Is Plano, Texas, a good place to live? If you are relocating to Plano, TX, your first thought would be, is it a good place to live? Perhaps you are wondering which will be the best neighborhood to settle down in and what will be the cost of living there?
Before starting your home search, you must consider several factors that can affect your choice of an area. For instance, nearby schools, amenities, demographics, and the local community will play an essential role in your decision to relocate.
Hence, in this blog, you’ll learn the most vital things about Plano before deciding to move there. We’ll cover everything if you want to know about job opportunities in Plano, public schools, or housing prices. So, let’s have a brief look at those points.
Is Plano, Texas a good place to live? : Things to know
Plano, a city in Texas, is approximately 19-20 miles north of Downtown Dallas. In addition, it is only a 26 minutes drive from the DFW International Airport.
You can easily take a bus, taxi or town car to the airport. A tram is also available from the Downtown Plano Station.
It comprises over 260,000 Plano residents and is home to six Fortune 1000 companies. According to Wallethub, Plano was awarded the Best City for Families in 2014.
The city of Plano is also famous for its exceptional education system and highly regarded Plano Independent School District.
The US Department of Education has awarded twenty-three ISD schools the National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence.
Plano boasts 3,000 acres of nature preserve and biking and hiking trails. It also provides ample recreation facilities, splash pads, pools, lakes, and outdoor activities.
This city has an abundance of restaurants featuring cuisine from around the world, coffee shops, bars, shopping centers, and entertainment options. Let’s check out what more Plano offers:
The cost of living in Plano, TX, is higher
The cost of living in Plano is higher than the national average. A house of 2500 square feet with four bedrooms will cost around $515,000 here. Also, the pricing is on par with the entire Collin County.
Towards the south of Dallas County, the average home price falls around $360,000, but that’s because the real estate market is different there.
On the other hand, Plano is a much newer and coveted area with a proximity to an assortment of necessities and landmarks. Due to its prime location, the real estate here costs much more than in Dallas and the entire of Texas.
However, the median household income in Plano is $96,348, which is more than the national $64,994. So, that’s why the city of Plano makes for affordable living.
There are several opportunities for young professionals
Plano offers tons of job opportunities for professionals. Between 2018 to 2021, 114 companies moved their headquarters from California to Northern Texas. A lot of those companies found a home in Plano.
The city of Plano is the epicenter of Texas and the base of talent. It has plenty of office spaces, and you’ll find all kinds of tech, finance, consumer goods, and retailer companies in great concentration here.
Plano is home to corporate headquarters such as JP Morgan, Samsung, Siemens, Toyota, Frito Lay, etc. The unemployment rate here is meager at 2.7%, lower than the national average of 3.6%. So, if you are moving to Plano, you won’t lack in the job department.
There are a lot of entertaining things to do
It may come as a surprise for you that Plano offers plenty of recreational opportunities. You won’t have to leave the city to find fun and entertainment.
Also, there are tons of dining, eating, and recreational activities to do in Plano. This city has all kinds of Chinese, Japanese, Mediterranean, and Indian delicacies and mom-and-pop places.
Specifically, the Legacy West Plano area has more upscale restaurants, steakhouses, and dining-in options. There is even a Food Hall at Legacy West consisting of 20 restaurants offering sushi, ramen, pizza, fried chicken, burgers, and sweet treats.
Besides the food, the Food Hall also provides craft brews, wines, and regular drinks. If you want to visit Legacy West with your friends or family, the restaurants here boast a cafeteria-style. So, there is plenty of space to settle around, eat, talk, and enjoy.
If you are following a highly active lifestyle, Plano also presents a good deal of outdoor activities. The Oak Point Park and Arbor Hills Nature Preserve are two of the best places to visit in this city.
Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve is Plano’s largest park covering a whopping 800 acres of woodland. It features lush meadows, tree lines, a large pond, and hiking and biking trails.
Arbor Hills is a 200-acre scenic park with a pavilion, a playground, jogging, hiking, biking concrete, and unpaved trails.
A lot of houses are old
An average home in Plano dates back to 1991. But most of the housing in Plano dates back to the 70s and 80s with eight-foot ceilings, especially in Central Plano.
However, there are some newer houses built in the 90s and 2000s on the side of East Plano and West Plano. This city saw some newer construction of townhouses and single-family homes in the past couple of years. The infield development is still ongoing.
You can always choose a newer neighborhood if you are not a fan of older homes. However, if you want to be close to your job in Plano, you may have to deal with living in an older home.
But the older neighborhoods are really well-established, the landscaping is excellent, locations are most coveted, and the real estate market is competitive. In older areas, the sense of community is also strong, which you may not find in the newer suburbs.
Plano city boasts great neighborhoods
Plano’s best neighborhoods include Lakeside on Preston, Willow Bend, Normandy Estates, Kings Ridge, and Avignon Windhaven.
