I love my neighborhood. No, that’s an understatement. I simply adore it. I always seem to be bragging about my sweet neighbors, the fun monthly happy hours, and our informative Prestonwood neighborhood Facebook page. I think my neighborhood is the best, but then again, I have friends all over town who rave about their own neighborhoods.
If you’re curious what it would be like to live in another part of town, or wonder if a neighborhood is really as good as people make it out to be, here’s a peek into four fabulous Dallas neighborhoods through the eyes of a few Dallas Moms Blog readers.
Lindsay C.
Neighborhood: Prestonwood, Far North Dallas
Closest main streets/ intersection: Preston and Arapaho
When did you buy your house? November 2004 and we just purchased our new home in March that we are currently remodeling in Prestonwood too.
Did you have to update? Oh yes! We updated the home in stages over the years.
Change anything to make it your own style? We lived with certain things for a while and then a light bulb would go off in our minds and we would make a change here and there to make it our own. It was definitely a slow process with our first home. While we are currently remodeling our new home, I still foresee little ideas to spur on changes to make the house more “homey.”
Why did you choose your neighborhood? I grew up in this neighborhood and knew I had to come back. This area is home for me, so when my husband and I got married, there was no other neighborhood for us! Plus, we have three generations within blocks of each other, so Charlotte is spoiled with grandparents from both sides all living in the same neighborhood. We just love Prestonwood so much!
What is your favorite thing about your neighborhood? I love to step outside my front door and the ability to be with my friends and Charlotte’s little friends. My goal is just to check the mail, but we end up staying outside chatting and letting the kiddos play. I joke that it’s like living in a dorm again with your closest friends surrounding you.
What do you want people to know about your area? We are having a blast over here and while we are close knit, we love seeing new neighbors join in and enjoy the same sense of community.
Favorite neighborhood activity to do with your child? We like to spend time at this small neighborhood park. The playground is friendly for toddlers and big kids, so it’s a good time for all.
Favorite neighborhood place to go out to eat with child? Besa’s Pizza and Pasta. The food is always delicious and Charlotte likes both their spaghetti and cheese pizza.
Favorite local place to go on date with husband? Momo’s Pasta! We clearly love Italian food and totally dominate their delicious bowls of spaghetti with pomodoro sauce.
Hidden gem in your area? We are unbelievably excited about LOOK Cinemas coming just around the corner. This movie theater will feature Nick and Sam’s and Coal Vines’ food. Sounds like a winner to me!!
Corey M.
Neighborhood: Lake Highlands, East Dallas
Closest main streets/ interaction: Walnut Hill & Abrams
When did you buy your house? April 2011
Did you have to update? Change anything to make it your own style? We were expecting our first baby in May 2011 so we picked a house that was updated and ready to move into! We loved everything about the house; two massive pecan trees and an open floor plan seemed like the perfect home in which to raise our family.
Why did you choose your neighborhood? Having lived in Lakewood and being members of Royal Oaks Country Club, this neighborhood was in close proximity to our usual stomping grounds.
What is your favorite thing about your neighborhood? Alexander’s Village is a quaint, close-knit neighborhood with lots of families. My husband and I saw this as a great neighborhood to raise our children.
What do you want people to know about your area? Being close to White Rock Lake, ten minutes from downtown Dallas, and located in Richardson ISD, makes this the best bang for your buck in Dallas.
Favorite neighborhood activity to do with your child? Riding bikes to/playing at the “firetruck” park, not sure the official name, but it’s on Merriman Parkway.
Favorite neighborhood place to go out to eat with child? Crossroads Diner-yummy breakfast, to-die-for cinnamon rolls!
Favorite local place to go on date with husband? Mi Cocina patio & most recently, Nazca Kitchen– fresh, clean eating with delicious lattes!
Hidden gem in your area? Moss Park is great for running, biking, and seeing horses!
Lindsay M.
Neighborhood: Lakewood, East Dallas
Closest main streets/ intersection: Lakewood Blvd./Belmont and Abrams
When did you buy your house? April 3, 2013
Did you have to update? We are doing renovations to the kitchen and main living area.
Why did you choose your neighborhood? We chose Lakewood because we love the cozy 1950’s feel of the neighborhood. The streets are flooded with young families and kids of all ages. My husband grew up in Lakewood and is happy to be back to his roots.
What is your favorite thing about your neighborhood? Our house in the heart of Lakewood on Sunnyland, near Lakewood Elementary. Our block does a nightly Happy Hour in the summer out in the street while the kids play! Our daughter, Tate, will be the 20th child under the age of 12 on our block!
Favorite neighborhood activity to do with your child? We are about to start at The Little Gym at Mockingbird and Abrams. We also LOVE going to Tietze Park!
