Seeking Advice on Relocation to Fort Worth

http://www.greatschools.net/ is a great place to start when looking from a place 2 live. My husband I choose Mansfield due to the great school systems and low crime rate.

We live in Euless, halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth. We are two miles from the DFW airport. Euless was just named one of the best cities in Texas to raise a family. We have a low crime rate and good schools. We are very close to everything. There are several nice neighborhoods to choose from. We actually live in one that is technically on the border of Euless and Fort Worth. We have a Euless Zip Code but use Ft Worth utilities.

My ex-husband and my son live in WestWorth Village it is on the west side of Ft. Worth right behind the Ridgemar Mall. And there are lots of families in the area and the housing is affordable. Good luck and welcome to Texas.
A.

Cities here in Texas take up a lot of space, as in miles, so the drive to work could be significant if you pick the wrong area. Unlike many urban areas you can live in the city and still be in a suburb! I like it myself, having relocated from the Washington DC area 10 years ago. Anyway, once you find out what part of Ft. Worth you'll be working in that will help. Anywhere in Tarrant County should be a good start. You don't say if you will be seeking employment also so that matters too. There are MANY excellent preschools, varying in programs and of course prices also. I've lived in a number of places here, primarily going south, in a small town called Aledo, which I loved...of course it's really grown already but they have great schools and home values. Then we moved to the north of Ft. Worth called Keller, really nice place. One thing you should know is that the schools are not by county or city, they're run independently by school districts "ISD's" so we were in "Keller ISD" Keller Independent School District....each area has their own. You could do a search on the ISD's by searching Fort Worth area ISD and go from there. There are many home builders that have lots of info also. I'm currently living in Northwest Ft. Worth, close to Saginaw which is a big draw for young families because the house prices are still very low for new housing....I think you'll be very surprised by the prices/values for homes as opposed to the Northeast. If I can offer an help I'll be glad to help.

Personally I'd live in Ft. Worth. Commuting would drive me really nuts. Near TCU is a nice neighborhood. I suggest getting in touch with a Ft. Worth realtor and get them working for you.
Good luck!

Don't know where your husband will be working and if where he lives makes a difference (as far as socializing with clients, etc.) but I live in SW Ft. Worth and love it. I prefer it over a suburb area because you are living in a city. We are close to malls, churches, TCU, Country Clubs (if that is important to you). The Tanglewood Elementary school is one of the best and there are also many private schools that are excellent. I think it really depends on where his job is and you didn't include that. Also, not sure what your price range is for houses. There are many nice areas around - Southlake, Colleyville, Keller, but they are a distance away from Ft. Worth. You would have to deal with traffic if you are going to commute. No good train systems like you have in the Chicago area. I just prefer the feel of a city. Good luck. Find a good realtor that knows Ft. Worth and your needs. Williams-Trew is a good one, you can't go wrong with them. The people that work there have been around for a long time. The founders have grown up in FW and know the area well, as well as their agents.

I grew up in Fort Worth. There are several places in and around Ft. Worth that are great. The Tanglewood, Wedgwood and University (TCU) neighborhoods are pretty good if you need to be in Ft. Worth. Just a bit south you have Burleson. Northeast is the Keller area the other ladies mentioned. I currently live in Grapevine and I love it. The schools are fantastic and I am pretty much 20 minutes from everything.

My son & family live in SW Fort Worth, and a cousin & family live in Benbrook, SW Fort Worth area. Son loves his area -- gated community near I20 and sends son to SW Christian School. Cousin lives in a nice but more modest neighborhood and sends kids to Fort Worth schools -- one of the FWISD academies for the talented and gifted kids. Both are happy with their arrangements. Younger son and family live in Southlake ... and they are happy with both housing and public schools there. Getting into downtown from there & other northeastern suburbs is not always easy; the commute from the southwest sector is much simnpler: son drives 10-15 minutes to his job downtown and no freeways! A cousin my age (sr citizen) lives in Ryan Place, a historic neighborhood in older Fort Worth and loves it there, but I cannot speak with any experience about FWISD schools in that area of the city. Several children there go to a Montessori school in the neighborhood

Re: Ambience of Fort Worth vs Chicago. You should be very comfortable in Fort Worth area ... smaller city, but with most of the advantages you have in Chicago. Great Museums with lots of good programs for children through them ... a good Zoo and parks ... a fine symphony ... and a good mix of cultures plus great restaurants, shopping, etc. Fort Worth has a good community spirit and they pull together. We have visited Chicago often and recently and younger son went to Northwestern for MBA, so we know what a great city you all are accustomed to -- we love Chicago and area!

