Carrollton

Fifteen miles north of downtown Dallas, Southeast Carrollton offers urban conveniences and natural beauty. With lakes, parks, a golf club and intricate trails woven into the neighborhood, it's easy to see how outdoorsy folks might settle here. "All the greenbelts keep the city beautiful. It's a nice space to spend time in," says Jace Earwood, the arts coordinator at the Crosby Recreation Center on Crosby Road. Locals live south of a toll road and a few miles east of historic downtown Carrollton, with its walkable shops and restaurants. The city is full of established homes but it's making way for neighbors with a new development as its population swells — in fact, by 20% since 2020. The housing options in Southeast Carrollton cater to various tastes and preferences. Most homes were built in the '80s with an average value of about $415,000. The architecture is predominantly traditional, with brick homes ranging from ranch styles to simple bi-levels to stately neo-traditionals. These homes feature large open floor plans and windows that flood the rooms with natural light. The neighborhood is characterized by sidewalks, modest lawns, and mature trees. Some homes have front-facing chimneys, hipped roofs, and stone detailing. While a sleek, modernized neo-traditional over 3,500 square feet could go for more than $700,000, a condo or townhome might start in the $200,000s. A ranch-style home might settle between the $300,000s and $500,000s. Two school districts serve the neighborhood: Dallas Independent School District and Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. A familiar pipeline is Country Place Elementary School, Polk Middle School and Smith High School. The elementary and high earn B plus ratings from Niche while the middle school scores a B minus. Polk has a yearbook and journalism course, allowing students to gain experience writing newsletters and editing videos as they take charge of the school's weekly newsletters, video announcements and yearbook. Most locals hop in their car to get around. Addison Airport is just outside the neighborhood to the east for flying convenience. Some neighbors say they do hear the planes whirring past; for others, it blends into the background for them. Dallas Love Field is around 13 miles south via the Dallas North Tollway. Carrollton Regional Medical Center is on North Josey Lane. DART bus and rail serves Carrollton with trains running through Trinity Mills Station. Carrollton broke ground on a $1 billion redevelopment of the station in 2023. The city is currently re-shaping it into a mixed-use, urban village with 430 multi-family units and work-play spaces, making way for new neighbors. There are a few eateries in Southeast Carrollton, including El Portal Cafe for Columbian. More restaurants line the beltway; so does Addison Town Center, with a Kroger and Target. Downtown Carrollton, 4 miles away, has a quaint historic square. Locals can stop by Gratitude Vintage Clothing to explore one-of-a-kind garb, then head to C2 Cafe for lunch before dinner and a show at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre. Five miles northwest is Carrollton's Koreatown, with its own range of eateries and shops, and there is a Korean house of worship off Josey Lane. For family fun, the Dallas North Aquarium is 5 miles from home on East Trinity Mills Road. The Greenbelt in Southeast Carrollton encompasses a lot, including the Maridoe Golf Course, Jimmy Porter Park, and Josey Ranch Sports Complex. "The sports complex has everything from soccer to baseball fields to our two lakes with walking trails around them. We also host a Special Needs Bash there each Spring — it's a free event with games and free lunch for all who attend," Earwood adds. "Our Senior Center, the Josey Ranch Library and our Veteran's Memorial are all in the same area. We also have our Pocket Prairie. It's a collection of native flowers and prairie grasses where we do our ladybug releases." Several trails weave throughout the Greenbelt. For more family fun, the Dallas North Aquarium is 5 miles from home and Lewisville Lake is 18 miles away.

