Are you a retiree planning to relocate to Plano, Texas, or perhaps wishing to find a job there? You must have heard good things about living in Plano, but like other cities, there are both pros and cons to living in Plano, TX. So, let’s check them all out.
Is Plano, Texas the right fit for you?
Located in Collin County, Plano lies North of Dallas near the Northern Dallas border. From someone coming from Downtown Dallas, it’s about 17 miles North on the Dallas North Tollway or the North Central Texas Expressway 75. Both Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport are located at a 25-30 minutes convenient drive from Plano.
The Dallas North Tollway also provides access to retail shopping centers and corporate businesses in the metroplex, while the North Central Texas Expressway 75 provides access to Downtown Dallas.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency in Dallas that provides public buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes access to twelve of its suburbs. The DART Red Rail and Orange Lines serve the Downtown Plano, Texas station.
Texas Plano: A safe & popular place or not?
Plano is a popular place for retirees and people relocating with their families to DFW and surrounding areas. Moreover, it is home to many corporate headquarters and major operations of companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Liberty Mutual, FedEx, Toyota Motor North America, Pepsico, Frito Lay, Hewlett Packard, CapitalOne, etc.
Four highways surround Plano, so accessibility to other surrounding areas is very easy from the city. A number of people working in Dallas can easily commute to and from Plano.
The city boasts great neighborhoods and has been ranked the third best city to raise families in America due to its excellent education system, low crime rates, and affordable living.
It is the 9th most populous city in Texas, with a population above 280,000 and comprising 56 neighborhoods. The median household income in Plano is around $83,000, more than the national average.
Although the cost of living in Plano might be a little higher for many people coming from other cities, Plano’s higher average salary rate makes it more affordable for them to live in this city.
Plano Magazine: Legacy Hall & community service
One of the most famous places in Plano is its Legacy Food Hall, mentioned in Plano Magazine. It has over 20 restaurants, multiple bars, and an outdoor concert stage.
The Hall often holds events and games on weekends and is a perfect place to visit for young professionals looking for professional sports and families with children.
Another positive aspect of Plano is its community service, where everyone is ever ready to give a helping hand to those in need.Minnie’s Food Pantry and North Texas Food Bank are the top community services mentioned in the city’s Magazine, helping fight hunger in Plano.
Pros of living in Plano, Texas
Some people would prefer to live in a smaller city among a tight-knit community, while others would feel at home in a larger city. What makes a city great is that it delivers on the needs and wants of its residents.
There are a lot of factors that make a city excellent and flawed due to what people are expecting from it. So let’s find out what are the pros of living in Plano, Texas:
Housing prices
A median home price in Plano TX is around $445,000 for a 2400 square feet home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, built in 1986.
But let’s break down the payment amount to understand how much you will pay in monthly installments.
Suppose you put 20% as a down payment for a 2400 square foot median home of $445,000 with a 3% interest rate on annual property taxes.
If you calculate its average at 2.25%, it means you’ll have to pay $2350 as a monthly installment, including principal interest and property tax.
Plano is divided into Central, East, and West Plano, indicating the difference in housing prices in each.
39% of Plano residents pay rent, while 61% own their living space. The average monthly rent is $1,277, and the median monthly rent is $2,000 in the city.
The East and West Plano have newer, luxury-style housing options, such as ranch-style estates, while Central Plano has older, moderate, and affordable housing prices.
Plano’s most affluent neighborhoods you can find to live in are Normandy Estates, Willow bend, Whiffletree, Avignon, and Forest Creek Estates.
These neighborhoods boast of being relatively crime free and have a high level of employment and income.
With the cuts in the city’s housing prices, list-to-sale ratio, and average time on the market, it is not difficult to understand why it is considered a buyer’s market.
Strong economy & Jobs
Texas state has the second-strongest economy in America, with Plano also having an excellent economy.
Another pro to living in the city is that Plano offers tons of job opportunities due to being home to vast corporate headquarters and principal operations of prominent brands.
While the location of the companies in Plano might not be convenient for someone commuting from Downtown, the city does offer multiple job opportunities, mainly concentrated in the Legacy West Area along the North Dallas Tollway.
Also, Plano’s population consists of highly skilled management and technical professionals.
This means the economy is flourishing in Plano. It could easily be called the best location for a corporate job, so you won’t face any trouble finding work that fits your skillset in the city.
Schools
Being a Plano resident means you have access to the best school districts.
The city boasts great schools in the whole DFW operated by Plano Independent School District and has a 97% literacy rate.
If you consider the other housing prices in top-ranking schools districts in DFW, Plano provides one of the best values in affordable living and public schools.
West Plano senior high school has a 9 out of 10 scores by Greatschools, making it one of Plano’s top-ranking ISD schools. In comparison, Plano West senior high school gets 8 out of 10 ratings.
It is renowned for its International Baccalaureate program that all eligible ISD students can enroll in irrespective of where they live in Plano.
The Plano senior high school in Central Plano Plano senior high offers 31 of the 34 available AP Advanced Placement courses. It is famous for administering the second most AP exams in the entire USA.
So, any family relocating to Plano can find an abundance of academic opportunities for their children in senior and junior high schools as well as elementary schools.
