How do you determine the best place to live? What factors should be considered important when it comes to ranking the best suburbs?
Truly, the best place to live will depend on the needs and circumstances of each family. However, we can make assertions about the better places to live by looking at things like school rankings and local crime rates. Amenities like restaurants, shops, museums, parks and trails also contribute to the desirability of an area and the quality of life for the families that live there. Commute times to major cities and centers of commerce also have an impact on the daily life of people who live in a particular suburb. Unemployment rates, housing affordability and home ownership rates are also important factors when it comes to measuring the economic health of an area. With all these things taken into account, we compiled a list of our top 4 suburbs in the Dallas – Fort Worth area.
Highland Park
While not not the most affordable option on our list, Highland Park tops many “best of” lists due to its excellent schools, proximity to the Dallas area, picturesque neighborhoods and history. Highland Park is located 3 miles north of Dallas. Non-Texans may recognize Highland Park as the place where the Dallas TV show was filmed. This suburb has some of the most expensive real estate in the area, the average home costs over a million dollars. Highland Park is also home to one of the great Dallas Christmas traditions, the lighting of the Big Pecan Tree.
Colleyville
Colleyville is located between Dallas and Fort Worth and is only 3.5 miles away from the DFW International Airport, so Colleyville would be a good location for the frequent traveler. The suburb has rural roots but grew into a suburb as the cities around it expanded. Schools in the Grapevine-Colleyville Indecent School District are well-regraded by sources like Newsweek Magazine. Only 1.2% of families live below the poverty line and the median household income is $153, 021.
Plano
Plano is a massive suburb north of Dallas that is ranked the ninth most populous city in the state of Texas. Commuting to Dallas may not be an issue if you live in Plano, because many companies like Toyota, J.C. Penney, Dell Services, Pizza Hut, Siemens, Cinemark, Ericsson, Dr. Pepper and others are headquartered in Plano. The city get it’s name from the Spanish word for flat, Plano, which describes its terrain. Plano has an active outdoor community as evidenced by over 35 miles of trails. The city also has a light rail to the big city. The median home price in Plano is $251,000.
McKinney
In the last decade or so, McKinney has been ranked one of the fastest growing cities several times. The town motto is “unique by nature” due to it’s historic downtown, idyllic neighborhoods and the surrounding hills and streams. McKinney has been ranked one of the best places to live by multiple sources including CNN’s Money magazine. Raytheon and the McKinney Independent School District are two of the major employers in the area. The city has a low unemployment rate of only 3% and is considered a very safe community.
There are many other great suburbs in the DFW area, but we selected these for their economic vitality, low crime rates, great schools and overall quality of life. Ultimately, the best DFW suburb is the one that meets the needs of your family.