At times overlooked by flashier neighbors, Frisco and Plano, the Meadow Ridge/Harvest Run community offers quiet suburban living with plenty of opportunities to explore the outdoors. Yet, it is easily accessible to the big-city. A suburb of Carrollton, Texas, the community is only 7 miles from the city’s historic downtown, 12 miles from Frisco and less than 20 miles from Dallas. Residents have multiple entertainment, dining and shopping opportunities at their fingertips. “If I had to pick one word to describe it, I would say it’s a gem,” says Teresa Cain, Realtor with TEXEL-Elite Homes of Texas and lifelong Dallas and Plano resident. “There’s a variety of home sizes and styles, and it’s perfectly situated. You’re close to all the major highways, but you still get that neighborhood feel.” Regardless of which subdivision in Meadow Ridge/Harvest Run homebuyers choose, newcomers will find upscale homes on quiet, winding streets lined with sidewalks. Most homes were built in the early 1990s, and prices throughout Meadow Ridge/Harvest Run range from $360,000 for a 1,300-square-foot, three-bedroom to over $1 million for a 3,400-square-foot, five-bedroom home. Buyers looking for smaller homes can find them in The Highlands and Arbor Creek, where brick ranch-style homes are standard. Newcomers who need something a little larger and have the budget will find a variety of luxury options, expansive lots with pools and resort-style backyards in the Estates of High Country subdivision. Homes here range from two-story traditional architecture to grand southern-style homes with Georgian columns and wrap-around porches to secluded contemporary properties surrounded by towering trees with gardens, greenhouses and structures for horses. Oak Creek Estates and Creekside Addition subdivision offer options in the middle range, primarily two-story homes ranging from 1,900 to 4,000 square feet. Throughout the area, lot sizes run from roomy to sprawling, and lawns are tastefully landscaped, with tall trees dotting front yards and private pools and patios in backyards. The community also offers townhouses in The Shops at Prestonwood subdivision, ranging from $470,000 for a two-bedroom to $625,000 for a three-bedroom. Lewisville Independent School District serves the area -- which is the second-best district in Denton County, according to Niche -- catering to over 49,000 students. Local students can attend Indian Creek Elementary, Arbor Creek Middle and Hebron High School, all within the neighborhood. Indian Creek, which offers a student council club and STEM education, earned an A-minus on Niche, and Arbor Creek holds an A. Earning an A-plus on Niche, Hebron High boasts a marching band that consistently wins state and national competitions, as well as a basketball team and travel club. Enjoying the outdoors is convenient at the neighborhood’s 6-acre Harvest Run Park, which offers walking paths, a basketball court and a shaded playground for kids. Oak Creek Park sits at the southern end of the community and offers two playgrounds, ballfields and the attached tennis center, which boasts 12 illuminated courts and an on-site pro shop. At Courtside Sports Center off Plano Parkway, student-athletes can take fitness classes to stay in shape when the weather outside gets extreme, and residents of all ages can take yoga classes at Sahaja Yoga Meditation Center off North Josey Lane. For a deeper dive into nature, the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve sits 4 miles north of Meadow Ridge/Harvest Run. This 200-acre wildlife refuge offers miles of forested hiking trails and an observation deck that visitors can climb for picturesque views. Seasoned and beginner golfers can also work on their swings at The Clubs of Prestonwood - The Hills just below the preserve. The private, 18-hole course offers two clubhouses, pickleball, a fitness center, a pool and fine dining. “You have to be a member to golf, but there are trails in the neighborhood, and it’s really close to the nature preserve, so there are plenty of opportunities for outdoor living,” says Carla Reeves, broker and owner of Eastoria Real Estate, who sells homes in the area. Most shopping and dining are along North Josey Lane and East Hebron Parkway, which run perpendicular to the neighborhood. Residents can buy groceries at Tom Thumb and Sprout’s or travel a little farther west to reach Hebron Parkway Plaza, which includes Kohl’s, Kroger, Walmart, a bank and a pet hospital. The closest restaurants are chains like Salad and Go, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop and Wendy’s, but the family-owned Triple A Café sits in the Rosemeade Plaza strip mall farther down North Josey Lane. The no-frills diner serves omelets, skillets, burgers and other comfort fare. Mexican restaurant Los Jalapenos is also next door, offering Tex-Mex fare, giant margaritas and live music. For more unique dining, locally owned shops and entertainment options, residents can reach downtown Carrollton in 7 miles and Frisco Historic Downtown in 12 miles. Located between Sam Rayburn Toll Road and President George Bush Turnpike, residents can access Interstate 35 East quickly. From there, it's 21 miles to Dallas and 15 miles to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Public transit is convenient via Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Residents can quickly get to bus stops up and down North Josey Lane.

