Kid Friendly Neighborhoods?

You can get free info on all homes listed with the metrotex board of realtors without having a contract with a realtor.
go to there web www.dfwrealtors.com on main page click on find a HOME. You can see all neighbors, schools, and disance from homes to schools to work. Very helpful. Then you can choose a realtor if you need.
If you need help call my cell ###-###-#### J. Larriviere

I live in Carrollton and have a child in the LISD school. If you look in Carrollton you want to stay in North Carrollton- the part that is in Lewisville schools. There are lots of homes around Hebron Valley Elementery, Homstead and Indian Creek that are in your price range. I think Castle hills may be higher than that but it is worth looking around.

I live in the best neighborhood in Dallas, it's called Sparkman Club Estates - Marsh/Royal. We have a neighborhood club (optional to join, not an HOA), with lots of activities for families, also pool, tennis court and park. Our neighborhood celebrated it's 50th anniversary last year, so it's an older neighborhood with lots of trees and character. Tons of kids and lots of 2nd generation families, kids who grew up in the neighborhood and have now come back to raise their own kids. A wonderful sense of community. Don't believe all the bad press you read on DISD, our neighborhood school is awesome - E.L. DeGolyer. The Preston Hollow Advocate did an article on our neighborhood in it's latest issue - here's the link:
http://www.advocatemag.com/preston-hollow/magazine/The_Ne...

My friend and neighbor is a realtor who specializes in our neighborhood, here's a link to her website:

http://www.rosedeschenes.com/

Can you tell I like my neighborhood? LOL Good luck with your search, whereever it my lead you.

Coppell is very close to where your husband works. We have lots of families, parks, safe community and great schools. You can find houses here in your price range.

Trophy Club is very kid friendly, has a wide variety of homes in varying price ranges and has great schools. We have a brand new high school where all of the students get laptop computers. I relocated here from OH 9 years ago ad we love it. We have 2 young boys (3 and 6 y.o). THere are many homes for sale. Here are some realtors who list many homes in the area: Lisa Escue, Darin Davis (Keller Williams), Frances Clark (Coldwell Banker) and Mendy WHitehead (Trophy Realty). Best of luck to you!

A lot of the suggestions you've already received are great ones. Grapevine and Coppell, especially, are beautiful and have great schools. But also don't be too quick to write off Flower Mound. Yes, it has more than its share of cookie-cutter suburban neighborhoods, but there are also some older neighborhoods with lots of character and flavor -- and for $230K you'd be able to get a fantastic house in one of those. Specifically, there are some great homes in the Timbercreek/Homestead area, and many of them have huge yards and plenty of trees. And the schools are WONDERFUL. (And I know Highland Village has some pretty cool neighborhoods tucked away, too.)

I remember looking for houses the first time -- and how overwhelming it can be. Good luck!

Check out Double Oak too. It is basically Flower Mound but with lots of land and more "rural", and the kids go to the Flower Mound schools. Best wishes!

You may be tempted to look in the M-streets (specifically look at the streets: Monticello, Morningside, Mercedes, Matilda, etc.). I lived there, in fact, we're about to sell our old house down there (that's in your price range...), but be warned - I put sooooo much into 1 particular neighborhood school, along with many other parents all to no avail. If you look in that area, you will need to stay in the Lakewood Elementary, or Stonewall Jackson Elementary feeder patterns. Stay away from Robert E. Lee Elem!!!!!

We actually have a really great house listed for sale in the "good" school for $229,000, it is on Iverness Ln. Great little 3/2/2, updated, etc. I'm very, very familiar with the area if you would like some input. Yes, my husband is a Realtor, but we specialize only in distress sales = great value for a buyer. No pressure here...

C.
____@____.com

This might be too far, but since I worked in Las Colinas for several years and didn't mind the drive, I thought I'd respond.

I recommend Lake Highlands (NE Dallas). You are close to downtown Dallas, White Rock Lake, major freeways to get to other parts of town and it's a very family-friendly area.

My family moved to LH when I was 8 (30 years ago!) and when my husband and I moved back to Dallas after a few years in DC, we settled back in LH. Lots of people who grew up in LH move back and raise their families here.

Pros:
- Homes are pretty reasonably priced for the location.
- Very family-focused area. Large number of SAHMs.
- Quick access to downtown Dallas, Addison, Galleria Mall, Northpark Mall, Dallas Arboretum, White Rock Lake, etc. Nice bike trail to White Rock Lake if you like to walk/bike.
- Lots of new development starting in LH (Corner of Walnut Hill & Skillman, etc.)
- LHAECPTA (www.lhaecpta.org) and other neighborhood groups for families
- Decent schools. RISD was a highly regarded school district when I went through it. I have heard mixed things and we have decided to send our daughter to private school not because of the academic program, but because the school wanted to isolate my daughter due to her food allergies and we want her to feel as normal as possible in school.
- 4th of July parade - lots of fun and includes a small carnival after the parade is over.
- "Small town feel" within the city
- Great children's library in a neighborhood home

Cons:
- Some neighborhoods in LH have smaller backyards than others
- Homes are older (ours was built in 1981, but many were built in the 60s-70s). Many have been remodeled though.
- Apartments - there are many rundown apartments and crime can be an issue though I haven't had any problems. People are working on this.

Check out these sites:
http://www.lakehighlandstoday.com/
http://lakehighlands.info
http://lhaia.com/

My commute to Las Colinas from LBJ/Central was 20 minutes without traffic and 30-45 minutes with traffic. I took Royal Lane instead of LBJ during high traffic hours which cut way back on the commute time if I hit the traffic lights at the right time.

