Plano

Preston Park is, at first, a snapshot of the typical American suburb. Found in western Plano, this neighborhood’s initial draws for potential homebuyers are its large, modern homes and zoning for top-rated schools. Close to large commercial areas and popular recreational spots, it’s a well-rounded neighborhood; however, the true personality of Preston Park lies within its community and how residents come together. “It’s a super family-friendly neighborhood. It’s just what you think of if you’re considering moving to the suburbs,” says broker Sharon Ketko of the Sharon Ketko Group. Ketko has sold homes across the region for just over two decades. “They have awesome Halloween and Christmas parties, and neighborhood associations go all out.” Preston Park comprises several small subdivisions built across the 1980s and ‘90s. The Preston Lakes subdivision features notably large homes with over 4,500 square feet and five bedrooms. Homes in Preston Lakes have opulent fixtures, like large, wrought-iron entryways, floor-to-ceiling windows and spacious garages. Homes here are typically over $1 million. The Preston Ridge subdivision features contemporary colonials and custom single-story homes with brick facades. These homes often feature around 2,000 square feet with three to four bedrooms. Preston Ridge homes can cost anywhere between $450,000 and $750,000. The neighborhood’s southern region mainly features ranch-style and mid-century modern homes that cost around $450,000. “Some homeowners are adding contemporary features to their homes, such as painted white brick and gray stone exteriors, but for the most part, you’ll still see tan and brown brick homes throughout the area,” Ketko says. Locals enjoy shaded walks on the community’s ample sidewalk-lined streets throughout most evenings. Kids growing up in Preston Park attend schools in the Plano Independent School District, which earned an overall A-plus on Niche. Hightower Elementary is in the heart of the community and has an overall A-plus Niche rating. Of nearly 4,700 elementary schools in Texas, Niche ranked Hightower among the top 100 best overall. Frankford Middle School has a student-to-teacher ratio of 15-to-1 and an A-minus on Niche. And Plano West Senior High School has an overall A-plus and has been rated among the top high schools in the country multiple years in a row by Newsweek. The school has several successful sports teams, winning six state championships each in girls’ soccer, hockey and tennis. Residents head to one of the neighborhood’s many parks to enjoy outdoor recreation. Behind Hightower Elementary School, Arrowhead Park has a short walking trail and sports facilities like a basketball court and soccer field. The park has ample green space, ideal for picnics or kids to kick a ball around. White Rock Trail Park has a 1.2-mile trail that winds through meadows and wooded areas. The park also has a scenic lake in the center, making it a nice place to enjoy Plano’s natural beauty on a sunny day. The park also connects with Gleneagles Country Club, offering locals a nearby spot to enjoy a round of golf. Residents of Preston Park have easy access to nearby shopping at the intersection of Preston Road and Park Boulevard. Preston Park Colonnade features a Whole Foods Market, Sephora and Barnes and Noble. Preston Towne Crossing has Trader Joe’s, Ulta, Old Navy and more nationally recognized retail favorites. This intersection is also home to several popular restaurants, including Blue Goose Cantina. This colorful local chain serves Tex-Mex classics like fajitas and enchiladas in a casual setting. Locals additionally enjoy chopped salads at Flower Child, wagyu meatball pasta at Bellagreen or homemade adobos at Meso Maya Comida y Copas. Preston Park’s location makes it easy to get around the Metroplex. With the President George Bush Turnpike and Dallas North Tollway each nearby, neighborhood residents can quickly get on either highway for a trip throughout North Texas. Commuters can hop on the Dallas North Tollway for a 22-mile journey into Dallas. Healthcare is provided at Medical City Center, about 15 miles away. If locals need to catch a flight, the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is about 21 miles away.

