Moving to the Dallas, Texas area presents you with many possibilities regarding neighborhood amenities and location. No matter your economic background or life goals, the Dallas area has a perfect spot for you.
One of the more desirable, affluent areas is Richardson. An inner suburb of Dallas, Richardson is located in both Dallas and Collin counties. A 28 square mile area, it has a population of just over 121,000. With downtown Dallas very close, moving to Richardson is a wise choice as the city has everything a resident might want – jobs, restaurants, recreation, homes, schools, and more. With hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters, Richardson is a year-round pleasurable area.
Richardson is bordered by Lake Highlands on the south, North Dallas to the southwest, Far North Dallas on the West, Plano to the north and northwest, Murphy to the northeast, Sachse to the east, and Garland to the southeast. A balance between urban and suburban living, both families and young professionals find their community here. The average age of residents is 37. They are 67% white, 16% Asian, 9% African American, and the rest are Hispanic or Latino, Native American, or other races. Just over 50% of residents are married couples, and 32% have children under 18.
The Past
First settled in the 1840s and 1850s, Richardson, Texas, was chartered in 1873. The town was named after the secretary of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, Alfred S. Richardson. The railroad played a significant role in Richardson's history. In 1908, the Texas Electric Railway connected the city to Dallas, Waco, and other parts of the area.
Richardson began to boom after World War II. In the late 1950s and 1960s, significant growth occurred, including the Central Expressway construction and the building of the headquarters of Texas Instruments. Parks, facilities, and city infrastructure expanded, and the creation of the University of Texas at Dallas occurred.
The city continued to grow in 1996 when the town of Buckingham was annexed. By 2002, four DART light rail stations made transportation more accessible. By 2006, Richardson ranked as the 15th best place to live in the United States according to Money magazine.
Living in Richardson
With affordable living costs and a low crime rate, moving to Richardson gives you some great choices of neighborhoods and homes. Wealthier residents choose the Northstar Road/East Renner Road region, the Buckingham neighborhood, or the North Collins Boulevard/Fall Creek Drive areas.
The lowest crime rates are in areas such as Mimosa Drive/West Campbell Road, East Renner Road/Brand Road, North Collins Boulevard/Fall Creek Drive, and Custer Parkway/West Renner Road.
A quick look at the housing market shows homes with 3-5 bedrooms, 1-3 bathrooms, and 1,000 to 4,000 square feet. The median home price is around $360,000. With housing averaging 20% lower than the national average, there is sure to be something in your price range.
If you choose to rent, those prices are affordable, ranging from $780 for a one-bedroom to $1,140 for a two-bedroom with various amenities.
Quality Education
Families with school-age children will find many school choices, both with public and private school options.
As mentioned earlier, Richardson falls across two counties and thus two public school districts. Richardson Independent School District is in Dallas County. Plano Independent School District is in Collin County. There are too many public schools to list, but these schools consistently get high grades. Your choices will vary depending on your neighborhood.
- Elementary – Stinson Elementary School, Hillside Academy for Excellence, Schell Elementary School, and Classic Center at Vial Elementary School.
- Middle Schools - Murphy Middle School, Otto Middle School, and Raymond B. Cooper Junior High School
- High Schools - Richardson High School, Lloyd V. Berkner High School, and J.J. Pearce High School
Charter schools (and corresponding grade levels) include Evolution Academy Charter School (9-12), Premier High School of Richardson (6-12), Vista Academy of Richardson (K-12), and Winfree Academy Charter School (9-12).
Private schools include St. Joseph School and St. Paul the Apostle School operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas. Canyon Creek Christian Academy, North Dallas Adventist Academy, Peace Academy Magnet School, IANT Quranic Academy, and Salem Academy serve K-12 students in Richardson. The Alexander School has 8th – 12th-grade students. Dallas Montessori School is for children ages 3-9.
A few advanced education institutions are worth mentioning. The University of Texas at Dallas was started in the 1960s by the founders of Texas Instruments. It is currently a 445-acre campus that offers 133 academic programs.
Other institutes of higher learning are Richland College of Dallas College –the local community college on the Richardson border, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology of Dallas, which has a campus in Richardson.
