Mansfield

With a prime location between Dallas and Fort Worth, a lake in one direction, a historic downtown in the other and surrounded by sprawling green spaces, Heritage Estates offers a unique blend of suburban and rural living close to big-city amenities. “You’re also close to walking trails, parks and golf courses, which is a plus, and you have access to the freeway,” says Mary Barakat, a Realtor with Century 21 Judge Fite and longtime Mansfield resident. “There are also a lot of schools nearby, and the schools in Mansfield are all highly rated. “It’s really convenient for everything.” While Heritage Estates initially gives off a suburban feel, residents are surrounded by opportunities to explore the outdoors. Carved out among the subdivisions near the community's southern edge, the 80-acre Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park offers kayaking and fishing along Walnut Creek and a boardwalk where residents can enjoy a relaxing rural escape. The park also has an amphitheater, provides summer education programming and is home to the popular Walnut Creek Linear Trail. Connecting five parks, three neighborhoods and the Philip Thompson Soccer Complex, hikers will love walking among the canopy of pecan trees, scenic overlooks at Walnut Creek and the historic railroad bridge, “Jeffryes Crossing.” Via the Texas 360 Toll Bridge running along the eastern edge, residents can easily reach Walnut Creek Paddling Trail and Loyd Park in 5 miles, which sits right along the shore of Joe Pool Lake. The expansive park offers hiking and equestrian trails, over 200 campsites, swimming and a boat ramp. Just over the northern edge of Heritage Estates is Webb Community Park, 70 acres of space offering something for everyone, including a fishing pond, basketball court, splashpad and skatepark. Seasoned and beginner golfers can work on their swing at Walnut Creek Country Club, just a mile west of the neighborhood. The club, which offers two 18-hole courses, has been named one of the best country clubs since 2020 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by Avid Golfer and provides a resort-style pool, pickleball courts and three restaurants. The community is comprised of several subdivisions populated almost exclusively with brick homes on quiet, walkable streets. From traditional, ranch-style homes to several models of multilevel dwellings, the typical community residence offers a large private driveway, spacious front yards and plenty of garage space. Construction began in the late 1990s, but most homes were built in the early 2000s. And development is still on the rise in Heritage Estates. “When we moved here almost 20 years ago, there wasn’t much in Mansfield, but the city has grown significantly, and it’s still growing – every day,” Barakat says. Prices range from $320,000 for a three-bedroom, 1,500-square-foot property to $800,000 for a four-bedroom, 3,600-square-foot home. Ladera Mansfield Condominiums is the newest collection of homes, a 55-plus gated development with resort-style extras, including a clubhouse, pool and pickleball courts. Condos here range from two bedrooms starting at $470,000 to three for $567,000, with homeowners’ association fees topping out at $500. Another community highlight is the Southwind subdivision, where homes are similarly priced, and residents can access a neighborhood park anchored by a popular swimming pool. “Home values tend to hold here. The city has done a good job of bringing in great restaurants, the streets are taken care of, and schools are being built all the time,” says Barakat. “All that together keeps the values up.” Additional recently sold homes, like those in the upscale Strawberry Fields subdivision, have gone for over $1.3 million. These grand homes, with Spanish and Mediterranean influences, boast up to five bedrooms, 5,000 square feet of space and lots over 4 acres. Retail and dining are concentrated on opposite ends of the community. Grocers are especially prevalent, with Aldi, Kroger, Sprouts and Walmart Neighborhood Market located on the north side, while Market Street anchors a shopping center on the south side along East Broad Street. Heritage Estates residents enjoy a diverse dining scene from Little Seoul, a family-run Korean restaurant known for its bulgogi and kimchi fries, to Akarii Revolving Sushi, which features a conveyor belt concept for displaying and serving its food. In the mornings, residents can fuel up at Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. with a traditional Yemeni coffee like Mufawaar, made with cardamom and cream and a honeycomb pastry, stop in for a casual lunch of elote mac and cheese and a pineapple margarita on the patio at El Primo Mexican Grill & Cantina and enjoy a peach cobbler ice cream cone for dessert at Getcha Sum Ice Cream Shop. For more shopping options, Mansfield Town Center is only a 4-mile drive northwest of the neighborhood, and 4 miles south lies Historic Downtown Mansfield. Dating back to the 1800s, this is the beating heart of the city and is overflowing with locally owned boutiques, eateries and things to do. Mansfield Independent School District serves the area, and local students attend Martha Reid Elementary, Della Icenhower Intermediate for fifth and sixth grades and James Coble Middle for seventh and eighth grades and finish at Mansfield High School. Della Icenhower received an A-minus grade on Niche, and all other schools earned an A. Martha Reid offers skating fundraisers and a broadcast club. Mansfield High provides a creative writing club and volleyball and tennis teams. Oliver Nature Park is a hub for community activity year-round. From bird hikes to scavenger hunts, night fishing and the annual Monarch Festival in May, there are always events going on. The city itself also hosts a variety of events and celebrations for residents. In June and July, the city hosts Mansfield Rocks, with live music and fireworks show downtown. Music Alley is also another annual celebration in historic downtown that takes place in April. The free art and music fest offers three stages of music, artist vendors, competitions and street performers. Mansfield also hosts a Veterans Day parade and a Halloween celebration all October long across downtown. Access to travel and work commutes outside the community is made easy by two nearby freeways. “Mansfield is considered a centralized location between Dallas and Fort Worth, so you can slip out of the little city to the bigger city whenever you want,” says Barakat. State Road 360, which forms the community’s east side, connects directly to Interstate 20, which gets residents to Dallas in 27 miles. State Road 287, located 2 miles west of the community, leads directly into Fort Worth – a 21-mile drive from the neighborhood. Residents can also reach the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in 21 miles. Residents will need a car as there is no public transit.