Situated along the rolling green hills of the Ridgeview Ranch Golf Course and 10 miles from the vibrant streets of downtown Plano sits the community of Ridgeview. Ridgeview includes various neighborhoods, such as Ridgeview Ranch, Ridgeview Park, and the numerous pristine neighborhoods surrounding the golf course. “Ridgeview Ranch specifically is a master-planned community known for its amenities, like pools, parks, and trails,” says Levi Lascsak, Realtor with Exp Realty and co-host of the Living in Dallas, Texas YouTube channel. “It’s a good choice for those who want a newer home with various lifestyle options.” With sprawling greens from golf courses to parks, access to outdoor amenities is a big draw for homebuyers. Single-family homes dominate Ridgeview’s landscape, while pockets of apartments and townhouses are scattered in between. Many of these subdivisions are relatively new and were built after 2000. Suburban streets give way to new traditional brick houses dotted with blooming flowerbeds and trees across the front lawns. Most homes feature rear-entry garages, while many offer private backyard pools to combat the sweltering Texas heat. Houses in Ridgeview Ranch often sit along the golf course, offering sweeping backyard views of the scenic fairways. Price tags vary depending on the neighborhood. Townhouses with two-car attached garages range from the $300,000s to the $400,000s, while single-family homes can range from the $400,000s to the $900,000s. Schools are another reason people look at Ridgeview when considering a new home, along with a low crime score of 2 out of 10, according to the CAP Index. The Frisco Independent School District serves the community, scoring outstanding ratings on Niche. The A-rated Anderson Elementary sits in the neighborhood, though students may also attend A-rated Taylor Elementary. Students then move on to A-plus-rated schools like Fowler Middle, known for its Academic Pentathlon and Cricket Club, and Liberty High School. Hidden Meadow Park provides residents with plenty of recreation opportunities. The park has open sports fields, a basketball court and a large playground. The community also offers smaller parks like Ridgeview Park for afternoons at the playground. Russell Creek Park sits south of McDermott Road and offers numerous amenities like a volleyball court, a cricket court a fishing pond, and meandering creekside trails. The grounds are also next to the Plano Family YMCA for indoor recreation. Yet the real crown jewel of this neighborhood is the Ridgeview Ranch Golf Club, a thoughtfully designed course with meandering creeks and picturesque outcroppings along the fairways. Complete with a pro shop, practice facilities and a bar and grill, it’s easy to see why residents enjoy spending time at this public course. Shopping and dining options are always close. “You’re close to so many malls and shopping and restaurants,” says Brenda Perkins, a local Realtor with RE/MAX Premier with over 30 years of experience. Residents have a short drive west along Highway 121 to Stonebriar Centre, a large indoor shopping mall home to big box stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom and Dillard’s. Or head east for major retailers like Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Topgolf in The Village at Allen shopping center. Fuel up with breakfast at Starwood Cafe before grabbing groceries at Kroger along Coit Road. On Friday nights, locals can head to Napolis Italian Restaurant for pizza or hefty plates of pasta. Marina Indian Restaurant is another favorite for authentic cuisine or opt for afternoons on the patio with a margarita at Rusty Taco. Plano holds numerous annual events, from art shows to food festivals. Some of the most notable ones include the Plano Balloon Festival, where the sky transforms into a rainbow with endless hot air balloons every September. Along with a fireworks display, games, live entertainment and a range of delicious food vendors, residents of all ages can sit back and enjoy the festival. Another favorite is the annual Texas Music Revolution in Oak Point Park, hosted by the local country station KNYI. The area is highly car-dependent and offers easy access to Highways 190 and 121, also known as the Sam Rayburn Tollway, to get around the Dallas Metroplex quickly. The heart of Plano is about a 10 mile drive, and the streets of Dallas are about 30 miles away. Dallas Love Field Airport sits about 25 miles away for regional flights and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport for international travel. Other nearby amenities include the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center and houses of worship like Cornerstone Church.