Re: Commuting for jobs -- Good transit system with a TRE train and a local train called the Tarantula Express plus buses. The TRE has park and ride from the northeast area and can help getting there from the crowded norteast suburbs: Grapevine/Southlake/HEB etc. TRE stands for Trinity Rail Express, and serves commuters going from Dallas to Fort Worth and back with stops along the way. The northeast suburbs are close to D/FW airport and that is handy for frequent flyers on job-related travel missions!

Welcome to Texas! Blessings from Grandma Gigi in Dallas

Hi L.,
I'm a relo from the Chicago area. We've been in Ft. Worth/Keller for 5 years now. Property taxes are among the highest in this area because we're Keller ISD (Independent School District) and city of Ft. Worth municipalities but I can tell you they're not much different than they are up in the Chicago area. There is no state income tax which is a little extra in your pocket and sales tax is about average with the Chicago area at 8.25% and there's no sales tax on groceries. Like most posters have said just about anywhere you live in the greater Ft. Worth area is around a 30-40 minute commute from one side to the other. People talk about the traffic around here but they've obviously never commuted from Lakeview in Chicago to Oakbrook or Arlington Heights on a regular basis and I will admit; they do seem to have trouble keeping up on the number of roads with the amount of construction that is going on around here. Keller is a very family friendly community. There is a wonderful park/greenbelt that kids and parents love, the schools are also supposed to be among the better schools but as I'm sure you know the school is as good as the instructors and parents make it. That said, there are other great school districts around such as Birdville, Southlake/Carroll, and Grapevine/Colleyville and Eagle Mountain.
The only major issues I have with living here are that I miss the four seasons and our families.

It depends on your price range and how long you think you will stay. I, personally, would go with Southlake, Keller, Grapevine if you want the outskirts, but if you need to be in FTW proper and near downtown, my best suggestion would be the Rivercrest Country Club area (my grandmother lives there).

Many of the new construction boom areas (Mansfield, Saginaw, Eagle Mountain, and others that boomed in 2004+) have had significant drops in property values in the recent recession. If you want a lower price point, you can certainly find a steal, but don't expect fast appreciation of your home.

The tried and true established areas will have a higher price tag, but will be more stable overall.

feel free to contact me if you have questions,
C.

Hi L.,

Welcome to Texas! I live in south Arlington, which is in southern Tarrant County and easily accessible to Fort Worth by Interstate 20 and Highway 287. We are in the Mansfield school district, which is known to have good schools. My children are preschoolers, so I don't have personal experience. Southern Arlington and Mansfield have lots of new housing, shopping areas, churches, preschools, etc. I would recommend this area to you. Arlington is also where the new Cowboys stadium is being built; however that's in the north part of town. Arlington is also home to Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor water park(also in the north part of town); a new water park just opened in Mansfield. Arlington and Mansfield also have great parks. It's a great area for families with young kids. I am also part of a Mothers of Preschoolers group that meets at my church, so if you wind up here please let me know. Feel free to email me with any more questions. All the best to you in your relocation. Hopefully you will enjoy the warmer weather!

M.

Do you want to specifically live in Ft. Worth or are you open to commuting? If you are, Grapevine, Colleyville & Southlake are all GREAT areas with fantastic public schools! Grapevine is my personal favorite because it has so much personality. There are also lots of great walking/bike trails and lots of community activities throughout the year. There are also parts of Grapevine that are in the Southlake school district which is considered one of the very best! (Lakeside Estates & Winding Creek I know for sure) Good luck with your move & welcome to Texas!

