Dallas Blog

"A walkable neighborhood means situating amenities such as stores, dry cleaners, libraries, bakeries and restaurants within about a three-quarter-of- a-mile walk."

Part of this is personal choice. My office is at Fitzhugh and Central. My Bank, Dry Cleaners, and auto repair shop are a walk away. I combine it in cooler months with a walk on Katy Trail. I schedule lunches close enough to walk.

This is the toughest time of year, but even then it's acceptable for short walks.

If it was a bit easier, I'd take the train downtown.

Bleh, you're so full of shit. You can't even get from downtown to University Park in 20 minutes during rush hour. Pretending that you can make it to Allen, Frisco, or McKinney that quickly is just plain ridiculous.

No one is arguing that folks from the 'spurbs are likely to be moving to Dallas's most dangerous and crime-ridden neighborhoods. But to suggest that they wouldn't (or shouldn't) consider Kessler Park, Lakewood, Little Forest Hills, Uptown, Winnetka Heights, M-Streets, or Oak Lawn reflects your ignorance. The 'spurbs' are yesterdays news. Count the "for sale"/"foreclosure" signs on your next "20 minute" drive home if you don't believe me.

My guess is that you live in the 'spurbs because you're a closet (or perhaps overt?) racist who can't tolerate the idea of living near someone who's a little different than you. Or perhaps you're just a typical douchebag who wanted to impress friends with a faux-brick facade, engraved house number, and a media room on some treeless, regal-sounding road (e.g. "Canterbury Trail").

Have fun at your next H.O.A. meeting with the rest of the crypto-nazis.

If there were more cool re-sale shops I'd move from Plano to Lower Greenville. Definitely.

Indeed, Easy There, some of my best friends live in suburbs.

Good one Wilonsky

My apologies Anti-Bleh... i wasn't referring to all of Dallasites in that way. I was stating what I could get in Dallas at the equivocal price/taxes that I pay by living in the burbs... Atleast the last time I looked that's about what $160k got you out there.

Guys c'mon. Let's not get along. Is more fun. Love the sarcasm and truthfulness of Anti-Bleh.

Anti-Bleh I just added this to my dictionary:
Suburbanite: Douchebag who wanted to impress friends with a faux-brick facade, engraved house number, and a media room on some treeless, regal-sounding road (e.g. "Canterbury Trail").

LOL

I grew up in Little Forest Hills and Munger Heights and was groomed from birth to be a "spurb" hater.

When my in-laws gave us the down payment $$ to buy a house close to them (they're in Farmers Branch- now that's really Bleh) we chose an older neighborhood in S. Carrollton. After we baught the house I bitched for two years! I wanted to be in Oak Cliff or somewhere else "cool".

Once I got over myself, I realized how great it is. In fact, it's a lot like Old East Dallas in the 80's and early 90's before all the republicans moved in. It's totally integrated w/ awesome, cheap, weird restaurants and grocery stores. Going down I-35 I really am 20 mins from everything.

Oh and to top it off, any time I've ever called the cops they're on it within minutes! That never happened to me in Dallas.

I'll always be a Dallas girl but Carrollton is really stealing my heart.

Apparently people living in Dallas haven't been to Uptown recently. I think the douche-bag factor is slightly higher in Addison, but not by much.

Bleh, I would agree that there is usually a premium for living closer to the city in a good neighborhood, but then again you would pay a premium for living in Southlake as opposed to Rockwall and neither are close to downtown. Dallas has some good schools and some bad schools, some got great rating recently. But, Irving has some good and bad as most areas.

Anyway, it is all about priorities. Walkalbe areas don't always have to be downtown, Legacy Park is an example of this, maybe not the best, but still a local example not close to downtown.

No worries man, it's not the first time I've been the target of someone's mid-afternoon frustration. If anything it's good to see somebody passionate about their hometown.

Find out your walkablity index http://www.walkscore.com/
- e.g. "Bungalow Heaven" Junius Heights Historic District in East Dallas, an old 'streetcar suburb' (75 out of 100 Very Walkable):

Lakewood Library 0.30 Mi
Coffee Shops 0.36 Mi
Penne Pommodoro 0.55 Mi
XmaxGames, LLC0.59 Mi
Coffee Company .56 Mi
Balcony Club 0.4 Mi
Lakewood Theater 0.4 Mi
Lakewood Tavern0.42 Mi
Lakewood Landing0.42 Mi
Cock & Bull Neighbo0.43 Mi
Lakewood Bar & Gril0.49 Mi
Tipperary Inn 0.55 Mi
Cantina Laredo 0.84 Mi

AND Lipscomb Elementary, Exemplary 4 years - Woodrow Wilson High, a Newsweek Top School in America.

