Texas People (Dallas area) need some guidance

I have a good friend of mine moving down to the Dallas area for work from Toronto and is searching for a place to rent. (single person) looking for a 700-900 sq foot apt or condo for rent.. Budget is about $700-1000/month.

What are some good areas to look at?

They have been working with a local agent but I am curious for some real feedback.

one of the areas that place that looked good.
Lake Carolyn Pkwy · Irving, TX · 75039

Any feedback of the area? Safety, amenities, shopping, food, etc.

Link to units..

http://www.bellacasita-apartments.com/templates/template_01clarity/default.asp?w=bellacasita&c=westwoodresidential.on esite.realpage.com&e=1275296&s=1520267&t=template_ 01clarity

Where will they be working and what do they want to be close to? What do they like to do?

There are a ton of technology jobs in Irving, so the place you listed would be perfect if he is in IT or getting a job in that area. It is a pretty nice area, growing quickly.

I would avoid some or the areas south of Dallas, unless he is into the thug life. Does he wakeboard? if so, might want to stay somewhere further north to be closer to the majority of the lakes in this area. With his budget, he should be able to live pretty close to work no matter where it is.

That spot is developing and will be really nice in a year or two. Safety is fine, upscale stores are going to be built (loft style living). More and more will be coming to the area.

If they are looking for a spot to wakeboard, it's a 20minute drive to either of a couple of lakes. That spot is central to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, but depending on where the job will be, it could be a long ways off/long commute.

I'm five minutes from that location and can provide more details if u want.

does he have school aged kids?
public school?

if so, I would not consider Dallas or Irving if it were me

we moved out of Irving for that reason alone

Hmmm... Irving has an amazing K-5 dual language program on some campuses as well as one of the nations few 1 to 1 high school laptop programs at each of our four high school campuses. The Academy of Irving ISD is a nationally acclaimed High School that Microsoft modeled a facility (structurally and curriculum) after. I'm helping my GF transfer her son into the dual language program and it's keeping us in Irving. There are schools that have issues, absolutely, but don't blanket the entire city. I'm biased, though, Cliff - I've been an educator in Irving ISD for 10 years. ;)

That being said, those apartments/lofts may be zoned for Carrolton/Farmer's Branch (like Valley Ranch is), but I'm not sure.

Well to make a long story short.

Good friend of mine... 24 years old.

Going to be working at the 4 season's hotel.

Good information from everyone! Thanks very much!

Very close by...

He'll do well in irving/valley ranch area, it's incredibly close.

A lot of people post-college to early 30s live in the Uptown area of Dallas. Lots of apartments and condos and he could definitely find something in that price range.

fro-z
the academy....is a good school....I'll give you that

and I wasn't really speaking about the quality of the education, as much as I was about the direction that the town has taken over the past 10 or 15 years

we just felt that (how should I say this)... we could raise our kids in more of a middle class atmosphere by relocating

but, to be fair to Irving, we lived in the central to south part of town

Irving will always be a huge part of my life
I graduated from Irving High
and I own Angelo's Spaghetti & Pizza.....the very first Italian restaurant in Irving

woo hoo

No need to say any more. I get the message loud and clear.

To each their own...

ouch
not sure we are on the same page

we moved to Pantego
it gives us a small town feel and is 10 minutes from having the boat in the water

Irving was once thought of as the next highland park

it isn't

south of 183 has seen a lot of decline over the past decade
and there have been several times that I have wished that my mother lived in an area that had less rental properties and apartments

by Irving's leaderships' own admission, it's forefathers screwed up and allowed developers (some on city council at the time) to develop to many apartments

they are now trying to correct the problem by stricter code enforcement, hoping to force some complexes to shut down

last I heard the percentage of multi family dwellings is around 60%

the city wants to reduce this figure to 35%

they are also bull dozing several areas of old Irving and planning on building "luxury living" areas

their goal is to attract higher income residence

I'm not sure if their plan will improve the attractiveness of the city or not

but the reality of it all is that certainly south of Northgate, the city has experienced a decline
.....for whatever reason
.....the Irving mall, once a crowded, popular shopping spot, now has had major stores move out.
There are evenings that I drive by and the parking lot is nearly empty.
North Irving and Valley Ranch don't seem to have these problems.

We just wanted to live in a city that seems to have a government that "has it more together"

where there is growth instead of decline

don't make this out to be any more than that
thanks

oh and Fro-z nice web site and boat!
I've been wanting to do that and haven't taken the time

(Message edited by ord27 on June 06, 2008)

No worries... ;)

I just love my town, the diversity, the feel, the kiddos in our district. You've got some valid reasons to be upset with some past decisions and I'm glad you have found a way to stay connected with/serve (through your business) the community.

Enough high-jacking though I'd rather talk issues with you on the boat/on the water sometime...

Greg - Dallas has an amazing wakeboard community... tell your buddy to check out http://www.dallaswakeboarding.com for answers to any questions they might have.

I hate the word amazing.

Gene - YOU are amazing. So is your BM.

So are my Lombardi like timing & planning skills. :P