There are a lot of reasons to love Willow Bend. Locals list its proximity to shopping, easy access to nearby highways, and the beloved Gleneagles Country Club as reasons for settling in this west Plano neighborhood. “It’s simple, it’s beautiful, very pretty, surrounded by the golf courses,” says Kimberly Woodard, a Plano local who lives in Willow Bend and works as a Realtor for Ebby Halliday Realtors. “When you drive over to this area, it’s a very beautiful part of our city. It makes it an area where when people buy here, they stay here, they don’t want to move.” As one of the more expensive parts of the metro, Willow Bend specializes in luxury housing for residents who want to stay connected to the entire Metroplex. Willow Bend is filled with luxury properties inspired by French and Spanish styles. Classic brick homes with curved entryways and prominent pitched shapes are built alongside houses with overlapping red tile roofs. Most properties have luxury features like three-car garages and extravagant backyard swimming pools. The fronts of residences are accented with walkable sidewalks and the shade of mature trees. Houses in Willow Bend start at around $700,000 for a traditional brick home and can reach up to $2 million for a five-bedroom structure. It is also not uncommon to find properties pushing 8,000 square feet listed for around $4 million. Willow Bend is zoned within the well-rated Plano Independent School District. Centennial Elementary School, Renner Middle School and Shepton High School all earn an A score from Niche. Plano West Senior High School, which serves students in 11th and 12th grade, received an A-plus score from Niche. The school was ranked in Newsweek’s top 1% of American high schools between 2010 and 2016 and is acclaimed for its technical engineering courses and multiple athletic victories in women’s basketball, track, soccer, and tennis. The University of Texas at Dallas is one of the most popular college choices for students at Plano West Senior High, and the campus is less than 7 miles away from Willow Bend. The residential communities in Willow Bend are built around the Gleneagles Country Club. The club is beloved for its 18-hour hole “King” and “Queen” courses, as well as its pools, tennis courts and kids’ club. One of the largest public parks near Willow Bend is Windhaven Park, which is next to Renner Middle School and Plano West Senior High School. The gem of the park is Tom Muehlenbeck Recreation Center, which is packed with an indoor track, a martial arts dojo, a game room, and indoor and outdoor pools with water slides. Willow Bend’s proximity to the Dallas North Tollway gives residents easy access to retail areas such as Shops at Willow Bend, Preston Towne Crossing, and Windhaven Village. These shopping centers have grocery stores like Tom Thumb, Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, large healthcare facilities like Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano, and family-friendly attractions like the Crayola Experience and Willow Bend Center of the Arts. The commercial district is also close to Midway Road, which has a high density of non-denominational and Baptist churches. “You have everything that your fingertips, including hospitals,” Woodard says. “When I take people here, they go, ‘Wow, I don’t have to travel far to get anything I need.’” These retail havens also host many restaurants. Shoppers at Preston Towne Crossing will want to stop for a salad at Texas chain Bellagreen or a beer and dinner at Katy Trail Ice House Outpost. Katy Trail prides itself on its “Real Texas BBQ” with meat smoked for 18 hours, as well as an extensive list of beers brewed in Texas and Mexico. When locals need to travel around the Metroplex, the neighborhood’s location along the Dallas North Tollway and President George Bush Turnpike provides an easy commute to several nearby cities. Willow Bend is only about 10 miles from Frisco and 20 miles from Dallas. The DART bus system also operates several stops on Preston Road to the east side of Willow Bend. The community is 6 miles away from Addison Airport and 25 miles from the larger Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Bordered by parks and creeks, Los Rios offers residents a quick escape into nature while staying