Mesquite (Dallas, Garland, Allen: low income, crime, houses)

[alpnkckr7]

Got a job offer in Mesquite im just wondering what kind of city it is. I am married with a 3 year old daughter. How is the schools,crime,things to do,and etc.....I really know nothing about this place.

[galore]

ok, low, not much

[ETex2]

Like most other close-in Dallas suburbs, it has a bit of everything. Lots of older low income housing, but also a great selection of pretty nice homes between $100K and $175K. Good city government and public facilities, parks, etc.. LOTS of shopping areas and restaurants but they're primarily chain family-style restaurants. Pretty good rodeo too. A great place to raise a family IMO but there are many people here who think any place that has so many houses under $150K is a slum that they wouldn't be caught dead in. It's mainly a blue collar town, but there is nothing wrong with that.

I've lived there before, and I'd live there again. I know lots of great people there.

[TurtleCreek80]

Ok to work there, but wouldn't want to live there. Schools aren't that great compared to other suburban districts and in my opinion, it's ugly.

Luckily, if you like suburban living, Rockwall and Sunnyvale are both closeby and are better developed with better schools and housing stock. Both are very close - or on - Lake Ray Hubbard. Rockwall is very developed and offers lots of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. Sunnyvale is sleepier, but still very pretty.

If you want more in-town city living, check Lakewood (75214 & 75223) or Lake Highlands (75238) areas of Dallas. Both offer excellent public schools, access to all that Dallas has to offer (pro sports, theatre, restaurants, concerts, museums, and shopping galore) in a very family centered neighborhood. Both have easy access to 635 and I-30, which takes you to Mesquite in 15-30 minutes.

[Grainraiser]

ETex2 is pretty much correct. There is merit to something of the things Turtlecreek80 noted. But it must be noted that the average housing price in Mesquite compared Lake Highlands or Sunnyvale is like night or day. You would be hard pressed to find a home in Mesquite over 200k. You would be hard pressed to find a home less than 200k in Lake Highlands or Sunnyvale. You really can't compare the two. Mesquite is a older burb but does have some very nice neighborhoods in the northeastern part of the city. Decent schools and low crime. Like stated plenty of chain restaurants and shopping in the area. You get alot of house for the money in Mesquite but he question really boils down to your housing budget. If you don't have a problem living in a blue/gray collar area with lots of diversity you will enjoy Mesquite. If you want a white collar neighborhood with 200k+ housing average you will need to look someplace else. Garland, Rockwall and Sunnyvale should be on your list. Forney would be a viable option if you want a little bit of both.

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by etex2

like most other close-in dallas suburbs, it has a bit of everything. Lots of older low income housing, but also a great selection of pretty nice homes between $100k and $175k. Good city government and public facilities, parks, etc.. Lots of shopping areas and restaurants but they're primarily chain family-style restaurants. Pretty good rodeo too. A great place to raise a family imo but there are many people here who think any place that has so many houses under $150k is a slum that they wouldn't be caught dead in. It's mainly a blue collar town, but there is nothing wrong with that.

I've lived there before, and i'd live there again. I know lots of great people there.

Good description.

+1

[alpnkckr7]

My friend who lives in houston went check out Mesquite today he loved everything about it except the 5:00 traffic

[Grainraiser]

5:00 o'clock traffic is a issue for every burb. Try the 5:00 traffic going to Frisco or Allen.

[SloopJohnZ]

Mesquite is fine. Don't be intimidated by the fact that the property values are less than suburbs more to the north and east. Like others have said, it's a little more blue collar, but there's plenty to do here and downtown Dallas is literally less than ten minutes away when the traffic is right.

My only advise would be stay on the east side of town for your daughter's schools. Find a neighborhood that feeds into Poteet or Horn High School.

[ClarenceBodiker]

This is an old thread, but I'd like to offer a rebuttal to what I find to be misleading comments stated earlier.

Much of Mesquite's criticism comes from the fact that the town is a diverse, working class community. It's far from glitzy or fancy. There are no $30,000 millionaires here that you'd typically find hovering around in uptown or Collin County. You won't find too many homes over $200,000. There are no high rises. You're not going to find a lot of doctors or white color professionals living here. What you will find here is a diverse community where different types of people live together and get along with each other. We have a pretty celebrated rodeo here, and there's a bit of a cowboy culture here that comes along with it. The place certainly has room for improvements like anywhere else, but if you work in Mesquite there is absolutely no need to commute from outside.

Poteet High School and Horn High School are actually rated significantly higher than Lakewood and Lake Highland's public high schools, as are the majority of schools that feed into it. No need to take my word for it. Just look here:

Poteet High School - Mesquite, Texas - TX - School overview

Horn High School - Mesquite, Texas - TX - School overview

Lake Highlands High School - Dallas, Texas - TX - School overview

Woodrow Wilson High School - Dallas, Texas - TX - School overview

In fact, all of Mesquite's high schools, even the ones in older dodgier areas, are rated higher than Lakewood's according to greatschools.com. And just from personal opinion, the only part of Mesquite I find ugly is the lower west side where Dallas and Balch Springs spills into it.