Plenty of people move to the Dallas area to escape high prices in Cali, New York, or Chicago. When people move to the area, and they want the cost even lower, Grand Prairie is a great option. Housing costs are low, rent or purchase, and while Dallas area prices have increased, they remain low overall relative to both income and national averages. 

One other advantage is its central location. It’s in the DFW Metroplex (Dallas/Fort Worth burbs), sits between Dallas and Fort Worth, and is only about 14 minutes from the DFW airport. You could hardly pick a more convenient place to hop to the various city options in the area, and you need to get out of town for work.

In something called the Hipster Index: https://www.movehub.com/blog/the-hipster-index/  Grand Prairie ranks last in the U.S.(and nearly last in the world) for things that Hipsters like - vegan food choices, coffee shops, tattoo studios, vintage boutiques and record stores. 

Many people might love the idea of a city missing any “cool” hipster hangouts. And that might be fair. On the other hand, many new home-hunters also say that they like good walk score commercial districts with boutique shopping, coffee shops, and unique social energy that makes it an interesting place to live. Grand Prairie is a hard-core suburban city without that kind of vibe, so if you’re looking for a tiny taste of Brooklyn in your suburb, then steer clear of Grand Prairie. 


Cost Of Living

LookyLOO Review of Grand Prairie

Without question, Grand Prairie is suburban central. Many neighborhoods are filled with parks, tree-lined streets, and big or modest homes. You can also live near Joe Pool Lake (or drive there in a few minutes) and enjoy the intense Texas lake recreation culture. There isn’t much of a downtown Grand Prairie scene, but there are a couple of interesting entertainment options. The Verizon Theater hosts major concerts, comedy shows, and festivals, and the much smaller Uptown Theater on Main Street is host to smaller music and theater events. On the regular,  if people go out, they generally head into Dallas. It’s only 15 minutes away (when there is no traffic), so expect to head into the big city if you’re looking to head out for the night. People who live here either are looking for an inexpensive option to be near Dallas, or they are raising a family and enjoying the affordable housing and suburban experience. 

If you want to see what people do in Grand Prairie, check out the [**calendar of events**](https://www.gptx.org/Community-Calendar).

We highly recommend visiting Grand Prairie and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our [partnership with Expedia](expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well.

Lifestyle

There are two primary reasons to move to Grand Prairie: 1) an inexpensive option for being centrally located in the DFW area 2) an inexpensive place to raise a family. If either of those reasons are interesting to you then put GP on your shortlist. 

Additionally, Grand Prairie is tied for first among all U.S. sites for how black residents fare economically https://smartasset.com/financial-advisor/where-black-americans-fare-best-economically-2021 It has the fourth-highest black labor force participation rate and the lowest black poverty rate of all cities in the study. 

Save Those Dollars.

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**Socceuro**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Rowlett
I bought a house in GP in 2020 and I absolutely love it here. North of I-20 can be a little rougher (but honestly not that bad). I’m south of I-20 and I have no complains about the safety of the area at all. I will say though, I drive from south GP to Las Colinas for work every day and I haaaaate it. 45 minutes in the morning (I leave before rush hour) and a minimum of an hour 15 for the drive home. So that would be my only concern for you. Otherwise, the area is great!

For more locals' reviews of what living in Grand Prairie is like, check out [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/grand-prairie/reviews).

Reviews of Grand Prairie from Locals

The neighborhoods near Joe Pool Lake are popular with families. Some of the neighborhoods by the lake are in the Mansfield school district so you pay a bit more in taxes but you also get better rated schools. Start with the Grand Peninsula for low home prices and low taxes. Also put Westchester on your list; it sits between I20 and the lake, has low crime and great pricing for good homes. 
- Joe Pool Lake Area
- Grand Peninsula
- Westchester
- Historic Downtown


 Families

Joe Pool Lake Area

North Texas is a highly ranked area to retire with Grand Prairie ranking as high as the second best place to retire in the country in different studies. In addition to the relatively inexpensive traditional neighborhood options, there is a popular 55+ community, Mira Lagos, that has great homes, villas and apartment options, mixed with pools, hiking trails, recreation centers and all the other social amenities that make it a great option. If you want to avoid retirement communities then consider Historic Downtown. Great home and apartment options all within walking distance of restaurants, Farmer's Market and community events. 
- Mira Lagos
- The Lakes at Grand Prairie
- Historic Downtown


Retirees

Mira Lagos

Grand Prairie

**Socceuro**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Rowlett
I bought a house in GP in 2020 and I absolutely love it here. North of I-20 can be a little rougher (but honestly not that bad). I’m south of I-20 and I have no complains about the safety of the area at all. I will say though, I drive from south GP to Las Colinas for work every day and I haaaaate it. 45 minutes in the morning (I leave before rush hour) and a minimum of an hour 15 for the drive home. So that would be my only concern for you. Otherwise, the area is great!

**EpikJustice**
2y ago
🦉🦉

I haven't spent a ton of time in Grand Prairie, but have some family that have lived there. Have spent some time in Irving, which I think is quite similar. My understanding is that it's generally a working class suburb on the affordable side. It seems to be a pretty diverse area, with a strong Hispanic community. I don't think it's as fancy or modern, or has the level of investment that the North Dallas 'burbs have. It's not badly located in the metroplex. I agree that driving around the area is a great way to get a feel for it and whether you'd like it - you can also just drop a pin into Google Maps Street View and virtually drive around.

I lived in Greenville, TX for about half a year, and would frequently pass through Princeton, TX via 380. You could not pay me enough money to live there, yuck - not to mention how far it is from everything fun & interesting in the Dallas area. Only redeeming quality is BOBA HOUSE by Charlie Jr. - probably the best boba I've had in Dallas :).

You could also take a look at The Colony, or potentially Lewisville or Flower Mound. They aren't as centrally located as GP, but still a heck of a lot better than Princeton. There's quite a bit to do in the Frisco area, and you have pretty easy access to the Dallas North Tollway.

I am from the Richardson / North Dallas area, and would like to recommend it - but man, it is getting expensive! Garland is kind of boring, but it is still affordable - but it's too far away from Farmer's Branch or Westlake for me to recommend it.

**Thoughts on Grand Prairie?**

I've lived in GP for almost 4 years now. I live close to main street in the historic old downtown. I love my century house. Love my area. We can walk to the farmers market on Saturdays. We're in the middle of the metro, so we can go anywhere pretty quickly. The price was right for us when we were house hunting. Luckily we bought when we did; we wouldn't be able to afford it if we were buying these days.

**EspressoOrElse**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

I frequent Grand Prairie often. I live in the neighboring suburb called Irving. I’ve not had any issues in GP that are isolated to just GP. DFW is a large metroplex made up of so many smaller suburbs so there is much diversity and things can happen anywhere. I like Grand Prairie for the extent of shopping and things to do:

premium outlet mall

indoor water park

Cedar Hill Star Park

Parks mall

Six Flags

horse racing

flea market with all sorts of finds

concert/live performance venue (I got to see Impractical Jokers and I’ve been to Cirque Du Soleil several times — it is only a 5 min drive for me)

Sure, I suppose you can find much of this anywhere. It’s just nice that it is all so local in GP. GP also has I-20, I30, 161, 360, etc… So many highways to jump onto to take you to other places

Grand Prairie, Texas

Dinosaur Roar!

Looklyloo Score: 75