We live in Keller in the Village of Woodland Springs. It is a huge development and there are several different schools inside the development. It is Keller schools. Again we are 15 minuted from Downtown Ft. Worth close to the 35 freeway. Good Luck with your search. If you have any questions please email me. I am a SAHM 3yr girl 14 month boy.

L.,

Not sure where in Fort Worth the job is - but no one has mentioned how bad the traffic on I-35 is to commute to downtown Fort Worth - We lived in West Keller before we moved in 2004 (we were in Woodland Springs - which I agree is a lovely neighborhood) - however, when we moved back to TX in 2007 - we really researched where we wanted to be - now we live in far East Keller on the Southlake border - we LOVE where we live now. My husband does work in Fort Worth - he commutes about 40 minutes to work.

Overall - Keller is a great city - with very good schools!! You will find lots of houses that are listed as "Keller" that are in Keller school district but not actually in Keller city limits.

We have done the relocation experience several times - so if you want any specifics - please feel free to message me.

Also, you will find that compared to Chicago - you get a lot more for your money - but in my opinion - location is everything. We could have had newer, nicer every bell and whistle for the price we paid for our house - instead we live on 1.5 acres in a large, but slightly older home with a guest house/in law house - and couldn't be more thrilled with our choice!!

I love SW fort worth. We live in a neighborhood called Park Palisades, which my husband and I haved loved for the past 3 years, and there are several other nice neighborhoods down the street (Hulen Bend is one). It is FW address, but Crowley school district, which I know can be hit or miss but the elementary school for this neighborhood is Oakmont elementary which I've heard nothing but good about; don't know which jr. high or high school they would go to. Anyway, can tell you more if you're interested.

It depends on what you're looking for. If you want city and lots of traffic (imo) then Keller, Southlake, Colleyville, HEB (Hurst, Euless, Bedford) areas are all nice, but they come with a hefty price tag and little to no land at all. If you want twice the size of house and twice to triple the size of land (.5 acre and up) for less price then look into the Haslet area. The school disctricts in all of these areas are excellent. The Haslet school district is Northwest and is supposed to be excellent. I don't have kids in school yet but did research them. There are also quite a few privates schools close by each location if that's something you're interested in, but the public schools in the area are really great. If the job is further west and you want no land, then check out Benbrook area, it's really nice. If you would want land then check out Aledo (Excellent ISD) and Weatherford areas. It's pretty spread out here so it depends on how far of a commute you'd like, what type of house you want and how much land you want. You will be happy with the fact that you can get a MUCH larger house here for a way cheaper price than Chicago no matter where you look :) Good luck!

Hi, I have lived in fort worth all my life and love it. I live on the south/southwest side of fort worth. The area is great. I would look into a house in the 76115, 76133 or 76132 area codes. Bruce Shulkey Elem. and Westcreek Elem. are some Elementary Schools in those areas. I hope this helps you. Please let me know if I could help you in anything else. God Bless!!

We relocated to Fort Worth about 5 years ago and settled on the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independant School District. I'm not sure where you and your husband will be working in Fort Worth. EMS-ISD is on the north west side of Fort Worth and is pretty afordable. North East Tarrant county has Keller shools that are good. Look into the stste rankings for each school district. and more specificly the school your child will attend. Houseing is affordable in in most areas right now there are some areas that are expensive though Southlake for instance. Hope this will help you out.

Hello L.--
I have lived here in Texas for (20) years and
love it. I live in North Dallas in Flower
Mound a great school system and family
suburb. When will you be moving here?
Feel free to look at my website:
http://lauriekash.yourkwagent.com
I was a teacher for many years and decided
to dabble in real estate. I can help you
out. Email me at ____@____.com
Happy Hunting!
L.

Wow, you have gotten a lot of advice. I grew up in Chicago, one thing you need to remember is that Fort Worth is like a smaller version of the city and surrounding suburbs in one big city. There is a relatively small downtown area (in comparison to Chicago) and then numerous neighborhoods that are the equivalent of the various suburbs like Skokie, etc.

As others have noted, in addition to a location that is near your husband's job, are you planning to get a job here? Finding something that is equal distance between your job and his as well as a good school district is helpful because they do not have public transportation to speak of here.

