Living in Garland, TX

Garland is a city of about 250,000 northeast of Dallas, about 15 miles from downtown Dallas. It's mostly in Dallas County, with small parts in Collin and Rockwall counties, and it has a historic downtown square, frontage on Lake Ray Hubbard and the Firewheel area on the north side.

Getting around

I-635 (LBJ Freeway) and I-30 cross the city's south and west sides, the President George Bush Turnpike runs through north Garland, and SH 78 and SH 66 run through town. DART's Blue Line stops at Downtown Garland and Forest/Jupiter stations, with trains into downtown Dallas. DFW Airport is about 30 miles west.

Things to do

Lake Ray Hubbard, a roughly 22,000-acre lake on the city's east side, with Windsurf Bay Park for fishing, kayaking and windsurfing
Firewheel Golf Park, a city golf complex with 63 holes across three courses
Firewheel Town Center, an outdoor Main Street-style shopping center with more than 100 businesses and a movie theater
Historic Downtown Garland, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the Granville Arts Center and the historic Plaza Theatre
Spring Creek Forest Preserve, an old-growth forest along Spring Creek with trails and chalk cliffs

Schools

Most of Garland is served by Garland ISD, while parts of the city fall in Richardson ISD and Mesquite ISD. Because the lines can be close, I always confirm the school assignment for a specific address.

Homes and neighborhoods

Garland has a wide range of home ages and price points. You'll find older homes near the downtown square, established neighborhoods across the middle of the city, and homes near Lake Ray Hubbard on the east side. Firewheel, a planned community on the north side, was developed mainly from the late 1990s on, with neighborhoods near the golf park and Firewheel Town Center. Since parts of Garland are in three counties, I check the county and tax rate for each home.

A little history

Garland grew from the rival communities of Duck Creek and Embree. In 1887 the post office was moved between them and named for U.S. Attorney General Augustus H. Garland, and the communities joined and incorporated as Garland in 1891.