A good place to raise kids, but....
-
11/28/2018
I logged into this site because my husband and I are ready to leave Plano and I wanted to compare statistics to some other areas. I think many of the points made in other reviews are still salient even thought the last review I saw was about 4 years ago. I have lived here for 18 years.
Positives:
1) It IS a great place to raise kids. The schools are good and every activity to which you might want to expose your kids is available in a nearby radius. I read in one review that the high schools here are harder than the freshman year of college and I can attest to the fact that my youngest son, who is a sophomore at a major public Texas university, made that statement just the other day. He specifically said that his freshman year at college was easier than high school. The Plano schools are more exacting even than nearby suburbs. For example, the Plano schools require comprehensive finals - other surrounding school districts do not have this policy. The schools are also very diverse. All my children had many friends from various cultures and races - hispanic, white, black, Middle eastern/Muslim, Indian and Chinese.
2) If you travel frequently, there are two airports and many non-stops from DFW international (home to American Airlines ) or even Love Field (home to Southwest airlines)
Now that we are in our 50s, still productive professionally, but done raising kids, we are ready to find someplace that better suits our personalities as we go into our last decade of professional life. We want to find someplace we would like to settle long term and make friends there BEFORE we retire. Plano is just not that place, and here is where I get to the negative side. I also agree with many of the complaints expressed about Plano in other reviews.
1) The area is aesthetically boring, not pretty, and we want to be outside - hiking and biking in a prettier setting, or at least somewhere that is within a short day trip to some really pretty places. They say people come to Dallas to do business, not for the scenery, and that is definitely true! 2) The culture here IS very politically conservative and pretentious. Here is an example - last Christmas we went to a local church that we attended regularly for several years and the pastor told a story about how he had to PAY someone to put up his Christmas tree. What??!! The congregation collectively thought this was funny. I see it as "classic" Plano. This church isn't even on the ritzy side of Plano. Yes, there is a range, even within Plano, progressively increasing in income level (in general) going from east (low) to west (higher). I've always felt a bit uncomfortable living here - like it was not quite home, mostly due to that braggy, pretentious culture. Maybe my mid-western roots are showing, I don't know. Plano is politically conservative even for Texas. I felt like I was slightly left of center before moving here. Here, I try to stay quiet about my views. I have found conservative friends that I greatly respect for their views and beliefs, but many are bullies about it. They don't know the meaning of the phrase "to each their own." However, this might be said by conservatives in left leaning cities as well. 3) There are CONSTANT lane closures. I live in central Plano - built in the late 70s to early 90s. I have not been able to drive in any direction for the past 15 years without encountering a lane closure.
I guess there is no perfect place - only the perfect place for particular times of your life. If you are a young family, Plano is a good place. It is safe, everything is convenient, it is pretty diverse, and has good education. I'm just past that stage and ready to move on, so take from this review what you will...
Amy | Plano, TX