Crowley and Keller ISDs are good and many areas in Fort Worth feed into the Crowley schools. Also, if you wind up in the Fort Worth ISD look for a school that feeds into Paschal, it is the best public high school in Fort Worth, producing about 90 of the district's 120 merit scholars.

We moved here 3 years ago from New York. We live in Grapevine and LOVE it. Schools are good we are close to everything. You may want to check out Southlake as well. No one has mentioned it yet.

I haven't read all the postings so hopefully I won't be repeating too much. Like Chicago, Fort Worth is a very large city with many different neighboring areas. We don't really have public transportation like the trains as Chicago has, so driving is the main method of transportation. Depending on where your husband is working there are various areas that have great school districts and communities. If he is working in Downtown, you can pretty much choose N-W-E-S of DTWN and have a less than 30 minute commute. You didn't mention your price range (of course, you can afford much more here than in Chicago!!) North of Downtown you have the Keller area (fantastic public schools- rapidly growing area, with established neighborhoods and new builds). A little further NE is Southlake/Colleyville/Grapevine (All have fantastic schools and are a bit pricier). West of Downtown you have the Aledo area with great schools and country feel. Also you have the Eagle Mountain Saginaw area that has great schools and lots of new build and established neighborhoods that are very affordable. South of Downtown, Mansfield is a very nice area with great schools! There are some beautiful neighborhoods that are historic and established in the Fort Worth area of University/7th Street/Magnolia areas. Absolutely beautiful neighborhoods but FW school district. Most of the children in these neighborhoods tend to go to public schools. I've worked for the FWISD and Lake Worth ISDs and Castleberry ISDs and I would avoid them at all possible costs!!!!

No matter where you choose, you will enjoy Fort Worth. It is very family friendly and the people are very welcoming. And it's a LOT LESS WINDY!!! ;) Welcome to Texas!

Keller is just north of fort worth and is a great place to live and make friends. We love it here. Check out kellerisd.net for school info.

L.,

We live in Denton and it is an awesome place to live. Its about 30 miles from Ft Worth. It is a college town. So you kind of get the small town feel but with all of the big city amnities. They have fun things to do all year long. You can check us out at www.cityofdenton.com. Welcome to Texas.

N. Fort Worth or Keller area with Keller ISD schools are good, in my opinion.

I hear Birdville ISD is also good and that's North Richland HIlls area I think.

Congratulations on the new move!

If you are looking to be IN Fort Worth...Look at the Tanglewood or Ridglea areas. Tanglewood Elementary is the best public school in town, with an Exemplary rating. Aledo is a suburb just to the west of Fort Worth, and it has a great school system, too. Good luck!

Here is the state web site that has all the school rankings: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/

For Pre-K HEB (Hurst-Euless-Bedford) ISD has a tution class for $6000. Its a great program - my son is enrolled this year. School hours (8-3) your child is in class with a certified teacher and then after school your child can attend the extended day program until 6PM. Enrollment is soon and the program will fill quickly! http://schoolctr.hebisd.edu/education/dept/deptinfo.php?s...

I would stay North of Fort Worth, in the areas of Keller Isd, or Northwest ISD. Most people we sell homes to like it there. Homes are affordable and the schools are good. I have not heard good things about Fort Worth ISD.

Also, you might like Argyle, where I live. It is a little smaller, but schools are good and it's a very close knit neighborhood. There are many transplants here too...so np doubt you will run into some people from up North here.
Blessings, A.

We live within the Ft. Worth city limits but my kids attend Keller ISD schools. Often the school districts will overlap different cities so you have to be sure you are where you think you are!For example, you could live in Southlake (one of the pricier areas) and attend Southlake Carrol schools, or you could be in the Keller schools. (Not such a dilemma in this instance, since both are great districts, but it could happen with lesser districts as well.)

Another thing noted by an earlier poster is the high property taxes. Definitely a consideration, but that is offset by the fact that there is no personal state income tax in Texas, so be sure to factor that in as well.