Named for the small creek that runs through the neighborhood, Indian Creek is full of newer constructed homes in the northern section of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. “Homes there are inexpensive and private," says local Realtor Shaune Corbett of eXp Realty LLC, who also runs a YouTube channel dedicated to real estate. This HOA populated neighborhood is also bordered by two golf courses and is full of mature trees and foliage. “The golfing is a draw for that space for sure," says Corbett. "All of the golf clubs are popular. In that space, it's definitely a golf feel. They promote it right off the main road on Hebron coming in.” Students within the neighborhood are mostly zoned to the Lewisville Independent School District and can begin at Hebron Valley Elementary School for kindergarten through fifth grade. Students can then move on to Creek Valley Middle for sixth through eighth grade where students can participate in sports such as basketball, soccer and track and field. Hebron Valley Elementary earns an A-minus from Niche while Creek Valley Middle earns an A. At Hebron High School, students can take Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses. This A-plus ranked school also has an award-winning concert and marching band, 17 sports throughout the year and over 50 clubs and organizations students can participate in. There are a few smaller parks within the neighborhood, as well as two golf courses just outside the neighborhood. The Indian Creek Golf Club, to the south of the neighborhood, has two courses of 18-holes for golfers to use, while the Coyote Ridge Golf Club has two 9-holes. To the south of the neighborhood are a few more family-oriented parks, with San Chester Park, Del Santer Park and Cedar Elm Park all including playgrounds and greenspace for residents of all ages to run through. There are also walkways connecting the parks together, sometimes corresponding with sidewalks in front of homes. To the west of the neighborhood is the American Indoor Sports Facility, where adults and children can participate in flag football and soccer as individuals looking for a team or as a team looking for a new place to play. The Branch Church - Vista Ridge meets every second Friday for a Friday Monthly Lunch Group, a casual meet-up for the men of the church. The two golf courses will also have monthly and special events; Indian Creek has a Wednesday Women’s Golf and Coyote Ridge is open to weddings and quinceañera’s. Coyote Ridge also has a country club. “The country club is open to the public, so people have drinks and socialize all together,” says Victor Vo, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman. Residents can stay within the neighborhood to shop at the Walmart Neighborhood Market to the east of the neighborhood or at the India Bazaar Carrollton to the west. Just across West Hebron Parkway are several restaurants, from grabbing brunch at Leo’s Brunch House, bubble tea from OneZo Texas – Carrollton or Tea Top Carrollton or grabbing Korean dishes at Chanmaru. About 2 miles to the southwest is The Vista, a shopping center with a Dillard’s Clearance Center. Most homes in the area were built after 1980, with New Traditional styles ranging from Colonial Revival to Italianate to ranch-style. Most homes have red or white brick outsides, with large arched windows and entry walls facing the streets. Some subdivisions may have alleys and garages in the back of homes so that way front yards only consist of landscaping and walkways. There will be some street parking due to this. Homeowner associations are common throughout the neighborhood in individual subdivision but are not all mandated. The monthly cost can range from about $28 to $203. There are also some townhomes to the north of the neighborhood, some with Colonial Revival and others with Tudor Revival styles. A townhome can begin around $400,000 reaching up to $800,000 for a 5-bedroom New Traditional Tudor Revival style home. Homes on the higher end of the price range often have two-story entryways with columns bracketing the front door. The Sam Rayburn Tollway acts as the western border of the neighborhood. This 26-mile toll road runs through the northern section of Carrollton, connecting to Interstate 35E which splits Dallas and Fort Worth. I-35E also has access to the President George Bush Turnpike, which makes an arch through the northern section of Dallas. The Hebron Train Station, for the A-Train, is about 2 miles from the southern portion of the neighborhood, arriving every 30 minutes.