Hunter and I live in the "older" side of Richardson, Texas. Were are one of the first suburbs outside of the Dallas city limits. Actually so close, one block south is considered Dallas.
If you are from the Dallas area you know where I'm talking about. The west side of Richardson has some very high dollar homes and prime real estate in the top high schools in the area. There's fabulous shopping, minutes from Addison, and a great place to raise a family!
Well, we live on the East side.
When I first met Hunter, he already owned this home and was sharing it with a roommate. He said he picked the area because it was cheaper than the West side and was still close for his commute and close enough to Addison for nights out.
Fair enough right? Well he overlooked the fact that we aren't the fabulous side of town. Now, don't get me wrong, we aren't in the "hood" or a dangerous part of town! We just live in the most culturally diverse part of Richardson! And I LOVE IT.
One day a few years ago while study for my boards exam with some friends, we were looking out the window when a fully dressed monk walked by. Later that afternoon a group of guys were recording themselves driving up and down the road in their car. I asked what was up and they informed me that they were filming a rap video! Oh and the Monks drive a Lexus around the neighborhood. Across the street from me is Baby Cow (it's what I call her, I can't pronounce what she says). She is a 4 foot little Vietnamese grandma with over 40 pepper plants in her yard. She waves to me every time I see her (whether I'm inside the house or outside....) and tries to give me bags of peppers everytime.
And that my friends is just the too of the iceberg of some of the characters that live in our "diverse" neighborhood.
So many of our friends are leaving the city and heading out to the suburbs of the suburbs. Sometimes I'm jealous because the city life just isn't for Hunter and I. We want to live on land, close enough for neighbors, but far enough those neighbors will drive to the house. I want to let my dogs out without a fence, sleep with the windows open, and let out kids leave their bikes in the yard knowing they will be there in the morning.
Unfortunately that dream is only true if we were an hour out of Dallas which is impossible with our careers right now. So we are staying in East Richardson!
Why don't we head up to the 'burbs suburbs with our friends? We could have a better zip code, be in the better school districts, live in a big brand new home, and just be overall more fabulous. Well we aren't going because I love our neighborhood!
Where we live, we are so connected to everything! You know the type of store or restaurant you want, and it's within 10 minutes of me. Our neighboorhood is in a great location, we are walking distance from everywhere! (We don't always walk....but could!)
A typical Saturday morning starts with an 8:15 wake up for me, and 15 minute leisure walk to the park, free yoga class in the park, then a walk around the duck pond, and then walk home by 10:30.
We live so close to so much! We could easily walk to the park, the recreation center, the post office, both of our banks, a donut shop, several restaurants, the bet breakfast restaurant, car repair shop, gardening center, and so much more.
One block over (but across a busy street) we have Target, Lowe's, Ross, PetCo every fast food, a gym, and a few specialty shops. Oh and don't forget our massage salon!
Just a couple minutes down the road the other direction is Main Street. Richardson is investing a lot of money to transform it into a great dining and shopping area! There are bars, locally owned restaurants and 2 great movie theaters where you can eat dinner while you watch a movie!
The safety freak in me loves that we are just 1/2 mile from the fire station and police station! In case you get a ticket... Court house is right there, too.
Did I mention the best part??? For my commute to work, I never have to get onto the highway!! It takes me about 15 minutes to get to both of my jobs! I commuted in the past when I got out of school, but for over a year now I've worked at offices with in my city, I've become so spoiled. I don't know if I can ever commute again!!
Hunter went back to school this year for his EMBA and we spent a lot of time deciding where he should go. Finally the decision was easy! University or Texas-Dallas has one if the highest ranked programs in the state and it's a 10 minute drive from the house! I love that he doesn't have to commute for school! Helps keep his stress down, costs lower, and him HOME more!
This past year I joined the Richardson Chamber of Commerce with my business and I've learned so many great things about our city and it has really made me learn to appreciate where we live! There are so many small unique neighborhood niches we can try out for restaurants and parks!
Another great part about where we live is the accessibility! We are less than 20 minutes from every hot spot in Dallas or great shopping area (not in rush hour, no where is 20 minutes in Dallas rush hour).
I could go on and on about loving our neighborhood, but none of you reading this will most likely move here and that's ok. It's not for everyone, but it is for our family!
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