I was at a meeting with the Keller school superintendent and one thing he mentioned was that Mansfied ISD has very similar demographics to our district. Keller is on the north side, Mansfield on the south, so based on where your husband works, one may work out better than another. The only time I've been to Mansfield was to a swim meet and I will say I think they have the best natatorium in the Metroplex!

As far as traffic in Keller, my experience has been with 1709 and 377 (Keller Main,or Denton Hwy) south of 1709. I'm in rush hour traffic most every day in those areas and I think it looks worse than it is. It can be heavy but usually moves quite well. North of 1709 is another matter. I will say that 1-35 southbound into Ft. Worth can be a parking lot, so that could affect your decision depending on work locations.

We have been very happy since moving here and found the people to be very friendly and helpful. I hope you find your move to Fort Worth to be the same.

L.,
You didn't mention your price range or what your job will be?? All of the areas listed above are great - I too when looking for my home was all based on schools. I choose the GCISD district it is a A+ Exemplery district.
The districts I would completely stay away from are - HEB, and Birdville.
A lot of people are mentioning Keller, if you love being stuck in traffic - go for it. Anything around 1709 or on the other side of 377 is grid lock.
Grapevine is a great city but also has the highest tax rate.

I live on the Northside of Fort Worth and my son attends a Keller ISD school. We love it. We are planning on moving to a bigger house in the next few years and will stay in the same area so our younger daughter can go to the same schools. I have not heard anything positive about actual Fort Worth ISD schools but you can't believe everything you hear.

I've lived in the Fort Worth area all my life and here are my reccommendations on this side of the metroplex... Best public schools are going to be in the following districts:
1)Grapevine/ Southlake
2)Keller
3)Birdville (North Richland Hills/ Haltom City/ Watauga)* I worked here for several years and could tell you the best schools to choose and areas to live in, they are a very supportive district for parents and employess.
4)Mansfield
5)HEB

The other districts have some good schools, but lots of not so good schools too so you have to judge by checking it out individually (I have tons of friends in most of the districts so if you have a question about a particular school ask and i can see what they say). Even the good districts can have not so great schools sometimes, so you need to check them all out yourself or ask about specific schools. Fort Worth ISD itself has a bad reputation, but there are a few very good schools within the district (such as Tanglewood).

There are lots of family oriented neighborhoods in each of the cities surrounding Ft. Worth, so it would be easier if you mentioned a general area your husband would be working in. If I could choose we would probably live in the Southlake/ Grapevine area, but we live in Grand Prairie right now (less expensive). Keller and Mansfield have nice homes with developments that boast walking trails, tennis courts, community pools, playgrounds...

Good luck with your home search! Feel free to email me with questions.

I grew up in the Saginaw area and got a great education with the Eagle-Mountain school district. My dh and I lived in the Keller school district for a while (moved for other reasons) and I have a friend who is a teacher that lives in the Keller school district because it is so good so I can easily second that area (both areas are north of downtown Fort Worth).

Congratulations and welcome to Texas! You will love Fort Wort, you can live at the edge of town and still have a reasonable commute to work, you can enjoy a small town feeling and still have a great downtown nightlife with cultural events at your fingertips and the housing prices look like a clearance sale next to Chicago.
For neighborhoods, if you like an older, established community try the Hulen area in south Ft Worth. If you want newer and suburban go for the area north of 820 and east of 35. I especially love Southlake. It is a little far out but a great community especially for families.
Good luck

Hi L.,
Congrats on your upcoming move. I lived in Burleson - about 20 mins south of Ft Worth. I bought a house there - in Johnson County - because the property taxes and home owners insurance were less expensive than Tarrant County. I got more house for my money than if I had bought in Fort Worth or Denton or Colleyville or Grapevine or Arlington. I was able to buy a new, just built house rather than an older home.

As for the schools, I didn't have children at the time but had friends and co-workers who also lived there. They loved the school district. You should be able to do more research online about the school district and town.

Burleson itself has a population of about 27,000 people and is growing. There are a lot of newer homes and businesses there. You have the smaller town atmosphere and feel with the convenience of the larger city just a short drive up the freeway. The commute to Fort Worth in the morning would be about 30 mins depending on traffic on the freeway and where your husband works in Fort Worth.

