Posted: 3/18/2026 6:39:22 PM EDT
| My daughter has been offered a job in McKinney so we need to find her an apartment. She would be working in the 75 & 380 area. Where should we look for a decent apartment? More importantly, where should we avoid looking for an apartment and in general? Any advice would be appreciated. |
| There are a bunch of new apartments on the west side of 75 at Bloomdale. If you find one she is interested I can likely provide you some better info. Most of McKinney is nice. There are some older apartments on the east side of 75 that are likely not as nice/safe. Overall Mckinney is a decent safe area. |
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Originally Posted By mikNtx: princeton would be a good commute. I do not recommend Princeton unless you love horrendous traffice. They are the poster child of a city that has overbuilt their infrastructure. The drive between Princeton and McKinney during rush hour is a crawl at best. |
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Originally Posted By Manduck: I do not recommend Princeton unless you love horrendous traffice. They are the poster child of a city that has overbuilt their infrastructure. The drive between Princeton and McKinney during rush hour is a crawl at best. gives them time to drink a coffee and listen to the ticket. it's n9t that far. some have far, far worse commutes. buy a house someone has defaulted on. |
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Originally Posted By mah827: There are a bunch of new apartments on the west side of 75 at Bloomdale. If you find one she is interested I can likely provide you some better info. Most of McKinney is nice. There are some older apartments on the east side of 75 that are likely not as nice/safe. Overall Mckinney is a decent safe area. Second on something west of 75. |
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Originally Posted By mikNtx: princeton would be a good commute.  I like my house (bought it in 2016 when I moved to Texas), and I like my quiet little cookie-cutter subdivision in various flavors of DR Horton (it is what it is  ) just fine, but there is one - and I do mean only ONE - box you can check in the "pro" column, and it's the price. That's it. There is no other reason to live here, that I can think of. And it ain't nearly as cheap as it was when I moved here, so even that's questionable anymore. Unless you work a retail job in town or something (or work from home - there ain't much real industry here), you WILL be commuting. And you WILL be using 380 to do it (it's the only practical way to/from McKinney), and you WILL hate every second of it. It's a complete and total shit show, and is probably top 5 in terms of fatal accidents in the region (wouldn't surprise me, anyway). And God help you if you don't work on the east side of McKinney - because it gets even worse. If your commute has you jumping on 75 or 121 to head south, that's a second level of fuckery you get to enjoy. Work from home? You're way better off, but you'll still be leaving Princeton A LOT. There is one supermarket, and it's a WalMart. If you want to shop anywhere else, you're going to be driving to Allen, Plano, McKinney, Melissa...and you'll be fighting traffic for most of the day. Lowe's? Home Depot? An actual lumber yard? Nope. There's a small Ace Hardware and a Tractor Supply here. That's it. Everything else - you're heading out of town again. Hospital? Nope. There's a small Urgent Care, and it's not 24 hour. Doctor's appointments? Diagnostic Imaging? Labs? Hell, a ride to an actual Emergency Room? Forget it. You're driving out of town. Want to buy clothes? Furniture? Home decor? WalMart better have what you're looking for, or you ain't getting it here. Shit, if you found something on Facebook Marketplace (or Craigslist), I can just about guarantee you it ain't gonna be from somebody in town. Use Google Maps Street View to "drive" down 380 in Princeton. Look to your left, and to your right. That's about 95% of the actual commerce available to you (including food/restaurants and employment), without having to leave town and fight traffic. It ain't much. Oh...and it's a parking lot for much of the day. It's kind of a pain in the dick to live here. It seeps into your subconscious, because there's always this feeling of "ugh..." whenever you need to go anywhere or do anything, and you end up planning your day around it - whether you realize it or not. You ain't spontaneously doing shit, unless you really enjoy sitting in your car. I don't know how to describe it, other than everything feels like a hassle - with no upside. It's not like I can say "Yeah, but I can pee off my front porch, I have a 100 yard range, and my kids enjoy riding their ATVs and dirt bikes". That's the trade-off that sensible people sometimes make, and it's understandable. But if you live in an apartment? Or you own a home in a subdivision? There's really no reason to live in either of those...here. People don't even enjoy visiting you here, if they don't live in the city limits, because the trip out here feels kinda shitty.  But - it's "affordable". If that is your one and only metric above literally everything else...Great. My youngest graduates HS this year, and is heading off to college. It's going to be down to me and the wife. Any guesses on what's likely to happen within the next year or two after that?  Just sayin'. 
