Info - Richardson area / relocation / area info (Dallas, Plano: how much, homes)

[Markfd]

We currently live in Oregon. May be relocating to the Dallas area as my wife may be going to work in Richardson in the next few months.

Not sure if this should be in the Dallas thread or not.

Do not want to live in Richardson but rather, out a ways. We currently live on 7 acres and want to get something as close to a few acres as possible that is within some kind of reasonable drive to Richardson.

My wife went to school at SMU but it has been MANY years (almost 20) since we have been there so just not sure where to look for property (if it even exists) that is in a nice area with good schools for children and a reasonable drive into Richardson. I guess the reality is it needs to be north, northeast or east of Richardson????

Can you point me in the correct direction so I can start doing research on the area and possible places to start looking.

Thanks - Mark

[MurphyPl1]

Murphy (some acre lots), Lucas, Parker, Fairview. All have acreage, good schools and a decent commute to Richardson.

And this probably does belong in the Dallas forum, so I'm sure the mods will move for you.

[KantLockeMeIn]

Agreed... Fairview, Lucas, Parker, and even out a little further like Lavon and Nevada might not be out of the question.

[Markfd]

Thanks for the info thus far.

[nsumner]

Hi Mark,
Those are good suggestions you have received. Note that anything more than 4-5 acres is going to be over 700K in these particular areas. Very desirable because of ease of commute, good school district etc... You can find some around 350K+ with 1.5 acre. Not sure what your budget is.

You may want to check east of the city, around Royse City, Fate, Farmersville. On the North side, check Blue Ridge, Van Alstyne, you get more for your money too. May be even some parts of Kaufman county could work such as Forney...

How much of a commute is too much?

Naima

[Markfd]

Probably looking at no more than a 45 minute commute, taking into consideration the traffic?

What about schools - what district in these areas are best??

Thanks -

[Markfd]

Can anyone tell me about the best schools (school districts) in these areas? Thanks -

[Plano87]

Mark,

Based on the criteria you outline, Fairview is without a doubt the best bet for you. I would highly recommend giving it serious consideration. Coming from 7 acres, you would find larger, wooded lots in most Fairview neighborhoods. Granted, most will not be 7 acres, but they are definitely larger than what you would find in surrounding communities.

Furthermore, with the exception of Highland Park ISD (SMU area), Lovejoy ISD (serving Fairview) is the only school district to receive an exemplary rating for every grade level. All of the facilities are new, entirely single family homes with a less mobile population, high school adding a grade every year. Great resale! Better than Murphy which is in East Plano schools!

[MurphyPl1]

The schools in Murphy are excellent. Trust me, the families in Murphy are very involved in their children's education and would not select sub-par schools.

And the city is actually served by two school districts - west side is Plano ISD and east side is Wylie ISD.

Hunt, Bogess and Miller elementaries are all excellent schools in the Plano ISD as is Murphy Middle School. Yes, there's been some issues at Williams, but it is my understanding that the overcrowding issues have been alleviated to a large degree due to the recent expansion. And a new principal is in place that has the respect of most of the Williams parents I know. And Plano East is a solid HS. Plano does have a bond package up in the May election that will address the growth of the far east end of the district and potential overcrowding issues coming down the road. I expect it will pass by a large margin. I don't believe the the PISD students in Murphy get any less a quality education than those of West Plano or Fairview.

I'm not as familiar with Wylie ISD, but I do know very many happy parents over there. Again, I believe it's strong parent involvement that makes or breaks a school.

Let's put it this way. Murphy voter turnout is about 17% in an average election. PISD and WISD each have about a 5% voter turnout. I fully expect Murphy to be around 25% when it comes to vote on the bond.

[expo]

Stay away from Lovejoy. The school board is not experienced or familiar with Texas education standards. It acts independentally from university or established educational models. It's just plain weird.