I left Burleson only because I met my husband and he also owned a home and had a higher paying job than I did so we chose to sell my house and have me relocate.

You've gotten more than enough information to thoroughly confuse yourself now, haven't you?

Have you been to the area yet? Where will your husband be working? Are you planning to work full time down here? What line of work are you in? Do you have a faith community with whom you participate? What kind of family activities does your family enjoy?
Will frequent air travel be in your future? Are you more of a city mouse or a country mouse? Are you originally from the Chicago area? Have you ever visited Texas or DFW? Is your husband's company providing you the services of a relocation company? Will you and your husband be coming down on a househunting trip? Do you own a home in the Chicago area?

The DFW area is huge with all kinds of different and diverse communities from which to choose. Many of the answers you've received are communities within Tarrant county. To many Fort Worth and Tarrant county are used interchangeably.

Someone gave you the link to the Texas Education Association website which has all of the ratings for all of the schools and districts in Texas. FYI, Texas was one of the first schools to implement performance testing. There's so much controversy about the test being taught to enhance scores that there is currently consideration for getting rid of the exams.

I am also a realtor based in Irving, which is just east of DFW airport, but I've helped folks find properties in Tarrant county. If you are interested in talking, feel free to e-mail me a personal message.

We moved here from Kentucky in 1998 when my husband was transferred. We enjoy the area. It takes time to acclimate to the weather in this part of the world. When I was searching on line back in 1998, I had never been to Texas and I had know idea where things were in relationship to each other or traffic patterns or commute times. Everyone has their favorite communities, and there are several school systems that actively compete amongst themselves based upon their test school and school recognition.

I love the diversity of this area, and I love that so many of the neighborhoods and schools reflect that diversity. Work with your realtor to hone in on the type of community and amenities that fit your family before you visit. Your realtor should be able to help you to pare down the list by showing you homes in several communities so that you can get a sense for them. Since the schools are in session, it's a good opportunity to take time to visit some and see what they have to offer as well.

Home prices are very reasonable down here compared to many other metropolitan areas. Texas also has no state income tax or local occupational taxes. That automatically increases your net or take home income. Tax money is generated by property taxes and sales taxes. You can count on your property taxes being about 3% of the market value of your home. They are due between October and January. Sales taxes will run you about 8.25% although individual communities vary because they have the discretion to raise their sales tax slightly.

We moved to DFW four years ago and chose Mansfield. Mansfield has top rated schools and is 20 miuntes from downtown FW and 25 minutes from dontwon Dallas. Our son is in sixth grade and is receiving an excellent education. I am a former teacher and have several friends who teach in different districts around the area. They all recommended Mansfield in their top three choices for school districts. Mansfield is a little less "locked in" than the areas north of town. We are still growing and still have plenty of "green" space around. Good luck in your move.

Hi L. - You guys will love Fort Worth! I used to live in Fort Worth; but since I haven't lived there in over 20 years, I want you to call my friend (and realtor) L. Looney at ###-###-#### or e-mail her at ____@____.com. I am sure she can help you. Please tell her D. J. referred you!

Hi L.-

We moved here two years ago from CT and live in Keller (about 15 minutes from downtown Ft. Worth) the school district is very good and it is VERY family friendly. Not sure what suburb of Chicago you re coming from but I would highly reccomend this area. B-4 we relocated I did a ton of research and we are very pleased with the area we chose. You will love the cost of living here too by the way! Good luck and message me if you have any questions!

My husband is a real estate broker and it is his job to answer the question you asked. Do you have a good realtor? A lot depends on the price range of homes that you want. Also, you need to consider traffic patterns so your husband doesn't spend half his life commuting. Then you get down to school districts, parks, etc. I would ask your realtor for some possible communities for your price range, then ask the people on the board which is better.

Good luck and I hope you like Fort Worth. With all the crazy weather lately, you might want to go back home!!!

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys

I would recommend Keller for the schools. There are some parts of north Ft. Worth that are in the Keller school district. However I have also heard good things about Aledo which is on the other side of Ft. Worth. Good luck!