close to home and the hub of downtown Plano. The area is highly residential, and "there are a lot of working-class families and young professionals in the area," says Hamzah Nasser, the CEO of Haraz Coffee House. "The community is very diverse here. Nearby churches and a major mosque serve the mixed demographic, which includes Latinos, Asians, African Americans and a large Middle Eastern population." Generous home sizes, surrounding amenities and accessibility to shopping contribute to the attraction of the surrounding Plano area. More expensive than other neighborhoods of Plano, Los Rios boasts single-family homes that offer attached garages and pristine landscaping. A few apartment buildings and townhouses are in the neighborhood's southern end by the industrial parks. Still, most residents live in owned homes sitting in neat rows. Prices start around $300,000 and often reach the high $600,000s, though the median price is $450,000. Whether the house is a sprawling ranch or a towering contemporary build with arched windows, four bedrooms (or more) and an ornate brick façade are customary. Alleyways lead to rear-entry garages, keeping the front of the houses neat and offering residents more privacy, and inground pools are common in the small, fenced-in backyards. The residential streets of Los Rios have neat sidewalks and tall trees that provide some shade and respite from the hot summer sun. Rowlett Creek and Cottonwood Creek run through the neighborhood, creating shallow basins of dense trees accompanied by walking trails. The trails border the residential streets and lead to surrounding parks, like Bob Woodruff Park at the northwestern end of Los Rios. Locals can set up a pick-up game of soccer or football on the multi-use fields or walk along the collective 3 miles of walking trails that border the fishing pond. The park also has multiple playgrounds, an active dog park and sand volleyball courts overlooking the scenic water. Golf enthusiasts can play a round at Pecan Hollow Golf Course. The public course has five sets of tees, offering a challenging game for players of any level. A lighted driving range, five-hole short course and 14,000-square foot putting green provide plenty of practice space before teeing off. Locals enjoy dining out at Casa Mama, which was voted the Best Mexican Food in Plano by Plano Magazine. This casual restaurant has a covered outdoor patio adorned with southwestern décor. Also in the neighborhood is Haraz Coffee House, rated 4.6 stars and expanding nationwide. "The coffee is organic and imported from Yemen," Nasser says. "It's brewed in a traditional method that dates back 1,500 years. While locals can get the coffee to go, it's more of the experience that sets it apart." A Kroger is in the area, making weekly grocery shopping easy. Shoppers can get to Target, Walmart, and other familiar retail stores by traveling a short distance east on East 14th Street. Though Los Rios is walkable, most residents rely on their cars to get to and from work as there is no public transit. Downtown Plano is a 9-minute drive west and home to many businesses that employ the residents of Los Rios. Depending on traffic, locals can drive 20 miles south to Dallas in about 40 minutes. Dallas Love Field and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport are around 30 miles away, and the nearest hospital is a short drive south. Industrial-use train tracks intersect the neighborhood's southern end, adding some noise to the otherwise quiet area. The East Plano Islamic Center, often called EPIC, is in town and brings in practicing Muslims from the major metropolitan area, contributing to occasional traffic in Los Rios. Served by the highly-rated Plano Independent School District, students of Los Rios can expect to attend Dooley Elementary School. Located within the neighborhood's boundaries and a short walk for many residents, the school receives an A-minus from Niche. Armstrong Middle School is also in town and gets a B. The school is known for its successful band and theatre programs and offers a Lego Robotics club for students. Plano East Senior High School is highly rated, receiving an A-plus from Niche. The school provides a Health Sciences Academy that prepares students for careers in the medical industry.

