Moving to Dallas

[exbeachmama]

Hi there,
I am new to this group and will soon be new to Dallas. My family and I are moving to Dallas in a few weeks. I have never been to that part of the States so I am completely clueless. What area/neighbourhood in the Dallas/Fortworth would be good for a young family, kids ages 6 & 4. Of course there is the question of schools, ideally I would like to enroll my kids in a Montessori school system but that might not be possible depending on where to live...I have so many more questions, but general info on moving to Dallas/Fortworth would be nice...you know like things to do, where the organic food/product stores are...any little bit of info would be so greatly appreciated!

[peytonsmama]

Hello and welcome to the area!!! I'm just east of Dallas so I'll try to be of some help

What area/neighbourhood in the Dallas/Fortworth would be good for a young family, kids ages 6 & 4.

Can't answer this one, to me it's a matter of personal preference, price range, etc...

Of course there is the question of schools, ideally I would like to enroll my kids in a Montessori school system but that might not be possible depending on where to live...

I can't recommend a specific school, but I do know there are quite a few Montessori schools throughout N. and Central Dallas so finding one you like shouldn't be a problem.

I have so many more questions, but general info on moving to Dallas/Fortworth would be nice...you know like things to do, where the organic food/product stores are...any little bit of info would be so greatly appreciated!

As far as things to do there are tons!!! Some of my family's favorites are the Dallas Arboretum, the Dallas World Aquarium, Six Flags(an amusement park), there are also lots of museums and art centers in downtown Dallas. For organic grocery shopping we use Whole Foods, and they're all over the place. Basically any thing you want/need is within a reasonable driving distance.





Hope this helps!

[noodlegirl]

Dallas is such a big area that there are lots of answers to your question. There are the burbs, the more city like places and then the extreme burbs. Where you think you would like to live is completely personal.

I love the little suburb we live in, it is named Coppell and it is one of the smallest seperte towns. Feels like we live in a small town but close to a city even though it is only about 15 miles from downtown. We have a great farmer's market, access to organic food and a family friendly communinity.

There is tons to do in Dallas as long as it is not July and August. It gets so hot there then, have you been warned???

[UmmAbduRahman]

I'm in Irving, it's a first-ring suburb of Dallas, next to the main airport

Irving is the 11th largest city in Texas, i think we have about 200,000 residents. Just within Irving you will find richer areas, poorer areas, all kinds of areas. I like that we are pretty much centrally located and not to far from most points of interests. I like it here so far, and we've been here almost four years. www.cityofirving.org

unfortunately I found of lot of dots near us on familywatchdog.us but so far the neighborhood's been good to us,and there is a nice park nearby.

I don't know much about schools since my kids are still young.

Yes you definately have to adjust to the heat, although thankfully it's mostly over for this year. During July and August I try not to leave my house b/c it is so hot outside! For exercise, we go for walks after dark in the summer.

The Texas State Fair is about to start here in Dallas. www.bigtex.com

I love the Zoo! Both Dallas and Fort Worth have one.

I'm from Minneapolis and I still miss it but It's not too bad here (except for the heat)

Oh and be prepared to see a few HUGE cockroaches (Texas-sized!)

[Mama21sofar]

10 yrs in Dallas, 14 mos with a LO!

I absolutely love Dallas. We live in a great neighborhood called Sparkman Estates - sounds a bit uppity, but it isn't at all. Not a gated community by any means. General area, northwest Dallas, within the city limits, if looking on a map, west of Marsh Lane, south of Royal Lane. A fun neighborhood club with a pool and playground, and various events throughout the year. A paid patrolman for the various crimes, we have had a lawnmower stolen, but that is pretty much it - haven't heard of any violent crime at all. Dallas has a TON of suburbs that supposedly have better schools than we do in DISD (Dallas Indep. School District) - Frisco is one that is well known, 10 or so miles north of the city of Dallas. But we feed into Degolyer Elementary, which I have heard is wonderful. Beyond that, I have no idea. All the other parents I have met send their kids to private school after elementary, which concerns me a bit... I don't know about the jr or high schools in the area yet.

Another area that I loved when I first moved here is Lakewood and Lake Highlands. Both of these are in the city of Dallas, and beautiful neighborhoods. Lake Highlands has good public schools also. I have never priced homes in the area though.

Re: Montessori, I have heard that Windsong Montessori is good from one resource, but I have yet to check it out myself. It is fairly close to our neighborhood.

We have several Whole Foods here. We also have a new chain called Sprouts - they call themselves a farmers market. Not exactly, but less expensive than Whole Foods and great quality produce. Less organic selections, but if not organic, then localy grown. There is also a North Dallas fruit & veggie coop that I have been looking into. But I haven't signed on the dotted line yet. There's a smaller locally owned natural foods store also in the area - there's really so much near here.

I hope I've helped you somewhat. Feel free to write me privately if you need more info.

Good luck,
Susan

[exbeachmama]

Thank you for all your help and suggestions...I guess one never really knows how you will feel about a place until you get there. We are coming from Aruba so heat will certainly not be an issue as sweating is like a daily occurance for us...it will be nice to have a change in weather!

[Mamaste]

Welcome to the area! We might be able to offer some better leads on neighborhoods if you can tell us what area you need to live in for work commutes (traffic can be nasty) and whether you prefer an urban, suburban or rural atmosphere. There are a lot of options for all of those in our area!

Here are some sites that might help orient you:

Local AP site -- check the AP Resources page for a list of local AP groups (They're all very friendly and helpful; I'd say the Holistic Moms list is the crunchiest.)

DallasChild and FortWorthChild magazines have huge monthly calendars and listings of things to do in the area.

DFW Area Moms is a great mainstream board with quite a few natural-minded moms, as well.

Cheers ~

[friendlymamma]

Welcome to Dallas! Just thought I would add a bit about where I live. you've gotten so many great recs and info already. I love our neighborhood. We are in far north Dallas, our address is still Dallas, but it's Richardson Schools. Our neighborhood is called Estes West, but there are others surrounding us that are all good, same schools. We are near Coit/Campbell Roads. All 3 of the Elementary schools surrounding us are blue ribbon schools. I'm not familiar with Montessori in this area, but I've heard some moms at church talk about it, so I know they are out there. I've also heard really good things about another area called Canyon Creek. That's near 75/Central and Campbell Road. As far as organic, etc. I shop at whole foods, Sprouts, and occasionally Central Market. All 3 are very close to me. our neighborhood has an organized mom's group and play group and there is always tons to do! This is a great time to move with fall coming, there are always fun farms to visit, play at, petting zoos, and pumpkin patches! Ditto to the zoo, the arboretum, and also the Science Place downtown. Sounds like your kids are the perfect age for the Science Place. Good luck and hope this helps!!!