Dear L. P,

You will like it here! It's really true that Texans are friendly!

Since you didn't say what area of Fort Worth or what price range you will be in, I'm not sure what to recommend. However, I am more familiar with the Mid Cities area and/or Southlake, Colleyville, Westlake or Trophy Club. If you need help, I am a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Southlake. You can do a home search through my web site, www.debdunn.com. That will give you a good idea of how prices vary from area to area.

Good luck with the move!

Deb D

Hi, L.! I realize that everyone's partial to their own school district, including me, but let please allow me to explain my perspective. My children attend school in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. (Please refer to the website: www.hebisd.edu.) This is a PHENOMENAL district! By the time my daughters graduate (right now they're 11 and 6), they'll be trilingual and have AT LEAST 24 college credit hours. The college credits are based upon the International Baccalaureate Program, which is an international program headquartered in Switzerland. Both of the HEB high schools are accredited and offer the program. By the way, L.D. Bell High School has one of the best bands in the country. They were the national marching band winners last year. Trinity High School won the football state championship last year and were in the play-offs this year. (Incidentally, the team that beat us in the play-offs this year was the team that won the state championship. High school football is HUGE in Texas.) The education with which I anticipate my daughters to leave high school is based upon the current HEB curriculum, which means that they may have even more opportunities before they graduate. One of our junior highs - Central - offers Mandarin Chinese and Hindi, which will be taught all the way thru high school. My daughters are in Spanish Immersion, which starts in first grade and continues thru high school. The way the curriculum works now, they'll be able to start learning a 3rd language in 9th grade. Our schools are PK-6th, Junior High (7th-9th) and high school (10th-12th). We considered making a change to this arrangement a year ago, but, after considering many different ways of doing it, we decided to leave it as is, since it's worked extremely well for us. Finally, HEB was named the top district in the state for 2008, based on test scores (I think - there are so many different ways to rank districts that I'm not positive). All of this and HEB is a perfect place to live because it's in the heart of the metroplex and it's affordable, in comparison to some of the cities in the area. (Southlake, for example, is where many of the sports figures from the area live. It's extremely nice, and I'd love to live there (though I wouldn't leave HEB ISD even if I could afford to move to Southlake), but it's just not affordable for the average family. Plus, you have good freeway access no matter where you live in Hurst, Euless or Bedford, so you don't have to spend 20 minutes just getting to the freeway to drive to Fort Worth or Dallas. (HEB is in the heart of the metroplex, as it's located between Dallas and Fort Worth.) It's also close to some of the other cities that have been suggested - Grapevine and Keller, specifically. Suffice it to say that I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better place in which to raise a family, especially when considering the schools. Please feel free to contact me and/or contact the school district. The website is filled with all kinds of information. I'm sorry this is so long, but I'm very passionate about our school district and the area in which we live. I wish you and your family the very best of luck in your relocation!

Welcome to Texas - this is a great website to get info!

We moved back to the area this past year too from Southern California. We used to live in Southlake (wonderful but lots of traffic now on 1709) but are now living in East Keller with plans to move to Trophy Club (an amazing community with great prices - lots of new homes with various prices going in - all around the golf course). East Keller is great but West Keller needs lots of improvement in the infrastructure - just try driving down Golden Triangle or Alta Vista during rush hour times and you will pull your hair out! Woodland Springs is darling as long as you don't have to get in or out of it!

Also - 35 South I have heard is a nightmare... so try to live somewhere you can shoot down 121 into downtown Ft. Worth. Southeast Keller (try Providence Grove in Hidden Lakes) has some great homes and you can shoot down Davis to 820/121 South. That is how my husband gets to work in downtown Ft. Worth.

Grapevine & Colleyvile have some great communities but are pretty pricey (maybe not so much if you're moving from Chicago!).

Best wishes!!

Burbmom.net is a website for local moms. Most of the information comes from the northern part of the metroplex, but you can get an idea of all the fun things there is to do in the area. Good luck with your relocation. Feel free to contact me with any questions. I lived in Fort Worth for several years and now live in Flower Mound which is north of Ft. Worth.

