There’s plenty to like about Arlington but the most obvious are the giant attractions: the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys play here, it has massive amusement and water parks, a huge university in UT Arlington, and if they run to your taste, very large homes. Things really are bigger in Arlington and that gives the city an energy outsized for its population. While much of Arlington has a suburban feel you won’t like you’re living in a sleepy ‘burb here with all that goes on throughout the year.

Arlington is the largest city in the U.S. without any public mass transit system. Combined with the constant events happening here it can get pretty snarled. Locals know how to get around the frequent mess but the influx of outsiders that descend on the attractions and events, make it tricky to avoid for a time.

 Things Are Bigger Here

LookyLOO Review of Arlington

Living in Arlington is an odd mix of hardcore suburban mixed with big city attractions. The blocks are filled with suburban homes and big yards with lots of parks for play. However, you’re also surrounded by the stadiums for the Rangers and Cowboys and massive amusement and water parks so your daily activities could be as quiet or as loud as you’d like. 

Being 30 mins from Dallas doesn’t hurt in terms of offering more adventure than the suburban experience offers so most people who live here find they can shift back and forth comfortably between the two worlds. Downtown Arlington is also an option for a chill beer or BBQ if you find yourself without the energy to head to downtown Dallas.


Lifestyle

Education is the leading sector of employment in Arlington. This includes both the Arlington ISD and the University of Texas, Arlington campus. Entertainment is the next largest employee base with Six Flags and the Rangers topping the list. 

The job market in Arlington and the DFW area is excellent. If you come here for a job and things don’t work out you are in a good position to land on your feet given how many companies are moving and expanding here. While there are no statistics available yet it is anecdotally clear that many WFH’ers are moving to the area to take advantage of the low cost of living, great school districts, and better weather than much of the country.  


Worklife

[**The Arlington Independent School District**](www.aisd.net)(AISD) receives a grade of [**"B+" on niche.com]**(https://www.niche.com/k12/d/arlington-independent-school-district-tx/). It receives particularly high grades for College Prep, Diversity, and Clubs/Extracurriculars.

AISD assigns students to schools based on their neighborhood but can also apply for transfer to other schools in the district, and can be admitted based on openings. 

A couple of the highest fliers for academic performance in the district include: 

-[**Martin High School**](https://www.aisd.net/martin-high-school/) receives an [**"A" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/martin-high-school-arlington-tx/) and is known for very strong academics, competitive athletics, and a significant arts programs.

-[**Arlington Collegiate High School**](https://www.aisd.net/arlington-high-school/) also receives and [**"A" on niche.com**](uhttps://www.niche.com/k12/arlington-college-and-career-hs-arlington-tx/). It is well known for excellent academics, diverse extracurricular activities, and particularly well-regarded Teachers. 



Schools

While Arlington is a suburb, it sits in between two bigger, more active cities in Dallas and Fort Worth. Which means that if you want to live on a quiet suburban street but be a 20 minute ride to active social or business districts then you’re going to like Arlington. Many who wish to escape dense cities these days but not get too far away from the action should put Arlington on their shortlist. 


Quiet Amidst The Storm

Why You Should Move Here Now? 

**wrwck92**
Living in Arlington
2y ago
✭✭✭

I’ve lived all over the country and I really like living in Arlington (politics aside). I live in the area you are moving to and 76011 is one of the most diverse zips in one of the most diverse cities in Texas. My neighbors are of all different ages and family structures and ethnicities. There’s a good mix of apartments, condos and single family homes.

Arlington has excellent, affordable restaurants with cuisines from all over - Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Mexican, Turkish, German, Indian. It’s a 20 minute drive to the heart of Dallas or Fort Worth. River Legacy is a great park, lovely place to walk.

It’s not at all dangerous. The occasional car break in, drag racing at night, but that’s the bulk of it. I mean a homeless woman got shot 100 yards from my front door - oh wait, that was the police. It’s a good place to live as far as the metroplex goes.

To see the insanely wonderful things there are to do in Arlington check out the [**calendar of events**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/arlington/reviews). 

Getting Around

Reviews of Arlington from Locals

**The Best Thing About Arlington?** Things Are Bigger Here

There’s plenty to like about Arlington but the most obvious are the giant attractions: the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys play here, it has massive amusement and water parks, a huge university in UT Arlington, and if they run to your taste, very large homes. Things really are bigger in Arlington and that gives the city an energy outsized for its population. While much of Arlington has a suburban feel you won’t like you’re living in a sleepy ‘burb here with all that goes on throughout the year. 

**The Worst Thing About Arlington?** Getting Around

Arlington is the largest city in the U.S. without any public mass transit system. Combined with the constant events happening here it can get pretty snarled. Locals know how to get around the frequent mess but the influx of outsiders that descend on the attractions and events, make it tricky to avoid for a time. 

**How You Living?** Suburbia

In spite of the major attractions and University Arlington is a very large suburb. Which means you’re more than likely going to live in a suburban neighborhood. Dalworthington Gardens, Interlochen Estates, Pantego and the area of Southeast among others are all great choices within the city. Big homes, large yards, and wide family-friendly streets are all available in any of these neighborhoods of Arlington.  

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** Quiet Amidst The Storm

While Arlington is a suburb, it sits in between two bigger, more active cities in Dallas and Fort Worth. Which means that if you want to live on a quiet suburban street but be a 20 minute ride to jumping social or business districts then you’re going to like Arlington. Many who wish to escape dense cities these days but not get too far away from the action should put Arlington on their shortlist. 



Arlington is primarily a suburban family-focused city but the downtown area has been working through some commercial and cultural development. There are also a number of apartment buildings in the area for those looking to live a walk from the handful of pubs and restaurants. If you’re looking to avoid the Dallas and Fort Worth chaos but still live near somewhere you can get a burger and a beer at night you can make it work.

