City Guide for Apartments in Dallas

Without a doubt, Dallas’s most defining characteristic is its tie to business. Located nearly in the center of the United States, Dallas has become a big-business hotspot for corporate headquarters and major conventions. With 18 companies from the Fortune 500 headquartered in the area such as J.C. Penny, XTO Energy, RadioShack, Texas Instruments, and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, among others, Dallas is a business oriented town.

And this make sense. The cost to run a business is one of the lowest in the country, so finding an inexpensive apartment within short distance to major employers (15,000 employees +) such as Bank of America, Texas Health Resources, Dallas ISD, Baylor Health Care, and AT&T Texas can be simple.

The Downtown and Uptown areas of Dallas offer some of its best entertainment. Downtown is home to the Art District which contains many major visual, performing and developing art facilities such as the Annette Strauss Artist Square, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Museum Art among others. Meanwhile, Uptown has a vibrant social and nightlife scene right within view of downtown’s many skyscrapers. These areas offer tons of townhome and condos for rent within the center of Dallas’s metropolis.

Due to such a growing business dynamic, the city of Dallas has grown outwards with a spiderweb of highways connecting the surrounding suburbs with the central metropolis. In several of the towns north of Dallas such as Plano, Iriving, and Garland, populations run over 200,000 people.

Although having a vehicle is important to get around the area, with the creation of the DART transit system that routes light rails, buses, trains and trolleys, there are many opportunities to get around without a car. In fact, in recent years, a high demand for convenient living to transit stations has grown with the outcrop of transit villages popping up with cheap apartments for rent near DART.

A clear example of the development of a transit village has taken place in the town of Plano, about twenty minutes northeast of central Dallas. For those looking for a convenient location that allows for a lively, yet smaller atmosphere, look to Downtown Historic Plano. The area is great for those looking for studios or any other type of apartments. With the opening of DART in the early 2000s, the town has transformed into an excellent place for residents that work in central Dallas, but want an upscale, yet historic area that they will be happy to stay in during their downtime.

Of course, being close to school will be important to students in Dallas. Luckily, there are a number of universities, colleges, community colleges, and technical/trade schools dispersed all over the area. Apartments with all bills paid are easy to find near Southern Methodist University and University of Dallas specifically.

For those looking for a unique and culture-rich neighborhood in Dallas, the Bishop Arts District will be your best bet. Bishop Avenue, located between Jefferson Boulevard and Davis Street, has over sixty independent businesses that routinely put on events such as Jazz nights, art walks, food bazaars, among other things. The apartments for rent in this area are relatively cheap, yet are less than a 15 minute drive from central Dallas.

Those looking for wealthier areas near Dallas should check out neighborhoods such as Greenway Parks, Old Preston Hollows, or Bluffview West. These will be the best areas to look around for luxury apartments with the finer amenities and upgraded appliances and interiors.

The weather of Dallas is generally warm. In the winter, it is not uncommon for the day temperatures to reach 65 degrees while in the summer, 100 is expected. You can expect to get good use out of your A/C so it might be a good idea to find apartments with utilities included. Thunderstorms are a common occurrence in the area while flooding and tornadoes have taken place, but are rare.