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rally-cap
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9:55a, 3/15/22
AG
My wife and I are starting to look at our options for putting down more permanent roots in DFW. We have both been in the area for several years - she's been in Fort Worth, I've been in Dallas. When we got married in October 2021, we moved to the Euless area to be midway between our respective workplaces - she is at Cook Children's, I'm in Uptown Dallas.

One of our potential scenarios is for her to stay at the main Cook campus in Fort Worth and I'll find a new job in Fort Worth. Since I've lived on the Dallas side, I don't know a lot about the suburbs, so I would love some opinions!

We are looking to keep her within a 30-minute commute of her hospital while being located in one of the better ISDs. This map shows a 30-minute commute and locates some of the area's higher-rated ISDs -



Some factors we already know -
  • She has family in Aledo, so that is an option, but it puts us at an extreme edge of the metroplex.
  • I've heard that the area north of 820, east of 35W, and west of 26 (basically Keller ISD) is some of the worst traffic in the metroplex?

Does anyone have any opinions on these areas? Go's - no go's? Factors to consider? Just trying to get some insight since I know next to nothing about the Eagle Moutain, Saginaw, Northwest ISD, etc areas.

We have other scenarios we are considering - like her moving to the new Prosper Cook Campus, but I'm just thinking through this one currently.

Thanks in advance!
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AgBQ-00
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10:06a, 3/15/22
AG
The construction on 35 makes the northern suburbs rough right now. But my wife and I love the area. We've been up here 10 years now and have no plans on leaving this part of town. Getting downtown outside of rush hour is normally no issue, but 35W is really bad right now. That should be better as they complete it, but that is several years away. Both NWISD and KISD are really good districts, I don't think you'd be disappointed with either.
God loves you so much He'll meet you where you are. He also loves you too much to allow to stay where you are.

We sing Hallelujah! The Lamb has overcome!
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In reply to AgBQ-00 • 10:40a, 3/15/22
AG
AgBQ-00 said:
The construction on 35 makes the northern suburbs rough right now. But my wife and I love the area. We've been up here 10 years now and have no plans on leaving this part of town. Getting downtown outside of rush hour is normally no issue, but 35W is really bad right now. That should be better as they complete it, but that is several years away. Both NWISD and KISD are really good districts, I don't think you'd be disappointed with either.
Good to know. There is also some new construction in the NWISD and EMSISD areas, which my wife would HIGHLY prefer. I would end up in downtown as well, given the general office locations of architecture offices in Fort Worth.
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TexAggee05
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12:04p, 3/15/22
AG
Are you set on public school? We moved to south FW near Chisholm Trail Parkway and are close to Southwest Christian, Trinity Valley, FW Country Day...CTP is an easy drive to downtown. We have family in Aledo and Mansfield, so it's nice being right in the middle.
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rally-cap
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In reply to TexAggee05 • 12:11p, 3/15/22
AG
TexAggee05 said:
Are you set on public school? We moved to south FW near Chisholm Trail Parkway and are close to Southwest Christian, Trinity Valley, FW Country Day...CTP is an easy drive to downtown. We have family in Aledo and Mansfield, so it's nice being right in the middle.
Not "set" on it, but for our current situation (no kids - but planning on it in the next year or two), we are planning on public schools. Private would change that, but we would have to see if that would fit into the budget. We do like the Chisholm Trail area.
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AggieFrog
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12:28p, 3/15/22
AG
We lived in Keller (just south of 1709/377) for 10 years before moving to the west side of town (I work at Lockheed and my wife was working at Cook's). Just got tired of the drive/traffic/constant construction/etc. For now, the west side is much more convenient and we're building in Aledo. Easy to commute into Fort Worth for work or restaurants. Very little traffic relative to the rest of the Metroplex. We had three kids in a classical private school for the last 7 years, with two of them now in Aledo ISD and one remaining in private school.
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Decay
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1:03p, 3/15/22
AG
We're in Keller area. If you work downtown, don't move here. It's going to be years before it's done with construction.
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In reply to AggieFrog • 1:05p, 3/15/22
AG
AggieFrog said:
We lived in Keller (just south of 1709/377) for 10 years before moving to the west side of town (I work at Lockheed and my wife was working at Cook's). Just got tired of the drive/traffic/constant construction/etc. For now, the west side is much more convenient and we're building in Aledo. Easy to commute into Fort Worth for work or restaurants. Very little traffic relative to the rest of the Metroplex. We had three kids in a classical private school for the last 7 years, with two of them now in Aledo ISD and one remaining in private school.
My only concern with Aledo is the fact that it is so far west. I shoot a lot of matches south of Dallas in the Waxachie and Ferris areas, so that will be quite a haul. But, for everything Fort Worth, it is definitely an option.
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In reply to Decay • 1:06p, 3/15/22
AG
Decay said:
We're in Keller area. If you work downtown, don't move here. It's going to be years before it's done with construction.
That's what I keep hearing. My wife works 12-13 hour shifts, so the traffic is typically not as bad for her during her commutes, but I'll be in the relative thick of things for my commute.
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wbt5845
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3:43p, 3/15/22
AG
Mansfield is a good choice. Easy trip up 287 for your wife. Arlington might even be better, but gotta be careful where you move to.
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In reply to wbt5845 • 3:47p, 3/15/22
AG
wbt5845 said:
Mansfield is a good choice. Easy trip up 287 for your wife. Arlington might even be better, but gotta be careful where you move to.
Having lived in Arlington, there's not a lot there to be excited about putting down permanent roots in that area for us. Mid-cities is another scenario we are looking at - if she stays at Cook Fort Worth, and I stay in the Dallas area for work, but we would probably look more Grapevine/Flower Mound area in that scenario.

