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Southlake is nice but commute would be ugly I think. Also expensive. We moved here for a job downtown and looked at east Dallas - lake highlands, Lakewood, m streets. Lots of people who work downtown. The real estate market is pretty crazy esp anywhere close to downtown. You can do better as you move out and take a longer commute so you have to weigh that. Most of Lake Highlands is in Richardson schools which many prefer to Dallas (esp for middle/high school). DH actually took a new job near Southlake and has an awful commute from lake highlands but we love it so plan to stay for now since jobs are not forever. The areas I mentioned are full of young families, close to everything downtown and lots to do for kids. Reasonably diverse, you can get a sense from looking at elementary school profiles online that report that. I highly recommend checking out east Dallas!

You're probably not going to find any up and coming areas with a reasonable commute - most of the areas close to Dallas are already fairly established and more expensive than those a little further out. As MDF106 said, West Plano could be a good option as it is diverse with good schools. We live in Frisco which has a great school system and is very nice in general, but home prices have been rapidly increasing since we bought two years ago. I was working in downtown Dallas until a couple months ago and the commute is killer. An 1 hr+ each way and I actually changed jobs so my commute would be shorter.

Southlake is quite established compared with Frisco, Prosper and other cities that are North of Dallas. Your husband's commute would be terrible from Southlake. I grew up in the city next to Southlake. I'd suggest Plano or North Dallas, but they aren't really upcoming either.
@skinnycow I live in Frisco as well!

@Lighthouse: What's your budget range? Then I can give you tons of recommendations. I lived in Dallas for 12 years before we moved to the NYC area.

@Lighthouse: okay, so.....now that I know budget, tell me your other requirements. You mentioned the commute to downtown and "good schools" and preferably a significant (or visible at least?) Asian population. So, one of the best school districts which definitely has an Asian population is Plano. Some people regard it as a pressure cooker atmosphere, and HighSchools are absolutely enormous, but overall, the schools are very good. If you are interested in Plano, there's a whole East vs West conversation, but you can't really go *wrong* in Plano. But the commute downtown isn't going to be super fabulous.

Personally, depending on your home requirements, I think you should check out the Lakewood/Lakewood Heights/Wilshire heights area of East Dallas. It's my absolute favorite neighborhood in Dallas and where I used to live. Look at Lakewood Elementary, Stonewall Jackson Elementary, and there's a new public Montessori over there too. Also check out Robert E. Lee. Lakewood and Stonewall Jackson are known great elementaries and Robert E Lee is an up-and-coming dual language program elementary that all feed to the same middle school. The middle and High schools are kind of transitional because all of the best-and-brightest students end up getting funneled to the district's TAG schools (gifted schools) like Travis for middle school and one of the many magnet schools for HS. Dallas has some of the best magnet schools in the country, so although the pubic schools get kind of dissed by suburban people, if your child is bright and can get in, they will have access to amazing schools. Plus, that area of Dallas is just cooler--you can walk/bike to a lot of amazing areas. Lakewood shopping center, Greenville Avenue.

My two best girlfriends that still live in Dallas live in those areas and it's close to downtown and you can walk places, but people still have back yards. You won't get a house as big as you'd get in Plano for the same price range, and it's more bungalow style in your range, but they have character. There's a whole foods and a Sprouts in the neighborhood, along with tons of restaurants and the Truck Yard, which is a food truck gathering place. And the lake is right there, too...plus a public pool and playground at Tietze park, a public library, a YMCA....tons to do for families that want a more urban vibe.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5819-Vickery-Blvd-Dallas-TX-75206/26690152_zpid/

As others have said a commute to downtown Dallas from Southlake would be a beating. More and more of the "upcoming" suburbs are being built further and further out, specifically North of existing suburbs of Dallas which would make the commute to downtown Dallas long as well.

With your budget you can find a very nice home in Plano, Frisco, McKinney, or Allen. All have good school districts with a tolerable, but not ideal commute to downtown Dallas, but it's the way of life here.

I live in Plano and when my husband worked downtown he took the DART (public rail) from Plano to downtown Dallas. If you lived in West Plano that wouldn't be as convenient because you'd have to drive across the city then take the train downtown.

ETA: I have a friend that lives in Lakewood in East Dallas and adores it and never plans to move out. It's Richardson ISD, which has schools that are hit or miss depending on the area, but the schools for that neighborhood are highly rated.

We used to live in East Richardson and it has an Asian population. The homes are older and wouldn't be the same style as "upcoming" suburbs, but it's established and a nice place to live. We enjoyed living there before moving to Plano.

I live near Southlake and the market is hot here. Depending on your home requirements, $625k is going to go quick. Also, I'm not sure I would recommend Plano with the Toyota headquarters moving in. I would think the market would be getting crazy up there too. I don't work in Dallas so my opinion might not be valid.

@MamaG: the market in pretty much all Dallas suburbs and I'd imagine desirable parts of Dallas is hot and continues to increase as more and more headquarters come to the area bringing thousands of employees. With Toyota and other large companies coming to Plano, they've picked a good location for their employees to commute to from any surrounding suburb which is increasing the supply and demand of the market all around.

I grew up in Dallas! Would absolutely not recommend Southlake. And luckily, in your price range there are tons of great options much closer in. I'd second Lake Highlands, White Rock area, M Streets, Lakewood and everything in that eastern area. Really cute older houses that have been redone. Families everywhere.

If you're *really* looking for up-and-coming, you should also check out Oak Cliff. I have several friends with kids who live there and like it, but it's been seen as the wrong side of the tracks for decades. It's gentrifying and the Bishop Arts District is a nice place to visit.

I would try to live south of 635.

Like @hummusgirl: said, there are some really cool areas in Oak Cliff, like Kessler Park, but at least when I lived in Dallas, everyone I knew who lived there sent their kids to private schools because the schools weren't great still, so check into that and see if it's still the same.

What about Carrollton? Big Asian community and it is centrally located. There is a DART station that you can take to downtown and eliminate the commute. Homes are more affordable than downtown and the schools are great in CFB. To me, Frisco/Plano/McKinney areas are great (I have lived in Frisco and in Carrollton), but the commute would be a total deal breaker for me! Southlake is super nice also, but again--that commute would ruin me. But...there are lots of people who do it daily!

@matador84: I was thinking Carrollton as well or Lewisville. My first home was in Carrollton

@Lighthouse: aside from 3k sq ft, what else is important? Pool? Community pool? Single story? Number of rooms? How long is an acceptable commute?

Look at the adorable Hollywood heights (Lakewood Elementary zone) tudor. Walking distance to Whole Foods and Pacigo gelato and the Lakewood Theater!

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/522-Monte-Vista-Dr-Dallas-TX-75223/26696112_zpid/