Greetings, I am currently in the Mandeville, LA area but it looks like I will be moving to the Dallas area. The wife is looking for something in Plano. I will be working downtown. How painful is the commute?

For me the S2000 is a fun car. I usually Autocross or run it on track days. Once I move and get settled I want to start Axing again. Any info would be appreciated.

I look forward to meeting everyone.

Water shortage? Augghhhh! I like to keep my cars clean.

Ken

 

Well, the commute from Plano to downtown Dallas isn't that bad. It just depend which side of Plano you are living at. If you are in East-Plano then 75 is the route you will have to take to downtonw and it's not that bad in the morning. If you in West-plano then Dallas-Tollway is your route to downtown. Give or take.....i think it should take you no more than 30-35 minutes on both route to downtown.

Now, in the evening between 5-6 traffic is pretty much crazy on 75-N bound. As for Dallas-tollway N-bound...well, it's a toll but it's can be crazy sometime right around Spring valley to Frankford.

Well, good-luck to you and your family in the D-town.

 

Depending on your tastes, there are some nice Dallas neighborhoods not far north of downtown. I live near White Rock Lake and love it. The further north suburbs have more extreme water restrictions, because of infrastructure and rights issues.

Regarding autocrosses, there are several groups that organize events. SCCA, ER, BMW, Porsche - and our very own North Texas S2000 Owners Club.

 

I would like to live in Plano in the future. Very nice houses and a great environment in Plano. Hope you enjoy Dallas

 

Unlike viet, I find the commute from Plano to downtown Dallas miserable. I did it a few years ago for several months before I moved very close to downtown and never looked back. Since then, it's gotten worse. I'd say about 45 minutes from Parker & Tollway to downtown, most of which is 15 MPH crawling. It doesn't help that the Tollway is under construction in some parts at the moment, either. US-75 might be a little better due to more capacity, but you also have to deal with semis (they're not allowed on the Tollway).

If you don't have kids, I'd suggest living closer to downtown. If you do, then Plano is a good choice due to better schools unless you want to either live in Highland Park or put them into private schools.

Oh, and no water shortages in the downtown area.

Ryan

 

Then there's the fact that Plano is not doing so well in the Real Estate Market now - except for select areas. It has the donut effect going on with the center dying and the edges thriving.

If you go north of Plano the commute becomes unbearable. Presently the morning commute from George Bush down to downtown is very fast and little traffic except for some mornings @ the High 5 - 635. In the evenings it is worse because the back up from George Bush extends to south of 635.

Richardson real estate values have been holding better than Plano and bounded by George Bush on the north so it would allow your wife an easy commute and cut quite a bit of hassle off your commute as well. The only problem with Dallas real estate is that it has pockets of good values surrounded by poor values. You really need to be here a while and get to know the areas to make the right choice. A few blocks can make all the difference in the world in your resale values and whether you make or lose money.

 

No flames, just my opinion... Plano SUCKS. Too far east, too far north, some of the worst soccer mom SUV driving 'B's' in the city. I hated my stay there - all 10 years of it.

As far as the real estate market being poor right now in Plano, that would make it a good time to buy. Like the stock market, buy low, sell high, not the other way around. Eventually it will rebound.

Try Irving - it's great.

Tx_Phantom

 

I live in Plano, I really like it. If you own a business, I'd advise against it because collin county does not have the medical benefits and assistance that Dallas county has. If you have health insurance you don't have to worry about it but if you don't, stay away from Plano. We found out the hard way, looking to move in the near future.

Frisco is really nice aswell but that's even further North.

 

Which is why Irving is so good - you can't argue that it's truly centrally located in the DFW area. It's within 30 minutes of anything (when its not rush hour).

You can make your Sat night outing on Greenville, Deep Ellum, Plano or Fort Worth without a major commuting hassle.

 

Hey there...
Welcome aboard. Having moved to the metroplex from points North, I would highly recommend finding a nice apartment closer to work for a year or so. It took me about two years to figure out where I really wanted to live before I bought a place in Dallas. There are a lot of things to consider, such as where you both end up working, how much property you want, whether you want to live in an established neighborhood with large trees (important to this transplanted yankee) or something new (likely no trees) that is a brand new shiny Texas size house or would like something a bit smaller.

Best of luck, look us all up when you get to town. Our autocross calendar is in the stickies at the top of our forum and this is a good group to find recommendations on apartments in the area...

Later,
C-