The neighborhoods with the most affordable housing include Estates at Russell Creek, Praire Creek Estates, Shadow Run, Old Towne, and Oak Pointe.
In these neighborhoods, there are all kinds of apartments, ranch-style estates, and single-family homes with low or high maintenance. The architecture is designed with a keen eye and consists of modern, Spanish, and French styles.
An average home in Plano will cost around $330,000. A five-bedroom home can cost $470,000, whereas a three-bedroom house will stand at $350,000.
The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Plano is $1,164 per month, and a three-bedroom home will incur $2,245 rent. A five-bedroom home will have an average rent of $2,695. So, overall it’s pretty affordable living in Plano because the median income is also higher.
Plano has the best schools in the state
Plano has some of the best elementary, middle, and senior high schools in Texas state even in the entire US. The quality of a good school may vary depending on your perspective.
Some families may look at schools that provide the best sports programs, whereas others may look for quality education. But overall, high-rated schools have a direct influence on real estate value.
The neighborhoods that have quality education are more in demand than other places. You would definitely want to relocate to such a place because if you ever sell your house again, you can get an excellent bargain.
Checking out the school ratings from reliable sources such as Niche and Greatschools is a good idea.
Public schools such as Skaggs Elementary stand at #29 among all Texas elementary schools. Furthermore, the Plano Senior High School stands at #4 among the top-rated high schools in Plano.
Plano is a walkable city
Plano provides both a tranquil and bustling lifestyle. So, if you are one of those who want a peaceful neighborhood plus access to resources nearby, it is a highly walkable city.
The nearest airport, Dallas Love Field, is a 28-minute drive from the Dallas North Tollway.
You can complete your daily tasks efficiently with a walking score of 46, a bike score of 54, and a transit score of 19. But most errands, picnic spots, and upscale shopping points will require you to have a motor vehicle.
There are 520 bus stops and 40 electric vehicle charging stations with 92 level 2 charging points and 12 rapid DC charging points in Plano.
High accessibility to other facilities
For families with kids, accessibility to parks, playgrounds, and daycare centers is a must. Plano provides sufficient parks such as Bentwood Park, Sixty Vines, and Jasmine Thai 1.
These parks provide excellent recreational facilities for the kids. You can also enjoy a walk on trails or a picnic with your family in one of those parks on a summer weekend.
Daycare centers in Plano include ABC Dayschool, Dar-Lings Learning Center, and Children’s Lighthouse.
This city has quite a few grocery stores, such as Food On The Way, Meat Plus, and Sam’s Club. Many of them also provide home delivery.
Each year the residents often look forward to many festivals. They include Suburbia Music Fest, Plano Balloon Festival, All-American Fourth, and Dickens in Historic Downtown.
FAQs: Is Plano, Texas a good place to live?
Why do people prefer to move to Plano?
Plano started as a small farming community but soon ballooned up into the most popular city in the US. Due to the excellent quality of life, proximity to necessities, and job opportunities, this city has left many tremendous metropolitan cities behind.
The cost of living in Plano might be higher than the national average, but it’s still lower than in other metropolitan cities. On top of that, this city has a low unemployment rate than the national average and a higher median income.
Are dogs allowed in Plano parks?
People can take dogs to visit the parks as long as they keep them on a leash no longer than six feet. They are also responsible for cleaning up after their pets. Though, there are many off-leash dog parks as well in Plano.
How many pets can I keep in Plano?
You can keep ten pets per family or five in a multi-family in Plano. It would help if you also had a pet permit and license. Moreover, it would be best if you also vaccinated your pet cats and dogs.
Is Plano, Texas a good place to live?
Plano is a city like no other. It offers a great suburban feel with ample amenities like restaurants, coffee shops, bars, recreational centers, and shopping malls just a short distance away.
With plenty of Fortune 1000 companies having their corporate headquarters in Plano, you’ll also get a good deal of job opportunities. In addition, it is also one of the safest cities in the US to raise a family.
Is Plano, Texas, a good place to live? Contact us for more information!
Before buying a home in Plano, it’s better to consider the cost of living, housing, amenities, education, and community in a specific area.
Each neighborhood in Plano will offer you a different quality of life. So, it’s advisable to check if Plano is a good place for you to settle down.
Luckily this city offers the best of life in terms of schools and job opportunities. It’s also one of the safest cities to raise a family.
Hopefully, our list of the most important things to know before moving to Plano will help you with what to expect from this city.
If you need more assistance, we can help you choose the best place that fits your lifestyle. We are a team of realtors located in Dallas, Texas, assisting people worldwide in relocating to Dallas and its surrounding suburbs.
In our posts, we try to cover everything about Dallas and other suburbs, from pros and cons to new construction, schools, amenities, and the cost of living.
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