Uptown Dallas Apartments – Five Minute Insider Guide
Hello from Uptown Dallas! If you are one of the many who are considering a move to this popular area, you are in great company…everyone seems to be moving here! Dallas has been a huge part of the nationwide “Move to Texas” that has created an unprecedented amount of jobs and economic growth in Texas. While many other states are losing population and companies, Texas in general and Dallas in particular continues to get more and more large employers to locate here. It’s been happening for years now, and the rest of the nation is taking notice.
In most large cities in the United States that are popular with professionals, there is typically a combination of large corporations and young professionals located in the same area. In addition, the key attractions of both are within walking distance. This creates a convenient lifestyle for young professionals, being close to work and being able to quickly make business and social connections with each other.
Unlike other cities, Dallas is very unique. Unlike Chicago, San Francisco and other well-known cities, the downtown areas of Dallas, although safe, is just not busy at night. Downtown Dallas is not well known for an active night life or a meeting area for young professionals. What has taken the place of the equivalent of other cities for a vibrant social scene and convenience to work? You guessed it…it’s Uptown Dallas!
Uptown Dallas is directly connected to Downtown Dallas. It’s just north of Downtown Dallas. It’s also connected by not just one, but TWO public transportation systems. One is the Dart Rail, which is a high powered and fast Rail train that connects key parts of Dallas to downtown Dallas. A section of the Rail that goes along 75/Central connects Uptown to Downtown, at the Cityplace center in the West Village part of Uptown Dallas.
But, just as important, the Uptown Dallas Trolley also connects Downtown Dallas to Uptown Dallas. The Trolley drops off in the north part of Uptown Dallas, and it runs in the mornings and late afternoons and early evenings. It also runs late at night on Thursday/Friday and Saturday nights. And, the best part…it’s free!
So, choosing from the over 70+ Uptown Dallas apartments gives you a convenient location to Downtown Dallas and the best concentration of Dallas young professionals as well. If you are like many, you are probably already deciding you want to be a part of this amazing area. If so, read on, and let’s find out about the best ways to select an apartment in the Uptown Dallas area.
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Insider Selection Criteria for Uptown Dallas Apartments
After 12 years of working with clients, I want to give you the best criteria for selecting from the many Uptown Dallas apartments. These may not be what you think…but they are the real “gut level” best ways to consider which apartment to select. Use these ways to select, and you will enjoy a great apartment in this area. Don’t skip over any of these…they are all important and will help you get the best lifestyle here that fits you.
A Newer Apartment is More Popular
I’ve mentioned in one of my other articles that the single most important feature in popularity of an apartment is when was it built. Newer Uptown Dallas apartments (up to 10 years old) are just going to have the more desirable features that were left out of apartments made 20 years ago. That includes the interiors that people tend to love, such as hardwood floors, more attractive appliances, and more green friendly (and lower utility) apartments. That also includes the amenities that people really enjoy, like a better pool, secure air conditioned hallways and other important, desirable features. People just like the new, and so newer apartments will tend to attract more of a “buzz”, so people will want to be a part of this more. Further, newer apartments are built in the newer and more upcoming areas of Uptown, such as in the North area or near the West Village.
Newer apartments will also mean: You will have lower utility bills each month because the construction will be better. You will have better parking for your own car. You will also have free guest parking for your guests, not parking that is hard to count on that is in the street or that must be purchased. Sometimes you also get a free washer/dryer included in your rent, vs. having to rent a washer/dryer set. All of these things, and more will cut your costs.
Broad & HIGHER Rent Range is Better!
This little known fact is extremely important to getting a quality deal from one of the Uptown Dallas Apartments. Let me tell you what I mean. When you look over pricing of one bedroom plans and then look at the pricing of the highest level of floorplans found in that apartment, that gives you the Rent Range of an apartment. So, if you are examining one of the Uptown Dallas Apartments and the rent range goes to $1800 for their biggest 2 bedroom, that is an apartment that is not going to have the best amenities and the most value for the money. Instead, that is going to be an apartment that banks on you wanting to just be in “Uptown Dallas” without considering the overall value of the apartment.
On the other hand, if you see an apartment where you can get a studio in the $1200s or $1300s, but the highest priced floorplan is $2800 or more…now THAT is a MUCH better value in many cases. Why? Because if you are on the lower end of something like this, you are the “small house” in the rich neighborhood. You get to benefit from the higher priced apartments paying for better amenities and services (like concierge or hardwood floors or other niceties).
