Irving, Texas

As many people seek alternatives to big, dense, expensive cities, the priority is often finding suburban locations with a legitimate “downtown” presence. Craving a bigger home and better schools but also wanting nightlife seems a legitimate desire. Irving is one of these perfect-storm locations. It has 80 parks covering over 2,000 acres and big homes and yards to cover off the suburban criteria. Just as important, though, it has a legitimate downtown area with enough restaurants, bars, boutique shopping, and community gatherings to satisfy your social side. Being on the border of Dallas (and really close to Fort Worth) along the metro train line doesn’t hurt since every once in a while, we can crave something more robust than our suburban/urban lifestyle. Irving’s got that as well.

One thing to check if you're moving with a family or planning to have kiddos is that while Irving public schools rate better than most systems in the country, its "B" score on niche.com is lower than many in the DFW suburbs. There are "A" rated schools in the district, though, so if standardized scores are important to you, then just keep an eye out for the better performers.

The kids would call Irving “chill” as compared to some of the fancier DFW suburbs. It has an active downtown scene but less of the highbrow shops and restaurants you find in Southlake, or Frisco, or either Dallas or Fort Worth. It does, however, have plenty of more casual dining, bars, and shops ideal for young professionals living downtown and families who just want somewhere fun to take the kiddos or more laid back for a date night.

It also has those 80 parks we talked about, which means the lifestyle here includes tons of outdoor play. Running and biking trails, room for kids to run, throw a baseball (or really a football), or throw a ball to one of the dozens of dog-friendly parks. For the most part, whatever you’re looking for, casual nights out or weekends playing in the parks with kids + Rover, you’re going to find it.

If you want to get a sense of the lifestyle of locals, check out the Irving calendar of events.

Irving is a legitimate business center all on its own. It has an amazing mix of Tech (NEC, PDS, Excela, Celanese), Energy (Exxon Mobil, NCH), Consumer Goods ( Kimberly-Clark, Michaels), Health (Christus, Medco), and tons of others. Irving residents work at these companies or commute to Dallas or Fort Worth. Everything is close.

Perhaps one of the features most underestimated for either those who travel for work or newly remote workers who occasionally need to hit the road, Irving is a two-iron away from DFW airport. Ok, that would be a long two-iron, but seriously, it is just minutes away, and that makes all the difference in keeping families happy when they have to drop off or pick up a loved one who travels frequently.