Downtown is also building a budding arts and music scene with local and national/international music venues, decent theatrical performances, arenas and theaters and "artrepreneurs" delivering public art throughout the area.  



Young Professionals

Downtown

Viridian is a good neighborhood to start your search for a family home if you like living a bit upscale. Parents like it here because the crime rate is very low and the school district is excellent. You also have the beautiful Viridian Lake Club, which sits on a six-acre peninsula overlooking Lake Viridian. The club has six pools, a beach, volleybal, tennis courts and plenty of outdoor performance spaces. There is also a lake sailing center that can be rented for lessons or races. It’s pretty much all here and it’s a great place to start your search.
- Viridian
- Southwest Arlington
- Vitruvian
- West Park Row


Families

Viridian

Arlington has a mix of 55+ communities and great neighborhoods for retirees. When you start with a low cost of living, low taxes, great weather and tons of outdoor activities you have all the ingredients needed for retirees. Add on two big cities within a 20 minute drive and those looking for a quiet home but access to culture and community activities makes Arlington the perfect spot. 

Arlington Plaza, Town Village Crossing and Fox Run Estates are just a few of the retirement communities within the city limits. Retirees looking for a neighborhood rather than a gated 55+ community should explore Viridian. New homes dominate the streets, so maintenance is at a minimum. Townhomes or single-family are available and the combination of family-friendly energy mixed with a beautiful lake, trails, and health clubs means mental and physical health are core characteristics of those who live here.
- Viridian
- Arlington Plaza
- Town Village Crossing
- Fox Run Estates


Retirees

Arlington Plaza/Town Village/Fox Run

Arlington

**wrwck92**
Living in Arlington
2y ago
✭✭✭

I’ve lived all over the country and I really like living in Arlington (politics aside). I live in the area you are moving to and 76011 is one of the most diverse zips in one of the most diverse cities in Texas. My neighbors are of all different ages and family structures and ethnicities. There’s a good mix of apartments, condos and single family homes.

Arlington has excellent, affordable restaurants with cuisines from all over - Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Mexican, Turkish, German, Indian. It’s a 20 minute drive to the heart of Dallas or Fort Worth. River Legacy is a great park, lovely place to walk.

It’s not at all dangerous. The occasional car break in, drag racing at night, but that’s the bulk of it. I mean a homeless woman got shot 100 yards from my front door - oh wait, that was the police. It’s a good place to live as far as the metroplex goes.

**x3Fast5u**
Living in Arlington
2y ago
✭✭✭

It's honestly bad if you don't commute by car. Via exists, and is useful to some degree, but wait times are sometimes abysmal and pick up locations are a battle sometimes.

Otherwise. I've lived here my entire life and I still am able to find new things to do. There's ax throwing, river legacy, a few parks, the areas around the stadium with a studio movie grill and a bunch of retail shops and restaurants. Downtown Arlington is cute with a bunch of different restaurants and tea/coffee shops. Free play is a blast if you're over 21.

There's some card shops that host magic and pokemon tcg stuff. The Levitt is great and the library is also fantastic. South Arlington has the Parks which has a bunch of stuff like escape rooms and an arcade.

There's some bars around UTA that you can hang at too.

There's a BUNCH of niche things you can do around here if you're able to find it. The DFW discords are helpful as well.

Commutes are a bitch, but all in all you can do a lot around here

**waterbug22**
Lived in Arlington
1y ago
✭✭

TLDR: Grew up there, wouldn't ever move back, but it has a lot of positives and you can find a lot of good value there if you can deal with the cons.

I grew up in Arlington (specifically Pantego) and my mom still lives off Fielder to this day. I loved growing up in a smaller town within Arlington proper and could easily ride my bike or get around, but not every area is built like that.

Pros: Diverse ethnic backgrounds, which leads to some of the best mix of food in the metro. I absolutely love the Mediterranean and Indian scene in South Arlington, so delicious. Has every shop, sporting event, etc. so you may never have to go to Dallas or Fort Worth except the occasional night out on the town. Dallas and Fort Worth downtown can both be reached within 30 minutes during most traffic times, even rush hour. Arlington put major money in the last few bonds into road infrastructure, so there is a lot of construction right now, but the roads are looking amazing lately, but then they also decided to say F it to public transport for no good reason.

Cons: No public transportation, Cooper/Matlock/Collins can get crazy packed North/South during busy times. Schools are mid-tier for the metroplex. If you are doing public schools look into either South Arlington where you get coded to Mansfield or in South Arlington within the Martin High School area of the Arlington district, as it is the best school out of the 6 or 7 high schools they have now.

Talking about crime or good/bad areas. Good areas with virtually zero crime are Dalworthington Gardens, Pantego, and any other neighborhoods by the country clubs like Lake Arlington area (most of it) and Shady Valley Country Club. Not the best areas are around the Parks Mall, the stadiums (bad by the stadiums off Collins, Six Flags, and off parts of Green Oaks north of 30.

**LucyDiamond19**
Living in Arlington
1y ago
✭✭✭

We live here and are really happy. Moved here from the Fairmount neighborhood in FW. Look in the Ditto Elementary school area- it’s an amazing school and great area. It’s not Fort Worth in terms of restaurants and things to do (at least not in our specific area) but it’s been a great move for our family. Lots of diversity here! We felt priced out of Fort Worth in terms of what we wanted in a home, schools, etc. I-20 sucks right now because of the construction. My work commute is about 25 minutes to FW Magnolia area. We aren’t near the I-30 part of Arlington so I can’t speak for that. You’re welcome to DM me for more info. We’ve had no issues with crime here whatsoever.

Arlington, Texas