Favorite neighborhood place to go eat with your child? Mecca is a child-friendly spot with amazing cinnamon rolls! We also love Matt’s and always get fajitas and the Bob Armstrong dip.
Favorite local spot to go on a date with your husband? Times Ten is fabulous! We enjoy drinking wine on the patio and ordering a cheese plate.
Hidden gem in your area? Legal Grounds Coffee shop in Lakewood square. Great for running into someone you know and great coffee!
Alice R.
Neighborhood: Midway Hills/NW Dallas
Closest main streets/ intersection: Walnut Hill & Midway
When did you buy your house: 2004
Did you have to update? Change anything to make it your own style? Our home was originally built in 1952 as a mid-century modern. We added on 1500 sq ft (to double its size) in 2010 and kept the modern look.
Why did you choose your neighborhood? Large lots, friendly neighbors, proximity to work (downtown), shopping, dining and entertainment. We don’t have to travel more than 15 minutes to get anywhere in Dallas.
What is your favorite thing about your neighborhood? The uniqueness of each home and the abundance of young families
What do you want people to know about your area? We have a fantastic early childhood PTA group for moms with young children called the North Dallas Early Childhood PTA (NDECPTA). It’s a great way to get the whole family involved in the community and provides endless ideas on things to do with your child, with your spouse and the much deserved, and coveted, moms night out.
Favorite neighborhood activity to do with your child? Open Gym at the Walnut Hill Rec Center, Activities at the Town North YMCA, Northaven Park, Story time at Preston Royal and/or Park Forest Library
Favorite neighborhood place to go out to eat with child? Fernando’s Mexican Cuisine, Ball’s Hamburgers, Liberty Burger, Torchy’s Tacos
Favorite local place to go on date with husband? Neighborhood Services, Suze, Princi Italia, Shinsei
Hidden gem in your area? Midway Point, Seafood Shack, Two Guys from Italy, Franki’s
Do you live in a neighborhood you love? Please comment and tell us all about it!
If you haven’t done a bit on Sparkman, you should! If you live here, you love it!!
I am 100% going to cover that fabulous neighborhood!!!
I love hearing what moms love about their neighborhoods, especially when they are close to mine! I am in Midway Hollow…a stone’s throw from Midway Hills and I absolutely love my neighborhood. Back when my kiddos were little babies, a mom mentioned the early childhood pta but didn’t give me any details. I wasn’t sleeping much at the time and forgot all about it. I’m going to join!
I have several friends who have joined and really like it! I clicked on their website to link it to my blog and was shocked because I recognized so many people in the pictures!
I would love to see a series of these posts, even for Richardson too! This is timely for our family since we are trying to buy into Dallas this year, or perhaps Richardson. The hardest part of finding a home is locating a good public school. I would love it if someone would provided their knowledge on this in a blog post. Thanks so much!
I am definitely covering Richardson next blog post! So many great neighborhoods in that area! I live in Prestonwood which is the Dallas side but also goes to the great Richardson schools. We feed into Prestonwood Elementary which was FABULOUS 30 years ago, went downhill, and now is back again. All my young neighbors are members of the Future Panthers Club which is for anyone with a child who will eventually attend kindergarten at Prestonwood. We have happy hours, playgroups, etc. in order to get to know everyone who will be attending. It’s awesome. I also know that Brentfield and Bowie are EXCELLENT schools. I’ve recently heard great things about Canyon Creek and Prairie Creek too! I am sure many of these schools and/or neighborhoods have school playgroups, neighborhood functions, etc. Because the houses prices are affordable and the schools are good, houses have been going in a few days! Please let me know if you have any questions but I think you will love it in the Richardson/ Far North Dallas area!
I just ran across your blog and FB page and have encouraged our Tucker Hill (McKinney) moms to tell you what they like about our community! Hopefully, it will give your readers a great perspective about what it’s like to live in a traditional neighborhood development that’s all about architecture, horticulture and people!
Historic Mckinney – Living in the district is amazing, a sense of unity among us. Downtown Mckinney Square is fabulous… Come visit us!
Hop just North into Canyon Creek in Richardson – amazing community with active large moms’ club, garden club, babysitting club, BUNCO groups, and now even a wine club and craft beer club! 3 great elementary schools in 2 school districts, city park and pool, creek side trails for exploring, waterfall and bridges popular for portraits, country club, shopping center with neighborhood owned restaurants, coffee shop and ice cream shop, plus other shops (most if not all neighbor-owned), a vet, hair salon, dance and music studios, and fitness and yoga centers, and just across Campbell Rd. a weekly open air market. And my kids have already decided they want to go to college right next door at UTD! I can’t imagine ever living anywhere else! Most people who move out of a house in the neighborhood just move to another one somewhere else in the hood (that’s what we did!).