The best school districts surroungin the Fort Worth area are:
Keller Independent School District (ISD)-services Keller and some north Fort Worth and Watauga areas (can find housing in all price ranges)
Carroll ISD - services Southlake area (very pricy area)
Grapevine/Colleyville ISD--services Grapevine and Colleyville areas
Northwest ISD - services Trophy Club, Roanoke, Justin and many small towns--the fartherest from downtown Fort Worth

These are all very good school districts.

Me:--Mom of 2 and Nana of 3--live in the Northwest ISD area--my grandkids all go to Keller schools and we have been in this area for 25 years--very knowledgeable of area! Welcome to Texas!

Depending on if you want to commute and how far, I would live in either Grapevine or Colleyville. We moved here almost 4 years ago and moved into Grapevine. It was one of the best decisions we made! I love it! Last year we moved to Colleyville in order to get a bigger yard for our 3 kids. Taxes are high all around, so when shopping for a house, don't just consider the house note, consider the property taxes as well - I think we have to put $750/month aside just for taxes and closer to $850/month aside for taxes & insurance. I know that changed our price range for a house when we started looking!

As for school, I've heard wonderful things about the GCISD school disctict - that's where my kids go. I would not send mine to Timberline Elem or Cannon Elem though, even though it's in the district. I've heard so-so things about Bear Creek as well. I've heard that HEB isn't as good as GCISD, but is still good, and I've heard Keller schools are good, however Keller is a rapidly growing area and traffic is still rough out there (totally hearsay, but that's what I've heard). You can go to websites (just google or ask your realtor for information on school districts). I know I looked at various factors for each school. The website I looked at showed the # of students and the ethnic breakdown, how many were considered at risk, how many were economically disadvantaged, how they did on test scores, and on and on. I thought it was great information.

If you need a good realtor, I would suggest Nicole Smith. www.nicolesmith.net. She is excellent, great at her job, goes above and beyond, knows the market in and out, and just really was a total help to us when moving to this area and then moving again. She can help you figure out which area you want to live in based on things that you deem important (cummute time, school ratings, house for your money, etc.)

Good luck! Texas is a great place to live!

oh my goodness yes! research the summerfields/parkglen area. i have lived here all of my life and would never dream of relocating. we are in the keller independent school district-you couldn't ask for better when it comes to your child's education! our area is definitely family focused and friendly. Summerfields has literally everything except a mall( which is only about a five min drive away) and an airport lol. we are in northeast fortworth, i hope this helps and welcome to fort worth!

H.E.B. (Hurst, Euless, Bedford) school district is great. I send my kiddos to Christian Private School though. If your husband is going to work in Ft. Worth, you could try Bedford or Hurst. Hurst an older city, but there are some good neighborhoods. Bedford is really nice, but a little most costly than Hurst. We live in a really nice neighborhood called 'Rollingwood', and our home is about 2400 sq. ft., it was $205,000 3 years ago (built in 84'.) I bet the value is now 185,000 with the housing market. Some friends sold their house in Hurst about 2 years ago...it was a newer house about 1800 sq ft and it went 130,000 I think. Anyway, if you want more info about this area, you can email me. I am a SAHM with a 3 1/2 yr old daughter and a 7 yr old son. I know there are other nice places to live around, but I don't know any specifics about them...I would avoid Arlington though. It has gotten WAY TO BUSY, although there are still a few nice areas in the that LARGE city. Take Care! PS~I can't quite figure out why one person said to stay away from Bedford...we LOVE it here.

I think moms have gave you some great advice! If its Southeast FTW, then I highly recommend Mansfield/Arlington area. (call me biased!!) I saw someone gave you information for a locator. I would highly recommend that as a start and then come back and see all of our recommendations in comparison to that area you will be moving to. The Dallas/Fort Worth area is also so hot/cold as far as the neighborhood 'temperments', too. And some highways are way more congested than others. So many factors!! Once you narrow the area, I am sure all of us moms could help you even further! Best of luck. Hope you enjoy Texas. I am a native Texan and just can't see myself leaving!