I like the idea of Mansfield, but she doesn't seem too excited about that area for some reason.
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LSB_2002
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4:23p, 3/15/22
AG
Aledo to Cook is like 25 minutes.......

North of Fort Worth around Keller to Cook's.........probably 45. May be closer by mileage, but definitely going to cost you more time!

Aledo is what you're looking for!!!
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AggieFrog
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In reply to rally-cap • 4:31p, 3/15/22
AG
rally-cap said:
AggieFrog said:
We lived in Keller (just south of 1709/377) for 10 years before moving to the west side of town (I work at Lockheed and my wife was working at Cook's). Just got tired of the drive/traffic/constant construction/etc. For now, the west side is much more convenient and we're building in Aledo. Easy to commute into Fort Worth for work or restaurants. Very little traffic relative to the rest of the Metroplex. We had three kids in a classical private school for the last 7 years, with two of them now in Aledo ISD and one remaining in private school.
My only concern with Aledo is the fact that it is so far west. I shoot a lot of matches south of Dallas in the Waxachie and Ferris areas, so that will be quite a haul. But, for everything Fort Worth, it is definitely an option.
You can get to Waxahachie / Ferris from Aledo in about the same time or less than from Keller/Saginaw/Northwest ISD area. Also of note is the Hudson Oaks / Weatherford area is rapidly developing, giving you the option to go west or east for shopping / restaurants / etc. And H-E-B is already in Hudson Oaks.
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hoosier-daddy
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4:38p, 3/15/22
Kennedale btw Arlington and Mansfield
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aggie_wes
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10:19p, 3/15/22
AG
We moved to aledo about 7 years ago, for all the reasons you did except we already had one kid with a 2nd on the way. My wife works at one of the hospitals downtown and it's a 25-35 minute drive depending on time of day and if there is a wreck.

I will say that when I've been looking at jobs, it's pretty limited to basically west of 35W if you want a reasonable commute. That's not a hard and fast rule, just a generalization but that was one of my criteria to not have over a 45 minute commute.

That said, we've been very happy with aledo schools and with the community in general.
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JohnnyTexAg1995
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11:29p, 3/15/22
We live in Saginaw off Bailey Boswell around all the construction and it never takes me longer than 30 minutes to get to work downtown. We work at St Paul Lutheran Church right of west freeway and summit Ave. Take main st all the way to downtown and just lights, no traffic. Once construction is done on basswoods and blue mound I'll go back to 35 in the morning. But Saginaw is very doable. EMS is great district as well!
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Aries
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11:40p, 3/15/22
We live in Aledo, close to Wes. I work in the hospital district. Can take me 30-45 minutes to get there in the morning based off of traffic. I take 30 or the toll in, whichever is shorter on the day. Our kids go to Weatherford Christian. Aledo ISD is really good, I just didn't like how they handled COVID so we went private & haven't looked back.

I would also consider moving to fort worth into an area that is set for the good schools. Fort Worth is a great place to live.
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Aggie1944s Kid
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In reply to TexAggee05 • 12:11a, 3/16/22
AG
Howdy neighbor
Get ready bal. You're gonna in for a problem.
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TexAggee05
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In reply to Aggie1944s Kid • 8:13a, 3/16/22
AG
Howdy!
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TMfrisco
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8:38a, 3/16/22
AG
TCU/Colonial area
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mosdefn14
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9:18a, 3/16/22
AG
West FW, lifetime 817 here.