Plano’s top-rated government schools include Jasper High school, Vandeventer Middle School, Mary Evans Elementary School, and Liberty High School.
In addition, Southern Methodist University and the campus of Dallas Baptist University boast incredible Ph.D. programs.
Moreover, 56.6% of adults have completed four-year undergraduate programs, master’s degrees, or even a Ph.D.
Nature Preserve
Although Plano has no beaches or mountains, it has abundant green spaces. If you love visiting places with stunning nature, the city has various parks and hiking trails.
There is Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve Trails, where a Balloon Festival is hosted every year.
While Arbor Hills Nature Preserve has hike and bike trails offering splendid views of the forest and praise.
Near Downtown Haggard Park is another place with a gazebo, picnic tables, and offering live music, and a host of other activities.
Cons of living in Plano, Texas
Just like pros, there are cons of living in a particular place.
However, the cons might be pros for you, while others might take it as the negative aspect of an area.
But both pros and cons are subjective to your needs.
So here are some of the cons of living in Plano, TX, and some of them might be debatable:
Location
Suppose you have a job in Downtown Dallas then your work proximity to Plano matters.
During rush hour, there is an increase in traffic in Plano, which could take you from 30 minutes to reach your work location.
Traffic on Central Texas 75 Expressway sometimes could be unexpectedly higher, so it could take around one hour or above to commute.
If you live in East Plano, you can bypass the rush hour traffic by taking the DART Red Line Downtown.
However, you would still have to travel from the train station to your workplace.
In comparison, when there is a decrease in traffic, it would only take 16 to 20 minutes to reach Downtown Dallas to Plano.
So, it would be wise to live near your workplace.
Weather
Another con that is kind of debatable is Plano’s weather.
If you are relocating from Northeast-Midwest, Las Vegas, or Phoenix, the city’s weather won’t trouble you at all.
In fact, it will be an improvement for you.
However, if you don’t have any experience with Texas weather, you might feel uncomfortable living in Plano.
Tornadoes, heavy rain, and hail also occur a lot in the city.
Plano winters are mild, with no snow or a little snow once every couple of years.
The coldest month is January, with an average high temperature of 56C and an average low temperature of 37C.
The winters are manageable; however, the summers are hot, with July to August being the hottest months.
During that time, the average temperature can get as high as 96C or as low as 77C.
However, you won’t feel like someone has put you in an oven as you would think in Vegas and Phoenix.
But if you are relocating from the Pacific Coast, adjusting to the Texas weather would take time.
The temperature cools off in the fall season, but it stays humid. Though, it won’t feel sticky like in Houston.
The springtime is extremely wet with lots of rain happening.
However, the optimal time of the year is from late September till early May.
Lack of nightlife
You may or may not find a lack of entertainment as a con depending upon your priority for a nightlife.
Unlike Dallas, Plano, Texas could be considered a sleepy suburb, and the pace of life is relatively slow in the city.
Despite that, if you don’t mind the lack of nightlife, Plano offers tons of restaurants, bars, and shopping malls in the Legacy West area of Plano, which is also referred to as the entertainment capital.
So, it really depends on what you are looking for.
If you are at the stage of your life when nightlife is at the top of your list of priorities, you might find Plano lacking on that front.
However, if nightlife is not your priority, you’re never going to be at a loss for good entertainment in Plano
FAQs
Is living in Plano expensive?
The cost of living in Plano, Texas, is 7% higher than the national average.
However, factors such as your average salary, career, and the real estate market in a specific area influence the cost of living.
What are the top places to visit in Plano, TX?
Plano’s most popular places to visit are Interurban Railway Museum, Heritage Farmstead Museum, Oak Point Park, Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Haggard Park, and Legacy Food Hall.
How’s the housing market in Texas Plano?
The housing market in Plano is doing quite well as the property value in the city rises every year.
The median home value in Plano is $336,000, with a listing price of $389,900.
Want to relocate to Plano, Texas? Contact us for more information
Hopefully, by now, you know everything there is to know about moving and the pros and cons of living in Plano, TX.
If you are a retiree, a person seeking a job in a corporate city, or a family person wanting to relocate for excellent academic opportunities, we can assist in moving you to Plano.
We are a team of licensed realtors located in Dallas, ready to help you with your real estate needs.
Our main goal is to showcase every inch of Plano, Dallas, and its surrounding areas through our YouTube Channel so you can choose the best location that fits your lifestyle.
We have a proven record of working with several clients from all over the world and relocating them to Plano, Dallas, and its surrounding areas.
Check out our Youtube channel for a realistic intake on living in Plano, Texas.
It will provide you with all information regarding Plano neighborhoods, new construction in the city, schools, cost of living, and the pros and cons of relocating to Plano or Dallas, Texas.
More videos will be dropping on information about the cost of living in Dallas, Plano, and more areas, so keep a lookout for them.
Contact us anytime at your feasibility. Whether day, night, or weekend, we are here to help.
You can directly call us at 214-310-0757 or leave an email at [email protected]. Our team will respond instantly.
You can also comment below our YouTube videos to learn more about the real estate market in Plano and Dallas.
We try to cover every neighboring area in our videos. For more information about our real estate company, visit our website: www.dustinpitts.com or office at Address: 4131 N Central Expressway Suite.
