Are you thinking about moving to the Allen, Texas area and want to know what it’s like? In this video, we’re going to give you the good, bad, and ugly of living in Allen, Texas. We’ll look at everything from food to weather so you know exactly what to expect when you come here.

 

All About Allen, Texas

Allen, Texas is a typical suburb, a nice area with a little bit of everything. We've got a population of about 110,000, and the average income is around $115,000 to $120,000 a year. This community is in the upper end of the Texas area, close to 83% of the average and about 65% of the average in the metropolitan area.

In addition to our great socioeconomics, we have amazing diversity. Allen residents are foodies, and we love to eat. We don't want just one kind of food; we want a variety. Our diverse demographics bring in a lot of diversity in food, events, and things happening In the area. We’ve lived here for about 20 years and enjoy the small-town feel with plenty of amenities.

Jobs And Commuting

One of the great amenities that Allen offers is jobs. With our high income level, there are obviously plenty of great jobs that aren't located too far away. While many of the really big employers aren't in Allen, they're all within a 20 to 25-minute drive.

This makes Allen a great place to live. We don't have the same level of congestion that a few of those spots might have, while still allowing you to be close to work. We are centered close to Highway 75, giving you easy access to GW Bush and Highway 121. This puts you about 30-35 minutes away from the airport, 25 minutes to downtown Dallas, and about 20 minutes to all the amenities in the Frisco and Plano areas

We love going to Downtown Dallas, and we get there in about 30 minutes without any traffic. We also don't have to pay the toll every time. So if you come home from work, you don't have to take the highway if you don't want to because you have easy access to 75.

Shopping And Restaurants

Allen offers a variety of amenities, including great shopping at the Allen Outlets, Watters Creek, Fairview, and Allen Villages. There are also plenty of awesome restaurants in the area. If you don't know, DFW is known for having more restaurants per capita than almost anyplace else in the United States.

Depending on what list you happen to look at, DFW will also be anywhere in the top 5 or top 10. While many of our eateries are chain restaurants, we also have our fair share of mom-and-pop shops. Our diversity brings in a lot of ethnic varieties as well, so if you're into food, we will lead you to all kinds of places to eat around town.

Outdoor Fun And Healthy Activities

Aside from great food, Allen has plenty of amenities to provide fun for the whole family. We love to go on family bike rides and hit the trails, and many can get you between Plano, Allen, and Frisco. This connected trail system is still a work in progress, but there's enough of them that we can go for miles and miles to enjoy a nice, long family stroll or ride.

Residents can also enjoy a variety of parks, such as Wakeboard Park and Celebration Park. The latter features a big kids’ area and a splash pad to cool off on hot days. There's also a splash pad behind the Villages of Fairview that’s another great option. Other green spaces feature a variety of events, like the Wine Fest, Jazz In July at Watters Creek, and family-friendly bands.

Allen also features an aquatic center, the Don Rodenbaugh Natatorium. It features a small indoor water park with a lazy river, kids’ play area, waterslide, and lap lanes. Membership rates are reasonable and, if you're a resident here, you can get an even better deal.

The waterpark also features a fitness center as well, which is a great feature. Of course, you can also find a variety of other workout facilities that include an indoor track, gym equipment, and more. Larger gyms like 24-Hour Fitness and Lifetime Fitness are great Allen amenities to stay healthy and active.

Safe Neighborhoods And Housing Prices

One of the things that really surprised us in Allen is that you hardly ever hear of any crime around town. Of course, I'm sure there's more than what we think. However, several years ago we received postcards in the mail that said we had the seventh-lowest crime rate by FBI crime statistics for cities of our size range. This has proved true; you just don't ever have any trouble with that sort of thing around Allen.

Additionally, the cost of living here has always been fairly reasonable compared to most of the country. As part of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, we've been one of the lowest—if not the lowest—for many years of the largest 20 metropolitans. While a lot of demand has come up, we've been in the top places to live over and over and over again here in the Allen, Texas area. This has tended to bring up some of our housing prices.

With the huge rise we've had this year last year, the median home price in Allen was about $335,000. This year, I'm afraid to say it's closer to $375,000. This means we get houses in this area that range from about $250,000 up to over a few million dollars.

The Weather

As you can see, there’s plenty of things to love about Allen. However, like any area, there are a few cons. One of the things that are not so great about this area is the weather.

While it’s fantastic in one respect, it can be extremely hot—so much so that wearing shoes is a must when you step outside. While we do tend to have mild winters, we have some pretty long, hot summers. Our summers tend to be about four to five months long with temperatures ranging from about 90 to 100 degrees—and several days that will eclipse 100.

In the wintertime, we get just a few days below freezing, and some years we don’t have it at all. However, this last year we had some of the coldest days on record. It shut down everything, killed the power, and we had all kinds of problems. We're just not used to having that kind of cold weather.

If you love snow, we do get some once in a while—though it will melt the next day. Whenever it snows, the grocery stores will be packed, so beware. It's really not something we're overly used to here since we only get a good snow every three to five years. Even then, it’s usually a light dusting.

Walkability And Transportation

One of the other downfalls of the Allen area would be walkability. We get people coming in from New York and California, and some of these places have a lot more congestion and tighter packed populations. They don't drive much but they walk everywhere, so they ask us about a walkability score. However, it’s not something we think about much here. Allen doesn’t have much public transportation either.

The lack of walkability is true of most of the North Dallas suburbs. This is suburban life with a lot of families—making it great for drive scores. You can get to absolutely everything and there's plenty of parking, unlike in some bigger, more congested cities.

There are, however, only a few places in the suburbs that have a great walk score. So if you're looking for that, some areas of Dallas that are mixed-use developments might fit your needs. Reach out to us and we can direct you to the right place for you. In Allen, you might also want to try the apartments at Watter’s Creek, as they have a great walk score.

Space And Topography

Another thing we don't have an Allen that people coming into the area always ask for is big yards and vast spaces. Unfortunately, Allen doesn't have but a few of them. However, bordering Allen are the cities of Parker, Lucas, and Fairview. Those cities typically have 1-3 acre lots, including horse properties.

With more space, though, comes a higher price tag. You’ll start closer to the $700,000 range, though every once in a while there'll be a house that comes in below that for an older home or a smaller property. However, these properties can reach into the millions. For those of you not from Texas, the first thing you think about is horses and ranch properties—but it’s not like that everywhere.

Another con of living in Allen is that, if you're looking for oceans, mountains, or skiing, it’s not going to happen. We do have some manmade lakes on the corners of the Metroplex, and you're within about a 10-minute drive to Lake Lavon and a 20-minute drive to a few other lakes. If you'd like to have a lake house, we've got a few lakes that are popular vacation destinations within an hour or two away from here. But if you're looking for a lot of water for your watersports, we don't have it. You're not going to see dolphins here.

Come Explore Allen, Texas

We hope this gives you some information about the things that we love about the Allen area. If there is anything you’d like to know that we haven’t covered here, make sure to reach out to us and we’ll be happy to connect. Our real estate team is centered around the North Dallas suburbs of Plano, Allen, Frisco, and McKinney, Texas. So if you're looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate in this area, please look us up.

 

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