If you are considering relocating to the Metroplex
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2/18/2013
So, Plano, TX could be considered the "nucleus" of Collin County not only for its location within the county, but also due to its economical stance, helping develop the surrounding areas grow such as, Allen, Murphy, Parker, Lucas, Fairview, Mckinney, Frisco, and a slight piece of Northeast Carrollton along the west plano area.
Plano is a nice place to live, offering a solid, decent place to settle into. Housing is affordable and schools are pretty good; especially for those who've moved or plan to move from areas where a 3,000 square foot home will cost you well over $350,000+.
I've been living here for approximately 3.5 years, and I have found that the economy of the Metroplex (Dallas-Forth Worth area), is very diverse with many companies, both large and small, with either headquarters or major regional operations. The Metroplex is mostly white-collar with a presence of some blue collar industries. Great accessibility to Dallas' sports team events including the happenings of Arlington, Fort Worth and many other cities and small town attractions.
West Plano is still being developed on top of the successful developments which are already established such as the Shops at Legacy, which brought about other commercial investors and businesses in the area. Another similar concept to the Shops at Legacy is the Austin Ranch planned apartment/condo community (actually part of a town called The Colony, TX), which doesn't offer an abundance of retail business, mainly offering hair/beauty services, a few places to eat and some business offices. A decent apartment in the West Plano area will run around an average of $950 to upwards of whatever you want to spend. West Plano's location along the Dallas Tollway makes it prime location for commuters into Dallas.
East Plano is not as commercially developed, and has a nice nature preserve however, if you travel further east from K Avenue, along the Parker area, not far from SouthFork Ranch, you will find larger lots for homes compared to other areas of Plano.
Overall, Plano is a nice place to be; very clean, police force full of college graduates, a few lakes, not completely flat with a few, very slight elevations no more than 15-50 feet. As with most of the metroplex, there's a lot of places to eat. Its almost the norm to see a Lamborghini or some other type of expensive road toy. There are people who are very wealthy here, then there are those that earn $80,000 but spend as if they earn $120,000, often overcompensating, purchasing more than they need. No State Tax, but property tax is well above the average. Vehicle registration renewals are around $65 a year per vehicle. For those concerned about Tornado's, the Tornado siren's alert us occasionally, usually in the late spring/early summer, but I haven't experienced a Tornado as of yet.
Again, The Metroplex is more or less, simply "a good place to be", and has many things to do, but I haven't found anything specific about the area that has that "must see or do" characteristic. Dallas people want to show their wealth whereas Fort Worth people are a bit less "showy". Thanks to great airports (DFW and Love Field), you can always visit other places if you need to get away as we are nowhere near a beach.
This is just my experience and observations thus far; other's may have had a different experience living here. I've lived on both coasts of the U.S., and quality of life is pretty good here.
Phil | Fort Worth, TX