Mid-Rise Design Is the Most Popular
When Uptown Dallas was designated as a new area in the 1990s (previous to this the area did not have a separate identity), Uptown didn’t really have the same feel as today. It didn’t have apartments for the most part and was a reclamation of a depressed area. The first apartments were built at that point and mostly along the developing McKinney Avenue, in the southern section. They were the traditional types of apartments that you think of when you think of apartments: Smaller floorplans, carpet, small kitchens, few amenities, etc. For the 1990s, these were ahead of their time most likely and were the first forerunners of the Uptown lifestyle!
But, the MID RISE Uptown Dallas apartments have a more progressive design that seems to offer more if you are new to Uptown Dallas. (By Mid Rise, I mean where there is a single building that may have up to 10 stories.) The advantages include the following:
- Higher Security – Mid rise buildings typically have an electronic key security all around the building. You must be a resident to enter.
- Lower Monthly Utility Bills – Mid rise buildings are more energy efficient. In many of these buildings, they also provide air conditioning/heating in the hallways, so that when you open the door to your apartment, the building itself actually is heating or cooling it to a degree. This cuts down on your monthly utility bills.
- Better Parking – Mid Rise buildings also typically include a secured parking garage with a space that is no charge. That is a welcome change from the traditional style apartment, which will typically have an outdoor and not secured space.
- Better Opportunities to Meet People – Most importantly, Mid Rises give you the most opportunities to meet people. They have common hallways, common elevators, common amenity areas, all shared by most residents.
Locate a Block AWAY from McKinney Avenue, NOT ON IT
Let’s explore this important criteria! It used to be “IN” to be right next to the bars/night life on McKinney Avenue in Uptown Dallas. But, with the emerging buildings and newly built areas of Uptown Dallas, being close to older bar section isn’t always the best thing.
Because of the popularity to moving to Uptown Dallas, many of the most popular bars are not located on the older section of Uptown Dallas anymore. The older section of Uptown Dallas in the south is more known by tourists…but insiders of Uptown often prefer other alternatives.
The shift to the “buzz” has moved more north and also more to the West (such as the super popular Katy Trail Ice House and BBC).
Being close to bars…is this really a great thing? Think about it! This might be very important for the night time for an out of town experience. It’s great for if you are enjoying a vacation here…but once you live here, it’s very different! One reason is: There are actually many bars/night clubs all throughout Uptown, not just in one area. Once you arrive in Uptown, being close to a certain bar gets OLD…you will want to try many other spots in Uptown.
Also, being close to bars means you are also close to a LOT of NOISE on the nights you are NOT going to the bars! And, in addition, bar proximity can be a source of crime as well. And, McKinney Avenue gets a lot of TOURIST traffic and is bustling. If you live on McKinney Avenue or even near it, your parking spaces will be taken up by tourists and visitors, making life super annoying for you and guests.
My take? You should locate just slightly OFF McKinney Avenue/the bar scene. If you locate just a block or so away from McKinney Avenue, it gives you quick walking access to Uptown Dallas, but you also can leave the noise ALONE when you want to get sleep at night. To sum it up: The party is always available, but so is your sleep!
QUICK WALKING DISTANCE is EVERYTHING in UPTOWN
One of the huge keys of living in Uptown Dallas is convenience. That means this: the more you can walk to the things that are important to you, the more desirable is that location. So, when choosing from one of the over 40 Uptown Dallas apartments, keep a good location in the forefront of your mind.
You will want to visit things like some of the night spots in lower Uptown Dallas. But, we have a great FREE Uptown Trolley. That Trolley runs even at night. You can use it to get there to a night spot anywhere on McKinney, and also take it back after you are done (as long as it is not too late). With this great benefit, you really can visit most other parts of Uptown quickly.
Actually, you want to locate close to things that you will be able to enjoy everyday as you get home from work, not just bars. Like restaurants, great shops, exercise, etc. Being close to these things are very important to a convenient life in Uptown…let me name a few that people love being close to:
- The West Village Shopping Center with the most everyday style restaurants in Uptown Dallas, along with clothes shops and boutiques
- The Katy Trail
- The Uptown Trolley
- Whole Foods on McKinney
Summary
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