Seeking Nice Subdivisions in West/Central Plano (Dallas, Carrollton: for sale, renting)

[TempNest]

Hello,

My husband and I recently moved back to the Dallas area. We are renting for a short time and will be buying a house soon. We are trying to narrow down our search by first finding suitable areas, then neighborhoods or subdivisions, and finally houses. We've lived in West Plano before and we are most interested in this area (though open to other Dallas suburbs). I am seeking advice and info about subdivisions, neighborhoods, or areas that might fit our criteria:

--safety (most areas in W Plano are safe, I know)
--exemplary schools in elementary, middle, and high (we are pregnant with twins)
--newish (1980's or newer), nice homes available around 200K or so
--less congested (we don't want to live right off a highway)

So, I think we could find homes that meet these criteria, however, here is one you might really shed some insight on:

----If there is a subdivision that is more "naturey" for lack of a better word, we'd love it. Thinking either more trees, a (rare) lake or pond (I know, fat chance with our budget in DFW), or some kind of unique community garden area or shady park. Just wondering if there is a hidden gem I'm not aware of...and open to other suburbs as well. I'd love to have a shady park or shady trail to walk along (no ugly high-tension wires lining the trail like the one we lived near before)...and I'd love to have lots of birds and squirrels, etc. around our house.

Thank you!

TempNest

[MckinneyOwnr]

With your budget, I think you should consider expanding your search area to include Frisco and West McKinney. For 200k I think you're going to have a hard time finding a 80's or newer home in your price range, 225-250 is more the norm in W. Plano.

[Falafelosophy]

You have to increase your budget upto 300k + to find any decent place in WP.

[TempNest]

Um, really?? We had a VERY decent place a year ago that was a bit less than 200K, built in 1984. Custom home, very updated and beautiful, lovely home for under 200K in...well, a part of Plano not considered EAST Plano. It sold in less than 5 days when we put it up on the market. So, maybe it was closer to central Plano--Coit and Spring Creek, but for all intensive purposes very similar to far WP in scenery and amenities. Anyways, okay, please share what you know about houses fitting my description anywhere in the 200s. It could be possible to find a good deal. I completely disagree that it is not possible to find something decent under 300K....unless your definition of decent means McMansions-Only....no offense and nothing against the big, pretty houses (I'd be happy to have one that wasn't too ridiculously large!)....Thank you!

P.S. Not interested in Frisco....sorry, should have included that. Carrollton, Plano, maybe McKinney, other 'burbs. Thanks...!

[Big G]

Here are the accountability ratings for each campus, as posted on PISD's site.

State Accountability Ratings : Plano ISD

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If you're going to stick with requiring a sequence of exemplary schools for elementary/middle/high school, central Plano turns out to be the area you need to concentrate on. Surprisingly, "west Plano" is a no-go, as Shepton HS isn't exemplary, and neither are either of its feeder middle schools. Your two sets of choices (per the link above) are:

Elementary Schools: Davis, Hughston, Saigling, Wells
Middle School: Haggard
High School: Vines

or

Elementary Schools: Andrews, Skaggs, Wyatt
Middle School: Rice
High School: Jasper

(Now, I guess you could call the Rice area "west Plano" in that it feeds to Plano West Senior High. But given that its physical location is right around Independence and McDermott, and its attendance area lies east of Coit and north of Hedgcoxe, that's a bit of a stretch.)

You could certainly find a house within your budget in any of the Haggard schools. The Rice schools would be a bigger challenge. If you can land something, though, you'd be in close proximity to the very nice Russell Creek area - complete with pond.

[TempNest]

Big G, Thanks so much for the detailed info! I will check out the Russell Creek area.

I wish I could edit my original post but that is no longer an option. I am open to Central Plano as well. Also, if there is the "perfect" area and there is one school in the feeder system that is "merely" Recognized, I am fine with that. That wouldn't be a big deal at all. Just want good schools.

[TempNest]

Also, anyone know of a subdivision in Central or West Plano that has a recreation or fitness center?

[TheOverdog]

Dallas North Estates (custer/15th St) would meet your $200k budget and city fitness center, but is not particularly unique or naturey. There is a park - Liberty Park - with swings for kids and a track and is adjacent to Vines High School.
I'm also not sure there are many homes that are newer than the '80s.

[Big G]

A lot of the HOAs have community recreation centers, but they usually consist of an outdoor pool and (maybe) a few treadmills/weight machines. (Most of the time, just the pool.) You might be better off targeting houses close to one of the City of Plano rec centers.

Carpenter Rec Center is right by where you used to live. Liberty Rec Center is down by 15th/Independence. Both of those areas would have a lot of selection in the $200K range.

A very nice nature area in central Plano (not like the power line path ) is the greenbelt that runs along the creek between Jack Carter Park and Harrington Park. Houses along or near that stretch can be had in your price range. The section of that south of Parker feeds to Harrington Elementary, which is exemplary and gets rave reviews from parents. (The middle school (Carpenter) is a bit sketchy, but a lot of families in that area transfer out to Haggard or Wilson after 5th grade.)

[PlanoGirl]

Originally Posted by Big G

A very nice nature area in central Plano (not like the power line path ) is the greenbelt that runs along the creek between Jack Carter Park and Harrington Park. Houses along or near that stretch can be had in your price range. The section of that south of Parker feeds to Harrington Elementary, which is exemplary and gets rave reviews from parents. (The middle school (Carpenter) is a bit sketchy, but a lot of families in that area transfer out to Haggard or Wilson after 5th grade.)

Yes, this area is along the Chisholm Trail, which is a very pretty trail in Plano. Neighborhoods vary along the trail...the one mentioned above is really nice, but there are a couple spotty ones. A drive around will easily tell you where to focus your search. Some of my fav neighborhoods along the trail are Briarmeade, Hunters Glen, and Country Place.

Also, east Plano has much more of a natural feel then the parts west of 75. There are some beautiful area around Oak Point Preserve and Bob Woodruff Park. Oak Point also has a Rec Center. You'll have to check the schools and specific hoods, as, again, there can be some spotty ones in the area too. Just do your research.

You can see the location of Plano's parks and trails on this map here:
http://pdf.plano.gov/parks/2010%20tr...ap%20front.pdf

For a "nature-y" area, Watters Crossing in west Allen is very nice, is along the the Watters Branch creekside trail (which is one of my favorite neighborhood trails in CoCo), plus you have the Connemara meadow (70+ acres of preserved land) just across Bethany.

Map of Watters Branch trail:
http://www.cityofallen.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/438

Info about Connemara Conservancy's meadow:
Connemara Conservancy - The Meadow Preserve

Here's a house for sale in the neighborhood I am talking about. Pickings are very low right now however (only 2 in the neighborhood in your price range), but other times of the year I've seen quite a few for sale around the $200K mark. Popular neighborhood so things move pretty fast. Worth driving through to check it out...I think you'd really like it.
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Twin Creeks, is another neighborhood in west Allen that has a good "nature-y" feel to it too...creekside hike and bike trails, plus it is more of a master planned community so it has some of the additional amenities (fitness center, pools, etc) you might be looking for. Homes in the older section (which is the prettiest IMO) can sometimes be found in your price range. Both Twin Creeks and Watters Crossing at Allen ISD (which may or may not be an issue for you) and exemplary schools. Here's a house for sale in Twin Creeks:
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We also like the "nature-y" feel of Mckinney, which was one of the reasons we moved here from Plano. If you end up looking up here, let me know and I'll suggest some neighborhoods in your price point.