Texas bound

Texas, yes TEXAS! It finally happened, we have the opportunity to relocate to warmer weather with a stable job! Exciting!!! This blog post will be a place to list the possible cities for us to consider living. We want to be in an excellent school district and as close to Dallas as possible, preferably Northern suburbs so we're that much closer to home. First, what do we want in a house?

• Oversized garage 
• 4+ Bedroom 
• Big kitchen 
• Larger bedrooms with big closets 
• Decent lot size 
• Community pool would be a HUGE PLUS! 

So what about the cities? Again considering proximity, school district and amenities offered in the city as priorities... 

•  Denton, TX ~40 miles NW of Dallas ~Excellent schools available ~College town with 2 local colleges ~Live music and state fair ~2 major hospitals ~Population 140,000 
•  Rockwall, TX ~24 miles NE of Dallas (other side of Lake Ray Hubbard) ~Population 20,000 ~Pretty good schools available depending on area 
•  Little Elm, TX ~35 miles N of Dallas ~Population 25,000 ~Great schools ~Lewisville Lake access 
•  Royse City, TX ~32 miles NE of Dallas (other side of Lake Ray Hubbard) ~Population 10,000 ~Growing city ~Offers good schools 
•  Lavon, TX ~33 miles NE of Dallas (other side of Lake Ray Hubbard) but 50 minutes with traffic ~Population 2,000!!! ~Good schools 
• Corinth, TX ~30 miles NW of Dallas ~Population 20,000 ~Good schools (Denton School District) 
• Garland, TX ~15 miles NE of Dallas ~Garland School District (choice of schools) ~Higher Demographics ~Population 230,000 ~Not our #1 choice 
•  Rowlett, TX ~20 miles E of Dallas ~Population 56,000 ~Garland & Rockwall school district (choice of schools) ~Higher Demographics in some areas 
•  Plano, TX ~20 miles N of Dallas ~Population 270,000 ~Rated best place to live by CNN Money & in top 3 Dallas suburb by Forbes; safest city rating ~Several parks & trails ~Lewisville/Frisco/Allen school districts 
•  Mckinney, TX ~30 miles N of Dallas ~Population 150,000 ~Top 10 best places to live by CNN Money ~Mckinney school district (some Parker/Allen/Frisco); 9/10th high school, 11/12 high school, top rated Wylie, TX ~30 miles NE of Dallas ~Close to Lavon Lake and Lake Ray Hubbard ~Population 42,000 ~Good schools 
•  Melissa, TX ~40 miles N of Dallas ~Population 5,000 ~Newer, good schools 
•  Allen, TX ~25 miles N of Dallas ~Population 85,000 ~Good schools 
•  Carrollton, TX ~20 miles NW of Dallas ~Population 120,000 ~Good schools depending on area 
• Mesquite, TX (Probably a NO) ~15 miles E of Dallas ~Population 140,000 ~Low income ~Not the best school choices 
•  Richardson, TX ~14 miles N of Dallas ~Several SF transfers ~Population 100,000 ~Highway access ~Good schools MORE research to come!