Affectionally named the Pickle Capital of Texas, Downtown Mansfield has been growing since its beginnings at the crossroads of Main and Broad Streets in the late 1800s. While the pickle moniker is fun and dubbed for being the home of Best Maid, and it's an annual parade and palooza each March to celebrate that fact, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Downtown Mansfield is a growing community with a location just about 20 miles south of Dallas and Fort Worth. While growth has come in all forms, from population to commercial development, things still settle around the two roads that started town. “It is a great place to raise a family,” says Dustin Dangli, the Mansfield Communications and Public Affairs Manager. “We are annually listed among the safest cities in Texas, our park system is accredited, and we have a strong school system. Our old motto was ‘minutes from everywhere, second to none.’ While still true, the growth in Mansfield has made a bedroom community into a place where people want to live and stay.” The home inventory in downtown Mansfield is older than some of the other places in the city. Featuring well-manicured lawns and the occasional mature tree that provides an ounce of shade, neighborhoods are lined with contemporary brick ranch homes with a handful of mixed-in bungalows. Other architectural styles include Victorian and Craftsman, which adds to the selection for inquiring home buyers. Prices range from $300,000 for a three-bedroom ranch home to around $640,000 for a four-bedroom Craftsman. “We are striving to build neighborhoods here and not subdivisions. We want people to be able to go home, shop at the store on the corner for groceries and work just a little bit down the road,” Dangli says. Public school children are zoned for the Mansfield Independent School District, which grades as an A on Niche and serves students in the city of Mansfield, as well as sections of Arlington, Grand Prairie, Burleson, Fort Worth, Venus, Alvarado and Kennedale. Downtown Mansfield students can attend Annette Perry Elementary, Mary Orr Intermediate, Worley Middle, and Legacy High School. Perry Elementary registers an A-minus from Niche, but each other school earns an A. Legacy High opened in 2007 and offers several clubs and activities. It is the alma mater of Major League Baseball pitcher Noah Syndergaard. In October 2023, the Mansfield Parks and Recreation Department was awarded CAPRA accreditation, the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies. The certification measures the overall quality of the department’s operation, management and administration. Some of the city’s green spaces include Katherine Rose Memorial Park, built on land that was initially a pecan orchard. The paved half-mile walking and biking trail serves as the trailhead for the Walnut Creek Trail, which connects the park to Town Park and James McKnight Park. There is also a pond, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts and horseshoe pits. “Our mayor says you always bump into people from outside of the city in our parks, and that is how they connect to the city,” says Dangli. In October 2023, the Mansfield Parks and Recreation Department was awarded CAPRA accreditation, the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies. The certification measures the overall quality of the department’s operation, management and administration. Some of the city’s green spaces include Katherine Rose Memorial Park, built on land that was initially a pecan orchard. The paved half-mile walking and biking trail serves as the trailhead for the Walnut Creek Trail, which connects the park to Town Park and James McKnight Park. There is also a pond, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts and horseshoe pits. “Our mayor says you always bump into people from outside of the city in our parks, and that is how they connect to the city,” says Dangli. One of the oldest intact downtowns remaining in Texas, the crossroads of Main and Broad Streets continues to be a hot spot for shopping, dining and entertainment since its beginnings in the late 1800s. While some historic buildings remain, they are now occupied by shops and stores. Locals can dine at places like the Flying Squirrel Coffee Shop, enjoy a collection of three restaurants and brewery outside at The Backyard, try a craft and locally brewed beer from Dirty Job Brewing or have a fancy meal at Meehan’s Chophouse, a fine dining establishment. Downtown Mansfield also features many locally owned businesses like the Antique Mall of Mansfield and Western Hippies Sip and Shop. There is almost something for everyone in terms of entertainment, from art galleries like the Lil' Blue Goat, owned by a local artist, to the Farr Best Theater, which opened originally in 1917 and has been restored to host local theater group performances and other shows. While the downtown shops are locally owned, residents can shop for groceries and other household items at national brands such as Lowe’s, Marshall’s, Walmart and Target along US-287. A city tradition since 2012, the World’s Only St. Paddy’s Pickle Parade & Palooza takes over downtown each March around St. Patrick’s Day. The free event is kicked off with the Pickle Parade, which features the Pickle Queens, Pickle Protectors, and, of course, the Pickle Dude, along with other floats and entertainers. Right after the parade, the Pickle Palooza gets underway with a full day of family-friendly events, including live music, a vendor market, a food court and pickle contests. The city also holds numerous other events, including Hometown Holidays, Independence Day celebration, and the Halloween Haunt the Block party that brings families downtown to trick-or-treat at local businesses. A lot of the community events are held at The Lot Downtown, which is a green space with a stage. The venue annually hosts events from fundraisers to a farmers' market. Downtown Mansfield has over 1,000 parking spaces within a 10-minute walk of downtown. Once residents drive there, they can leave their cars as they walk around the shops and restaurants. Downtown Mansfield is along United States Highway 278, which connects the area to the rest of the Metroplex. Downtown Mansfield is located about 20 miles or so from Arlington, Dallas, and Fort Worth.