@Bleh I was stating what I could get in Dallas at the equivocal price/taxes that I pay by living in the burbs... Atleast the last time I looked that's about what $160k got you out there.

I don't think you understood the point of the post. What you bought for $160k in the suburbs is unsustainable, it doesn't make sense.

If you read the link you would see what the book is about:

The roots of the worst housing bust in generations lie in the mythology of the American dream: buy as much house as possible, move away from urban centers, home prices will always go up, the schools are “better.” The foundation of the dream itself is faulty; indeed, the desire that “every man have his castle” is bankrupting us.

Today’s crisis in home values is the least of suburbia’s problems. The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome details the intimate connections between home ownership, economics, and the environment. John Wasik provides powerful insights into how the U.S. suburban lifestyle became unsustainable.

Wasik’s observations are firmly grounded in exclusive on-the-ground research, interviews with thought leaders, and the latest studies and statistics. He exposes the untold truths about home ownership: “green” isn’t always so “green,” life isn’t cheaper after accounting for gas, water, and taxes, and modern suburban living isn’t so idyllic considering the toll it takes on our health. However, some are attempting to revive suburbia, and Wasik shows us how. He offers insights into ways to improve our current lifestyle: eco-friendly communities, rebuilding and reclaiming inner cities, improvements in home design, and more.

No one is debating that you bought "more" in the suburbs, the thesis of the book is that the illusion of quality of life, value, long term value and "quality" is just that, an unreal illusion. You may be feeling pretty smug with your oversized, cheaply built track house with a big lawn, what you bought is ultimately harmful to society as a whole and most likely, soon, you.

YOU are the whole thesis of his book and if you are going to debate the merits of his argument that "buy as much house as possible, move away from urban centers, home prices will always go up, the schools are “better.” The foundation of the dream itself is faulty; indeed, the desire that “every man have his castle” is bankrupting us. is incorrect, a smarter way of doing it is not pointing out the very things he is contesting i.e. Gimme a 3000 sq ft 'cookie cutter' house, exemplary schools and low to no crime anyday over a 1200 sq ft dump with gang ridden schools anyday. The 20 minute drive is worth it. because his whole thesis is that argument is misguided, unsustainable, unaffordible and largely incorrect.

surburbs >> suburbs

But the M Streets are part of the problem. They just happen to be slightly closer to the CBD than some other places. But they're still, suburban-style streets with single-family housing without the needed amenities to sustain one's existence within 3/4ths of a mile.

My problem with the suburbs has nothing to do with where they are located. I dislike the idea that the modern American family requires 4000 square feet of living space. I think that homes of this size isolate families from each other, and I dislike them whether they are an hour away in Frisco, or in Highland Park/Preston Hollow, a relatively short commute to downtown. I'm not sure why people on this board are praising the M Streets either. Those houses are overpriced, and filled with young professionals who wanted a trendy place to live for a few years until moving to Highland Park when their kids entered school. That worked as long as real estate there was going up, but it doesn't any more. The short timelines of residence lead owners to do only minimal upkeep on the properties, so you've got houses that are mostly in disrepair, or else are priced at astronomical values.

And for the record, I don't actually think school districts in the suburbs are any better than anywhere else. They are just filled with fewer poor people's children. But it's not as though everyone living in Dallas is so progressive. Some put up with public school at the elementary levels, but unless their kid goes to a magnet after that, it's generally off to private school they go. Look at the racial breakdown of the district if you don't accept that.

Not so bad if you like Fast Food chains and franchises?

I don't think I would trade White Rock Lake, the Lakewood Theater, Balcony Club, Tallulah, Scalini's, Legal Grounds, Matt's, Times Ten Winery, The Wine Therapist, Lakewood Landing, The Gold Rush and the Library for Chevron, 7-Eleven, Wendy's, Subway and Little Caesar's.

Personally I prefer Hollywood Heights to the M-Streets. But the M-Streets Tudors are wonderful, exquisite and rare in a great and yes, walkable location - therefore justifying their prices. Per square foot, they are less than Lakewood Proper - yet both are served by blue-ribbon elementaries.

I don't think you can prove any mass exodus to HPISD from here - most of us are not too keen on that lifestyle and embrace East Dallas. If you want to talk overpriced, talk about 'the bubble'. What most folks do not understand about that place is that the cost of a home is merely the price of admission. You will pay much more to participate.

Maybe I am in contact with a skewed sample of M Street residents then. Most say they will stay there "a few years". Some move East, some move to HP/UP, some move to Preston Hollow, and some even end up in Plano or Richardson.

But I agree w/ the idea that people in HPISD are not getting a "free" education. You will easily spend a private school's tuition on the clothing, trips, private tutors, private coaches and other things your children will need there just to keep up w/ the neighbors.