Good charter schools are popping up all over the place. Public schools are swirling the drain, even Aledo & Southlake types. Assuming Mrs. is a nurse, assuming she'll go PRN at some point when the kids come...1 shift a week can pay for 2 private school tuitions.

Buy where you want to live. School decisions can change every year, but you can't move a house. A neighbor has 4 kids in 4 different schools (Charter, Private, Neighborhood Public, "Choice" Public), and it seems at least one is changing every year depending on needs (fine arts, sports, classes offered etc.).

Southwest Arlington (Martin area) and DWG are pretty dang convenient to go anywhere. Martin pyramid is a decent backup, but affordable private schools & good charter schools nearby.
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In reply to mosdefn14 • 9:23a, 3/16/22
AG
Solid points. I've never looked at those areas of Arlington, I'll have to do some digging.
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Ag CPA
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11:32a, 3/16/22
AG
As a point of reference, I live in Southlake and work in the West 7th area; the commute is 35-40 minutes. I usually take Davis or 26 down to 121 around NE Mall to avoid the mess on 183/820/35W which makes for a reliable commute.

And I would be careful about the Aledo area, the Walsh Ranch development is quickly filling up with tract housing and will probably resemble north FW in five years with comparable traffic.
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SuzyQ06
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12:41p, 3/16/22
I'm in Mansfield and I love it. Takes me about 30 min to get to work, sometimes 45 min. If there is an accident on 287, it can really mess things up. But I'd choose Mansfield over and over again.
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SuzyQ06
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12:42p, 3/16/22
Btw - where is the website that you used for that picture? That would be very helpful in some of my cases...
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In reply to SuzyQ06 • 12:55p, 3/16/22
AG
SuzyQ06 said:
I'm in Mansfield and I love it. Takes me about 30 min to get to work, sometimes 45 min. If there is an accident on 287, it can really mess things up. But I'd choose Mansfield over and over again.
I like Mansfield for several reasons - it's still relatively "mid-cities", it's close to the ranges I frequent, it's already on its way to Houston (in-laws), and some other factors - but the wife doesn't seem that intrigued.
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In reply to SuzyQ06 • 12:55p, 3/16/22
AG
SuzyQ06 said:
Btw - where is the website that you used for that picture? That would be very helpful in some of my cases...
Commute Time Map

You can put in multiple locations and change the time and method of travel. I don't know how accurate it is, but its good for a general understanding.
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PDEMDHC
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1:16p, 3/16/22
AG
Lifetime DFW resident. Family (Aunts and Uncles) lived in Keller last thirty years. I currently live in South FW off CTP (Aledo lost out as we had no kids yet).

I'm also a traffic engineer and work on design and construction projects around the metroplex.

1. If you have to commute downtown/hate commuting, DO NOT live near US 287/Keller. This includes Avondale/Haslet. You will be completely miserable, and it will take a decade for infrastructure to improve to match capacity, particularly west of IH 35 near US 287 and north of SH 170. Drivers sit through 10 cycles at signals at bad intersections. Traffic backs up 5-10 miles on IH 35W in the area daily. Just a bad experience.

This goes double for Northlake, Argyle, Trophy Club, Roanoke. These are great areas starting out with improved school districts, but avoid if you hate long commutes. They will be terrible.

My wife and I loved Northlake area, but our jobs were in SW FW and an hour plus commute one way.

2. South FW along CTP has been great for us. Less than 15 min from downtown in a growing area. No traffic unless on Hulen or Bryant Irvin. Never a backup on CTP. My part isn't the best for public schools, but we plan to do private should we stay long term/not move to Aledo.

3. Highly recommend looking at Aledo if you have kids. We plan on moving there once our daughter is of age for public school if it makes sense. Just make sure you don't buy a home in a MUD out there where taxes are 3.5% annually on your home. Several areas are below 2%.

IH 30 is worse west of Aledo (Hudson Oaks) based on driving experience. Commute would be 30 minutes into downtown, depending on location.

4. Nothing wrong with Mansfield, but the commute on 287 into downtown living south of IH 20 will be terrible as well due to the population explosion in the area. My wife commuted from Mansfield sometimes from work. It would take an hour to go 20 miles.