Work, Work, Work
While you could commute to downtown Dallas or the surrounding suburbs for employment, the chances are good that you won't have to. More likely, if you didn't choose Richardson, you'd be commuting here! Richardson has 5700 businesses located within its city limits, including 600 technology companies. The median income is $72,400 per year.
Industries include insurance, healthcare, technology, and finance. A very high number of telecom companies are located in Richardson, so much so that the area is dubbed the Telecom Corridor. Companies that have headquarters or regional hubs here are AT&T, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Verizon, Samsung, Texas Instruments, and MetroPCS.
Non-telecom companies also thrive here, including GEICO, United Healthcare, State Farm Insurance, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (the biggest employer in Richardson).
By Car or by DART
Whether you need to get from one end of Richardson to the other or travel to other areas, there is a network of highway and light-rail options. The President George Bush Turnpike (State Highway 190) runs east-west. It is an easy connection to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and other highways in the area, including I-635 (Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway) and US-75 (North Central Expressway).
The Dallas Rapid Area Transit (DART) has four light-rail stations in the city with connections throughout the metropolitan area. Stops are Spring Valley, Arapaho Center, Galatyn Park, and the Bush Turnpike. The DART system also has an extensive network of buses for locations not on the light-rail line.
There are also 15 miles of bike lanes on lower-volume, lower-speed roadways for a green transportation option.
Get Outdoors!
With the mild weather of Texas, you will want to get outdoors, and Richardson has plenty of opportunities. The Central Trail is a hiking and biking trail that runs throughout the city, and Cottonwood Park is a beautiful oasis with a pond, green space, a playground, and walking/jogging paths. Prairie Creek Park is a great place to sit near the waterfall and have a picnic. With 38 parks in Richardson, including Spring Creek Nature Area, Duck Creek Linear Park, Galatyn Woodland Preserve, and Breckinridge Park, you are sure to be close to one.
There are six public recreation facilities in the area, including a senior center, Sherrill Park Golf Course, a tennis center, and a gymnastics center. On hot summer days, check out Heights Family Aquatic Center or the four other public pools spread throughout the area. Each has unique water features for all members of the family.
Are you Hungry?
If all this talk of exercise makes you hungry, don't worry. Richardson has a wide variety of dining options. The Fifth: Fireside Patio and Bar offers fresh seasonal dishes, cocktails and food served on an open-air patio with a central fireplace that is glowing when there is a chill in the air.
Olive Burger Richardson is the place for higher-end hamburgers and cheeseburgers. Monta Ramen is a Japanese noodle house. Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen is a New-Orleans style cuisine chain. OMG Tacos for, well, your taco craving.
If you want to stay home and cook for yourself, check out Sprouts Farmers Market, A-Z Food Grocery (for organic choices), Tom Thumb, and ALDI. There are also Asian supermarkets in Chinatown. The Richardson Farmers Market will provide you with the freshest options from local sources during summer months.
Get Out and See
Richardson, Texas, has very diverse areas for you to explore. Downtown Richardson has ethnic restaurants, hookah bars, and a thriving Chinatown district. Chinese immigrants began relocating to the area in 1975. Today, there are over 60 Chinese cultural organizations in North Texas, most of them located in Richardson or Plano.
Because of this population, there are numerous Chinese restaurants, supermarkets, and the Dallas Chinese Community Center with tons of books written in Simplified Chinese.
Richardson also has an Asian-Indian-inspired shopping center. This sprung up due to the growing population of Asian-Indian workers in the telecom industry. Vietnamese Americans have also opened stores, malls, markets, and plazas to celebrate their heritage.
The Charles W. Eisenmann Center for the Performing Arts has a regular schedule of Broadway-style plays and concerts for those who desire a night on the town. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is a bar and movie theater combo where you can catch the latest box office releases.
The North Texas Automotive Museum has an impressive collection of vintage cars. Check out a novel or autobiography at the Richardson Public Library.
Need a shopping fix? CityLine is a development space with dining, entertainment, and retail spaces.
Ready to Move?
Living in Richardson, Texas, is a treat. It's a suburb with a big city feel. While it's easy to reach Dallas and other suburbs, everything you need is right in the area. Famous residents past or present of Richardson, Texas include Anne Rice (author), Justin Leonard (golfer), Charles E. Turner (former mayor of Dallas), Jessica Simpson (entertainer), and Steve Benson (cartoonist). How about you?