There are several homes in my neighborhood that have been on the market for a while. Most homes sell very quickly so I don't know if they're priced too high or there are other issues.

Email me if you have any questions.

Good luck!

You HAVE to check Grapevine/Colleyville. The Schools are great, and it's just a really neat community to be in. A specific neighborhood in Grapevine that should be in your price range is Shadow Glen. There are several others right there, but I"m drawing a blank on their names right now. The street area is between Hall Johnson and Glade and between 121 and Euless/Grapevine Rd. Baze and Hughes are other "main" streets by those neighborhoods. Lot's of great families, a WONDERFUL elementary school (Grapevine Elementary), and close to Los Colanias. My hubby works in Iriving, close to Los Colanis and we used to live in that neighborhood.

I live in Dallas at Midway and Royal (on Echo Brook Lane) and we love our neighborhood. We have been there about 8 months and in that time there have been 4 neighborhood block events with kid friendly activities. We also have a park down the street that on good weather days you will generally find kids playing at. It is DISD (generally not good) but the elementary school, Withers, is a good one and has been getting very good ratings/press lately. There are also several very good private schools close by. The homes are older, some have been remodeled some need work, but there are lots of big trees and the yards tend to be much bigger that the Highland Village area.

We did live in Highlad Village and I liked the area but you are right about yard size and at least in our neighborhood most people didn't seem to know or interact with their neighbors.

We used Lydia Player to find our house (http://www.lydiaplayer.com/) and she was great. She is very up to date on the area, schools, etc. I also noticed a post on a Royal and Marsh neighborhood. It is very close to my neighborhood and I think you will find the whole are to be very similar that way.

Ping me if you have any guestions. Good Luck!

Bedford is the best! Las Colinas is quickly accessed by 121 North to 114 East. HEB school district is award-winning and has magnet programs like Suzuki violin, Spanish immersion, and Core Knowledge PreK. I drive everyday from Irving to work in HEB so that my son will have the privilage of attending there. (And, when the housing market picks up, we'll sell and move to Bedford/Euless.) As another poster said, you'll get more house and yard for your money there too.

http://www.hebisd.edu/insideheb/aboutheb.asp
http://www.elocallink.tv/clients3/tx/bedford/main.php

I was born in Dallas and have lived in the area all of my life. I have personally lived in several areas of Dallas, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Euless, North Richland Hills, Grapevine, Hurst and Colleyville. If I had my choice of places to live in the metroplex, it would be Grapevine. To me it has a down-home feel with all the amenities of a metropolitan area.

In regards to specific streets and neighborhoods, it's hard for me to say. I lived in 2 different neighborhoods in Grapevine, both of which worked perfect for us at the time, but the houses in both of those neighborhoods are selling for a lot less than your current budget (smaller and older than what you probably need). If you do a search of Grapevine (zip 76051), in your price range, you'll be able to see what you can get in that area. I will say most Grapevine home values are higher than some other areas because it is very popular, the school district is highly rated, and the land is pretty much all built out so there are very few new homes going up.

You can get cheaper homes with more yard in areas like the mid-cities (Hurst-Euless-Bedford) and Keller, but they are a bit further from Las Colinas. The other two nicer areas around here are Colleyville and Southlake, but most of the neighborhoods in those towns are pretty high end, so homes in your price range might be much smaller and less desirable, although, I've seen some decent things come up in both Colleyville and Southlake recently at reduced prices.

I know the areas I'm talking about are all pretty much west of Dallas proper, but it's the area I know best. My mother lived in Dallas until about 6 years ago, but I wouldn't recommend her old neighborhood now as it's going downhill daily. She lives in Grapevine now though. :-)

If you find any homes you're interested in in any of the neighborhoods I mentioned, please feel free to PM me and I'll share whatever information I know about the specific area you're looking in.

Good luck! I hope you are able to find something you love very soon!

Blessings,
N. :-)

I work in S. Irving and lived in S. Arlington/Mansfield border for the almost 7 years before moving to N. Euless a year ago. I LOVE IT! AND Euless is rated one of the best places to raise your children according to Newsweek Magazine. HEB ISD is great as well. The commute to work has now been cut in half, so that is also a plus. And you are close to everything. Good luck in your new adventure.

There are many great neighborhoods in the DFW area that are kid friendly and in relative close commute to your husbands place of work. As for you, I consider Southlake, Keller, Colleyville as good alternatives. Plano is GREAT and HIGH end but a further commute. As far as your price range, Plano can be iffy, depending on the area you choose. You might be able to get your price range in Central Plano area, not the Far North or West areas. Central Plano is Good.

Unlike a previous poster commented......PLANO IS NOT FULL OF RICH DRUG PUSHING KIDS. Are there some druggie kids in Plano? YES.....Just like there are EVERYWHERE else. Are there rich kids in Plano? YES, Just like in all other areas of the DFW area. MANY people are Plano haters for some reason or another. LOOK at the TEA and school websites and you will find some great schools and the most dedicated teachers within the Plano ISD.

I'm sorry...I take offense being labeled in a group as raising my child as a rich drug pushing child. My daughter attends a high school that I have been extremely skeptical of from day 1 (in PLANO) and we've had nothing but positive experiences.

I will say....most schools (especially Plano) have different "levels" beginning in middle school. Middle school basically has 3 schools within itself which is the "regular classes", "honor classes" and AP/Gifted classes.

The majority of GOOD kids in Plano are in Honors or above as well as other extracurricular activities which involve community service.

You can and will find drug pushing kids in ALL areas....it is a matter of your standards, teaching and role modeling for your children to instill values.

Good luck finding your new home.