Wildcard - my sister in law moved out off of SH 199 near Azle. That is also a growing area. The freeway is done out there but not at the 820 interchange, so backups are pretty bad. Construction/studies there will take years and make you miserable also. If you like Walmart, I'd move out there. Otherwise, avoid that if possible.

We also liked Benbrook west of US 377. That would be an easy commute to downtown also and is growing quickly. Same problem in that nothing much is out there for food/stores/entertainment. This goes for Aledo as well.
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In reply to PDEMDHC • 1:24p, 3/16/22
AG
Thank you, sir! Some solid points there. I like the idea of the CTP area, I'm just not a big fan of the schools, and I don't know our capacity for private schools yet. But, since we don't have kids, that is still a ways off, but we are trying to plan for our first house to get us through at least one kid starting school.
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mosdefn14
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In reply to PDEMDHC • 1:25p, 3/16/22
AG
Agree with everything except the Benbrook piece, especially if south/west of 2871.

Pre-covid we lived off 377 past Whitestone. It would be 20+ minutes most days to get to the freeway, and then another 20+ to downtown. Benbrook has a "nice" Walmart, but it was 25-30 minutes to go anywhere else. Getting home from work (45 minutes sometimes) just to head right back to go to the store/youth events/church/etc. was tough. They're building like crazy out there and short of a bypass (maybe you know something I don't), I wouldn't look out that way any more than I'd look at Haslet.

ETA, add CTP tolls to your calculus. An extra $50/week on tolls is the same monthly outlay as the mortgage payment on an additional $53k (assuming 3% for 360). You might decide to house up/live closer for the same monthly cost.
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PDEMDHC
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In reply to mosdefn14 • 1:34p, 3/16/22
AG
Thanks for the 377 update. My information is from 2019 as we haven't been out there much. Sounds like it has changed quite a bit in terms of traffic.

Good info on the tolls. My company paid for tolls until a short while ago, and we never factored in the cost. It would be around $6-10 a day in tolls to get to downtown best guess if you lived south of IH 20.

I'll also add that if you are willing to overspend for the area, Tanglewood off Hulen has the highest rated public elementary school in the state (or usually at the highest). They had to build a second school (Overton Park) to accommodate the influx of kids.

Most I know that live there send kids to private school starting in 7th grade. Odds are you will have to pay upwards to $100k over the house at the current moment (another thread on here talks about it). It would be a 10-15 min commute with no tolls or interstate from downtown.

Lots of people also look to Fairmont area, but that is hit or miss. This is an area where there is some gentrification/updating older homes happening, but a nice area for the most part.

Okay I'm out of information

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AggieFrog
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1:41p, 3/16/22
AG
Know that where you buy/build in Aledo will also have a large effect on your commute - many areas of Aledo are a decent drive off of the interstate. We're building in Parks of Aledo. Property taxes are lower than Walsh / Morningstar and it's more convenient than either of them as well (5 minutes from I-20). Also has 8+ miles of hiking/mountain biking trails and parks for young kids.

https://www.parksofaledo.com
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agcrock2005
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5:04p, 3/16/22
AG
My wife and I lived in the mid cities because I worked in downtown FW and she worked in downtown FW but we had to leave because the kids were getting school age. We bought in Northlake (Argyle school district) last year and moved in 5 months ago and the price for my house has doubled (by the builder) since we signed. That is so dumb, and that's with higher interest rates. I can only imagine that's happening everywhere in DFW, particularly with the better school districts. A lot of your decision will depend on budget for home as well, assuming you're purchasing. Not sure the market could be any worse for a home buyer right now.

An another note, my wife works in downtown FW and she doesn't mind the drive. I think she's absolutely nuts but she just listens to books or makes work calls during the commute. It will only get worse however because the growth up here in pretty insane.
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Teacher_Ag
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5:29p, 3/16/22
AG
As someone who taught great kids trapped in a horrendous school (Birdville ISD) do your due diligence in looking into the metrics of ISD's and which direction they're heading in. You'll want your kids in good schools or they might eventually end up at Tech.
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agcrock2005
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In reply to Teacher_Ag • 5:36p, 3/16/22
AG
Teacher_Ag said:
As someone who taught great kids trapped in a horrendous school (Birdville ISD) do your due diligence in looking into the metrics of ISD's and which direction they're heading in. You'll want your kids in good schools or they might eventually end up at Tech.
That's sad to hear. I'm 40 and my parents moved to NRH to get me and my brother into Birdville schools. At the time they were pretty good.
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