Allen

Multiple communities surround an 18-hole golf course designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer. Numerous neighborhoods make up Twin Creeks in Allen, Texas, northeast of Dallas. “I’ve lived here for 17 years and love everything about it. It’s a great place to raise a family,” says John Allen, a Realtor with RE/MAX Town & Country with over 20 years of experience. “Two pools in the neighborhood are only available to Twin Creeks residents.” Other amenities near the pool are a pocket park and walking trails. Twin Creeks has only one gated community: Wimberley Place, which has homes close to the golf course. The Golf Club at Twin Creeks incorporates natural features to blend into the surrounding landscape. Trees line the fairways while Rowlett Creek flows through the course, adding some challenges to the 18 holes. The Elkhorn Grill is a restaurant and full bar to visit before or after playing. More recreation opportunities happen at Spirit Park. Within its ample space are athletic fields where tournaments occur. There are also two playgrounds and a paved hiking and biking trail. In late 2022, a new mixed-use development called The Farm opened, featuring luxury townhouses, offices and dining. Part of the development is an indoor/outdoor food hall called the HUB—with restaurants specializing in barbecue, tacos and sliders. “That outdoor area is also open for live music events, and I think they primarily cater to Twin Creeks residents,” Allen says. The entertainment at the HUB also features family movie nights and watch parties for sporting events and popular TV shows. Each street in Twin Creeks has a suburban feel, with the homes built close to one another with sidewalks and trees on both sides. The price per square foot is just over $230, and the median square footage is over 3,000. Prices range from $500,000 for a four-bedroom with 2,000 square feet to almost $4 million for an estate with six bedrooms and nearly 9,000 square feet with a golf course view. Most houses fit in the $600,000 to $800,000 range with various HOA fees added on, depending on which section you live in. They could be as little as $60 a month to as much as $400 monthly. The neighborhood covers a large area, meaning different elementary schools serve children living in Twin Creeks. Flossie Floyd Green, Doctor E.T. Boon and Mary Evans Elementary Schools are part of the Allen Independent School District, all rated an A on Niche. Evans and Boon Elementary get A-plus grades. The elementary school runs through sixth grade. Most public-school students could attend Ereckson Middle School for grades seven through nine, also rated as an A-plus. Students can participate in robotics clubs or join the National Junior Honor Society chapter. It’s not unusual to see a stadium of 18,000 people watching the Allen High School Eagles on Friday nights during the football season. The school receives an A Niche grade and has a 97% graduation rate. Before high school, ninth graders can attend Lowery Freshman Center for one year, preparing them for life across the street at Allen High School. The school also gets an A from Niche. One of the perks of the neighborhood is the proximity to the Allen Premium Outlets, less than 5 miles to the north on the Central Expressway south of the intersection of the Sam Rayburn Tollway. There are 125 stores, including H&M, The North Face and The Nike Factory Store. Walmart Supercenter and Lowe’s are closer to the neighborhood. Grocery shopping can be done at Tom Thumb or Kroger on McDermott Drive and Sprouts Farmers Market on Exchange Parkway and Alma Drive. Watching the game and having Chicago, New York or St. Louis-style pizza can happen at 5th Street Pizza in the Twin Creeks Village Shopping Center. Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is a Western lodge-themed restaurant famous for burgers and appetizers like sweet potato tots. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen has been in the area since the neighborhood started in 2000. It’s at the eastern part of Twin Creeks near the Central Expressway. There is no public transportation system in Allen. However, those 65 and older who need transportation can schedule a ride through Collin County Rides. Those who use the service need to show proof of disability. Dallas Area Rapid Transit, or DART, light rail does not reach Allen. The closest rail stop is in Plano, 7 miles south.