Surrounded by trails, nature preserves, towering mature oaks and acres of green space, Russell Creek gives off a rural feel at first glance. The Plano suburb is a 7-mile drive from downtown, and its proximity to major thoroughfares gives residents easy access to any amenity or attraction in the metroplex. "Plano schools, close to shopping and dining and a key central location; you’re getting the best of all worlds,” says Jon Schmidt, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway PenFed Realty. “You're right between major highways that get you to Dallas easily. It's a really accessible area.” Russell Creek’s quiet, tree-lined suburban streets lead to traditional brick ranch-style homes and stately larger two-story brick homes. Most homes were built in the mid-1990s and range from approximately $430,000 for a three-bedroom over 2,000 square feet to nearly $900,000 for a five-bedroom home over 3,500 square feet. Brandon Wyatt, Realtor with Market Experts Realty and a lifelong Texas resident, recommends that homebuyers not wait too long to snap up a property. Homes typically stay on the market for 23 days, much lower than the national average of 44. “The housing marketing is fluctuating, but we are still seeing multiple offers on properties,” Wyatt says. Residents take pride in their lawns, keeping them well-landscaped. Most homes have multi-car garages, spacious paved driveways and fenced-in backyards with pools. Residents enjoy decent lot sizes for gardening or entertaining, with most starting over 8,000 square feet up to over a quarter acre. Most residents’ homes back up to the Russell Creek Greenbelt, allowing easy access to hiking and biking trails. The 187-acre Russell Creek Park is the community’s emerald gem and covers nearly half of the neighborhood. The park has a small lake, a playground and over 25 sports fields for soccer, rugby and lacrosse. The park, which is the only one in the country with seven cricket fields, also has 3.4 miles of hiking and biking trails that connect to the Russell Creek Greenbelt that winds through the area. The greenbelt is part of the Plano Trail System, which connects the elementary school and Capstone Park. This pocket park at the end of the greenbelt offers a playground, picnic pavilion and walking paths under a canopy of mature oaks. Hoblitzelle Park, 1 mile south of the community, has three playgrounds, pavilions and 3 miles of trails along the creek. The Trail at the Woods, the deeply forested entrance to the Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve, is 3 miles east of Russell Creek. The preserve is a 72-acre refuge with over 3 miles of meadow trails filled with wildflowers and wildlife. The entrance has a network of nine unpaved trails surrounding the creek before hikers can get to the preserve. Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve, a natural 800-acre park with a small lake and 13 miles of trails, is 6 miles east for hikers and cyclists who want a more rugged escape into nature. The 18-hole Ridgeview Ranch Golf Course is 2 miles north and offers practice facilities and a driving range. The public Golf Club at Twin Creek is 2 miles northeast, and The Courses at Watters Creek, the most popular, is a 5-mile drive. “All of the golf courses, especially The Courses at Watters Creek near the neighborhood, is part of what makes it a desirable place to live,” says Wyatt. The public 6,000-acre venue offers three different courses and various leagues and hosts over 200 events a year. Plano Independent School District serves the area, which is the 13-best district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to Niche. "Plano schools are always very good," Schmidt says. "It's almost an embarrassment of riches when it comes to how good the schools are. Everyone is happy with them." Students attend Andrews Elementary, C. M. Rice Middle School and Clark High School for ninth and tenth grade, ending their education at Plano West Senior High. Andrews, which offers a math rocks program, earned an A on Niche, and Rice also received an A. Earning a B-plus on Niche, Clark High offers basketball and tennis teams. Plano West, which scored an A-plus on Niche, is ranked the seventh-best high school in the area and provides soccer and wrestling teams and an animation club. Most shopping and dining options are along McDermott Road and Hedgcoxe Road, which run at opposite ends of the neighborhood. Everest Indian Himalayan Restaurant & Bar offers a diverse menu with dishes like lamb korma, chicken tikka and chicken chili momo. Napolis Italian Restaurant is a casual spot where locals rave about its stromboli and calamari. The Taco Factory is another popular no-frills joint known for its tortas, birria tacos and breakfast burritos. McKinney Towne Crossing is less than 3 miles away and has a Walmart, Target, Ross Dress for Less, Lowe’s and Moviehouse. The Shops at Legacy is 6 miles west and offers more upscale boutiques and brand-name specialty stores. One of Russell Creek's major draws is its proximity to Sam Rayburn Tollway and Route 75. Downtown Plano is 7 miles away, Dallas is 26 miles away and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is a 25-mile drive. The closest hospitals are Baylor Scott & White Medical Center—Frisco, 7 miles away, and Medical City Plano, also a 7-mile drive. Residents will need a car as no public transportation is close to Russell Creek.