Friday, Jun. 27, 2008

Cities Among Best in Suburb Rankings

By Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer

Trees and wealthy neighborhoods are some of the biggest attractions for Colleyville and helped it climb to No. 3 in D Magazine’s ranking of the 62 Best Suburbs in Dallas.

Grapevine made up some ground, too, moving from No. 25 to No. 24 in the biennial article’s ranking.

University Park has overtaken Southlake as the top city in the Metroplex, but Southlake didn’t fall far, coming in at No. 2. Keller, Trophy Club and Flower Mound also made the Top 10.

The rankings take into account crime statistics, schools, housing and ambience and air quality.

D Magazine calls Colleyville a "wealthy town with a heart."

Colleyville City Manager Bill Lindley didn’t mince words when told about the ranking.

"I think we should be ranked No. 1," he said.

Lindley said Colleyville’s open space and park system as well as the Grapevine-Colleyville school district make the city a great place to live.

"It just shows recognition of the quality of the city," Lindley said. "Colleyville doesn’t need a lot of marketing. It naturally promotes itself."

He said that the city works hard to promote tree preservation with its developers. The article mentions that Colleyville is close to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport without being caught in a flight path.

In two years, the average price of a home in Colleyville has gone up nearly 26 percent to $522,768. Comparatively, the article says Colleyville has more modestly priced homes than Southlake.

"When I have somebody looking in Southlake who can’t find what they want, I direct them to Colleyville. It just doesn’t have all the bells and whistles," Realtor Becky Washam told D Magazine.

The article also quotes Michele Valdez, who writes The Confessions of a Mad Housewife column in the Living section that goes in the Journal and Courier.

She said she likes being "surrounded by high-maintenance women just like her" but also reminds residents to be more open-minded as the demographics change in GCISD.

Hospitality and heritage continue to be the focus in Grapevine, according to D Magazine.

Decades ago Grapevine was mostly known for being an "airport city" near Grapevine Lake, the article says.

Now tourists are drawn to the city with events such as GrapeFest, Main Street Days, the New Vintage Wine Trail, Grapevine Mills Mall, the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center and the Great Wolf Lodge. As the oldest settlement in Tarrant County, Grapevine proudly shows off its heritage with a working 1880s homestead at the Nash Farm, a bustling historical downtown and a working winery at the Delaney Vineyards.

Lisa McCowan, spokeswoman for the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the city drew about 19 million tourists in 2007.

"It’s not your typical cosmopolitan city you’re used to seeing in the Metroplex," she said. "This is a place tourists want to go."

Grapevine’s economy is bustling yet the city maintains its small-town atmosphere, particularly in downtown where the businesses are mostly locally owned, McCowan said.

"All the merchants are so friendly. They make them feel like they are at home," she said.

For Southlake, the article highlights the Carroll football team, Central Market, Southlake Town Square and the exemplary school system.

Carroll’s football team was ranked No. 1 in the nation from 2004 through the start of the 2007 season, and the school district was the only 5A district in the state to have an exemplary rating.

Southlake’s reputation for big lots, mansions and the absence of apartments also played a role.

"Lots of families live here, especially those with stay-at-home moms and traveling dads [DFW Airport is close by]," D Magazine says about Southlake. "Affluence is evident around every corner."

Nearby Keller made big strides, too, going from No. 21 in 2006 to No. 7 while Trophy Club climbed to No.4 from No. 7. Flower Mound came in at No. 10.