East Dallas

Tons of immigrants, poor young people, and those who work around or in downtown Dallas. Lots of families with small children and young couples with children who want to take advantage of the quality private religious schools in the area and Old Dallas money families who run the preservation societies, historical home tours and beautification projects that keep the area an eclectic blend of what once was a pastoral and almost plantation-like lifestyle and the reality of the gritty, urban city-dweller clawing his or her way to the middle.

This is one of the cheapest places to live in all of Dallas, especially Dallas proper. There may be cheaper ones out there, but I doubt it. You can get an apartment here with all bills paid in the range of $550-750 per month. Now, it may not be the NICEST place you've ever lived, but if you value being close to downtown, have limited resources or even questionable credit you can find a place to live here. If you are looking to invest in a property that's going to gain value as the neighborhood is slowly updated and renovated to accommodate high-end properties within the city limits, this might be a good place to start looking. An entire apartment complex could most likely be bought for a song, renovated, and turned into a profitable business pretty quickly here. If you do decide to live here, realize that the large quantity of people (homeless and otherwise) walking around will make your property (read: cars, plants, bicycles, motorcycles, grills, statuary or outside furniture) disappear or get broken into very quickly. Look for properties with gated parking, enclosed or coded entryways, and on-site security or maintenance staff that's on call 24 hours.

There is a bus stop practically every 10 feet throughout this neighborhood, but no access to the DART light rail system until you get to downtown proper. You can easily get a cab ride for around $10 each way to any of the entertainment districts nearby; it's probably safer and cheaper than trying to drive, park, return home, etc. There are a lot of complexes with about 10-20 visitor spots in the front that are well-lit; these are okay, and often feature circle drives that allow you to get in and out fairly quickly if people are coming over. Street parking is available but questionable; when I lived in this area, my car was broken into at least five times within a year, although they never broke the glass windows. The nicer the complex, the more secure it will be. Rental homes are typically of the multiplex variety and have a driveway that leads to a small parking area in the back that can accommodate enough cars for two spots per unit.

Be wary of apartments that offer too many incentives to move in or don't let you look at the exact apartment you will be renting or speak to any of the residents; I won't name names, but having lived in two different complexes, what seemed like a great deal turned into a nightmare. Be sure to get the 24-hour emergency line information before signing anything and verify that there is a service for you in case of a break-in, water or gas leak or broken stove/refrigerator. The nicer apartment complexes are typically Power Properties; lofts for rent nearer Deep Ellum offer lots of security, great parking garages and other amenities, but are not so easy when you have visitors or arms full of groceries. If you're looking at a newer property, be sure to go over what is included in the cost of rent and what costs extra. Finally, be smart: if you are on a high-traffic street like Main, Gaston, Swiss, Live Oak, Commerce, or whatever and the unit is facing the street, you'll be dealing with a lot of noise and light problems. Be sure you get to choose the unit you want if you can. Ask if you can meet the person living above, below, or on either side of you and ask what that person's experience has been before you commit. If you have really horrendous credit and very little money, you can get HUD-assisted housing in this area too.

The size and nature of most of the available rental properties in this area makes it ideal for cats, fish and birds, not so much for dogs. There are sidewalks in about 50 percent of the neighborhood areas to walk a dog in, but few parks or green spots to "do their business."

There isn't a lot to do here in the way of entertainment (unless you like pool halls or Tejano dance clubs, there are quite a few of those), but any major entertainment area is nearby; Lower Greenville for bar-hopping, Knox-Henderson for shopping, dining and clubbing, Expo Park for live bands, dancing and the annual State Fair of Texas, and of course Deep Ellum for the occasional outdoor music or arts festival. For indie art, there's the And/Or Gallery that sits right next to the amazing and eclectic House of Dang, which hosts free movies on Thursday nights seasonally and sells everything from handmade clothing to vintage luggage. Another favorite neighborhood boutique is Dolly Python. There's also the Cityplace area for basics like Target and Ross.

Stick to the streets around Junius Heights, near Peak and Haskell, and around Swiss/Skillman area if you can.

There's a Bank of America at Hall and Elm and another one at Gaston and Abrams; a Hibernia, Comerica and a WaMu. There isn't much in the way of gyms and grocery stores here; your best bet is the Albertson's at McKinney and Lemmon or the neighborhood Fiesta on Ross.

Lakehill Preparatory, Lakewood Montessori, St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary, and the Zion Lutheran School. For those looking for schools with religious affiliations (Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran), there are an abundance of specialty schools within a five-mile radius. There aren't a lot of places for children to play outside in this area without needing strict observation simply for safety issues.