Watters Crossing is the cornerstone of convenience in this Allen, Texas neighborhood, minutes from shopping, dining and parks, including the Watters Creek Village. “Everything you need is there,” says Maureen Tedesco, a Realtor with RE/MAX Four Corners who has 15 years of experience in real estate. “When I visit friends there, we joke that it’s our own private island and we don’t have to leave the island.” Watters Crossing is also home to Norton Elementary and Ereckson Middle. “It’s a family-friendly area with good schools and plenty of shopping,” says Matt Norton, a Realtor with Janus Group/Norton Real Estate Team, who sells homes in the area. “It pretty much sells itself.” With the sprawl of the neighborhood, there are a myriad of home styles built from the 1990s to the present day. Most of the neighborhood consists of single-family homes, where townhomes can range from $269,000 to $500,000. New Traditional, Tudor-Revival and modern homes can range from $509,000 to $1.65 million. “It’s got something for everybody,” Tedesco says. There are plenty of other styles mixed throughout, from single-story Craftsman and ranch-style to Mediterranean estates and custom-built homes with Tudor Revival influences that have almost 7,000 square feet that cost just over $2 million. Homes in Watters Crossing typically sell within a month. “It’s still a strong market,” says Norton. “It’s slowed down a little bit like everywhere else, but it’s still strong.” Homeowner associations dot the area, with monthly prices starting at $35 and reaching over $300. “It’s a very pretty area. You’ll see lots of crape myrtle trees,” says Tedesco. “The way they have landscaped it is really nice.” Most of the neighborhood is part of Allen Independent School District, where children begin at Norton Elementary for kindergarten through sixth grade before attending Ereckson Middle School for seventh and eighth grade. Ninth graders attend the Lowery Campus, before attending the main campus at Allen High School, which earns an A from Niche. Home of the Eagles, the high school sports a $60 million, 18,000-seat football stadium, dubbed Eagles Stadium. “Friday Night Lights is a real thing here. It’s not just football. It’s marching band. It’s cheerleaders. It’s a whole event,” says Tedesco. “It’s fun. It brings the community together.” The school also has Advanced Placement, the International Baccalaureate program and dual credit courses. Watters Crossing Park is filled with mature trees and a paved path with a playground, basketball court, sand volleyball court and more. “You can get on the walking trails and walk for miles and miles. It’s really pretty. It follows the creek and a lot of it is shaded, which is nice in Texas. You can ride your bike there too,” says Tedesco. “The trail is a big selling point. People want a place where they can walk with their kids. It’s very family-friendly.” The Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve has 72 acres with trails weaving throughout. Suncreek Park, in comparison, is just 13 acres and has a sand volleyball court, green space and a cricket field. Across the road is The Trail at the Woods, an unpaved path along Rowlett Creek. There are two golf courses, The Courses at Watters Creek, a public golf course, and The Golf Club at Twin Creeks, a semi-private club, right next to the neighborhood. Watters Creek Village sits along Route 75, and this outdoor plaza has everything from groceries at Market Street, clothing stores like Anthropologie and a variety of salons. “The biggest draw to the area is the closeness to Watters Creek Village shopping center. The shopping and restaurants are great,” says Tedesco. “It has a little creek that runs through it, where your kids can play and see the ducks.” For dining out at Watters Creek Village, try Fish City Grill for seafood with a southern twist, such as salmon barbeque and Cajun crawfish tacos. Afterward, head to The Lion & Crown, an English-style pub, for live music and a cold Guinness. U.S. Route 75 provides a straight shot to Dallas. “It’s a great location. You can be in downtown Dallas in 20 minutes, with no traffic,” Norton says. Route 75 begins at the Canadian border and ends just south of Dallas. Allen doesn’t have any public transportation, but there are trails throughout the neighborhood. The Concerts By The Creek – Fall Series takes place in September and October every Saturday at Watters Creek Village. The Connemara Conservancy offers aerial yoga on Saturday and Sunday. Half a mile east, the Allen Heritage Guild runs the Allen Depot, a museum dedicated to how the city has grown since it was first established. The Depot is open the second and fourth Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.