reasonable rent, so just make sure to do your homework before making your final decision.  You might just have to move here on a short-term lease, like 6 mos. and get to know the place then decide which part of town is really best for you. For now, just focus on moving into a safe and affordable area.  

You can check most of the city police department websites as they will list crime statistics. Crime is everywhere. So don't be swayed by just assuming that because you live in an expensive area there will be less crime, because criminals  will drive there to commit crimes and some can even afford to live there.  Just find a place where you will feel comfortable, gated preferably, with good amenities, like an alarm system and covered parking.  If those things are included in your rent then that's a plus.  

I included some apartment search sites and other useful links like City of Dallas Police Department Crime search site. Good Luck with your search and welcome to Dallas!  My Mom lives in Vegas now, so at least you'll be used to the heat. Actually it will be a reprieve for you as I think you guys have already passed 107.

Every blue moon we get some snow, but not like Chicago, Minnisota, Alaska, snow. LOL.  This might stay on the ground a day or 1/2 a day and (some, not all) businesses and schools will close for the day or 1/2 a day, but it usually turns to slush.  The issue here is that it melts and turns to ice. We'd probably be better off with a little snow, that plain melted away.  The weather difference here for you to take note of are the Spring storms as we will occasionally we have hail, or pretty heavy thunderstorms.  But rain is a good thing here, because it means we won't have a drought in the summer.

No I'm not in Apartment leasing or anything, just born and raised in Big-D. ;-)

Update: Thursday 8/7/08 4:30PM

The Oakcliff, Desoto, Duncanville, Cedar Hill area is South to Southwest of Dallas. Yes the prices are affordable in some areas, probably comparable to many areas mentioned like Garland, Mesquite, Central & Far North Dallas, etc. but depending on where you decided to move in the southern part of town, traffic can be a nightmare commuting into Dallas in the morning and evenings. This is one reason why I didn't suggest that part of town.  And most people that move here tend to get jobs North or in Central Dallas. So I wasn't neglecting that part of town because I don't like it, I was just trying to make some reasonable suggestions.  I lived in Cedar Hill for many years, but worked in North Dallas.  I have family that lives in Oakcliff.  Of course if your job places you in the southern part of Dallas then that would be a better chice than the North or North Western areas of town.   I suppose I should have also said think about acessibility to places you want to go, like work, recreation, dinner, shopping, nightlife etc. You want to live somewhere that will give you easy mobility to those places, because gas is not cheap.  If you have to take Dart (our Area Transit System) you have to think about the areas that will be best for commuting via that mode of transpo.

I updated my sources list to include an interactive Map of Dallas, so you can get a perspectifve on where these areas everyone has mentioned are in relationship to downtown Dallas. Notice, no one mentioned downtown, because with the all of the renovation of and building of new properties the rent is very high. Hopefully this will help you take everyone's suggestions under consideration in making the best decision that suits your needs and situation.

I also added an interactive site for the City of Dallas. You can type in perspective addresses where you'd like to live and it will give you additional information for that area, police department garbage pick-up, housing and census info for that property, etc. It's pretty cool.  ~J~

Answer 2

alrightty:

well i guess it depends on what type of budget your on...

but these are the best places to live;

1.Highland Park

2.University Park/Preston Hollow

3.Allen

4.Frisco

5.Plano

6.Mckinney

and no it doesn't snow in the winter..and if it did it would just be like ice..

sorry

Answer 3

DFW has alot of nice suburbs/cities. Mid-Cities (Hurst, Bedford,Euless) puts you in the middle of everything with easy access to everything. Dallas itself is not a good area...good area to party tho. It does not snow very much, maybe once a year for a few hours. We can have some ice storms that might last a couple of days which shuts everything down. It can be really hot in the summer tho. Right now it's 107! Whew!

Answer 4

Try the city of Arlington, TX.  

Answer 5

Well I live in Oak Cliff & you will hear 50 million bad things about Oak Cliff but it isnt bad if you live here. Everyone wants to judge but they don't know half of anything, because they arent here. But everything that has been listed like Plano, University Park is crazy expensive. You might look around in Oak Cliff & see... there is the bishop arts area which is really nice & you can find anything from $450 mnth to $3000 a mnt.

You can try the Village which is a large apartment area close to Southern Methodist University (SMU). Affordable, tons of college students & some great resturants. $500 & up for apts.

You might try Cedar Hill it is a nice area not too far. I second the idea of looking at Dallas Police crime stats. I have listed some links that can be helpful... and snow funny, its hot here & we ice.

Good Luck & welcome to dallas!