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And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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Originally Posted By Dynamo: Thanks for all of the info. My daughter will be working west of 75 so we will focus our search there. Looks like there are many options so we will just have to find something that works for her and her budget. |
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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Originally Posted By Dynamo: My daughter has told me that she would like the easiest commute possible. So I guess that means Princeton is off the list. Easiest commute would be northbound in the mornings, southbound afternoons. Anything east or west on 380 will be congested. Southbound traffic on 75 in the mornings is always a zoo and will never get better. As a consequence, when 75 is blocked, southbound commuters begin to use Custer, Independence, Coit, Preston. Northbound traffic from Plano and Allen is light. |
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Originally Posted By Dangus: The husband or the wife? I’m wanting to think they were both Genes if you’re talking about who I think you are. i believe you are correct on both. tucked a little south and east behind mcd then on 380. he built / rebarreled several rem700's for me back around '07/8. "williams gun repair". he was a good dude and had opinions. 
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Originally Posted By mikNtx: i believe you are correct on both. tucked a little south and east behind mcd then on 380. he built / rebarreled several rem700's for me back around '07/8. "williams gun repair". he was a good dude and had opinions. https://i.imgur.com/qMHtxhy.jpeg I never met Gene the gunsmith, but I knew Gene the wife (maybe Jean or Jeannie?) from some gun forum back in the day and met and shot with her a time or two at the old Collin Co Run Range. |
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Do not rent an apartment at the complex on Skyline just north of 380. Older complex for the area and full of section 8 knuckleheads. Same for the residential area next to it, has presidential street names. Other than that, almost any complex in McKinney west of 75 is pretty nice and new. There is a new apartment complex off of 380 behind the Cinemark Theater, it's only a year or two old. There are several new lease only neighborhoods in the area that are all single-family detached houses. They cater to folks like your daughter relocating to the area. Also, several new restaurants at 380 and Hardin with more entertainment venues being built now. Melissa to the north is nice and growing. Frisco to the west is also nice, upscale and growing. But they are about to start on the 380 bypass construction so that will mess up traffic going that way. |
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Originally Posted By txstinkbug: Starts with an R? Ends with an N? Several new apartments just north in Melissa and Anna too. Anna is starting to get rather sporty these days because of those apartments, according to what you see on some social media pages. |
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Originally Posted By Gopher: Anna is starting to get rather sporty these days because of those apartments, according to what you see on some social media pages. I would hope that the apartments north of 380 and west of 75 would be safe. Mckinney PD and Collin county sheriffs office is right there. |
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Originally Posted By mah827: I would hope that the apartments north of 380 and west of 75 would be safe. Mckinney PD and Collin county sheriffs office is right there. So is the County Jail. Anyone walking in that area carrying a clear plastic bag probably just got out of Jail. The best advice is to contact the local PD and ask about the level of criminal activity in any area they service. They can tell you which areas are best to avoid. For any prospective apartment complexes, drive thru the property on Friday night or Saturday morning. Look at the types of vehicles, condition of those vehicles and the property. Drive the area and look at the local businesses, conditions of the properties, and types of businesses. Low end keeps to low end, high end keeps with high end. Immigrant owned businesses tend to cater to their cultures, what you see is usually who resides in the area. Not all are considerate of our way of life. Keep to the west of 75. There are still areas in east McKinney that the PD will not go into unless multiple units respond. |
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Originally Posted By Subnet: I live in Princeton, and I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not. Unless you work a retail job in town or something (or work from home - there ain't much real industry here), you WILL be commuting. Encore Wire is huge. Simpson Strong Tie also comes to mind. There's a lot around the airport. |
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Originally Posted By TontoGoldstein: Encore Wire is huge. Simpson Strong Tie also comes to mind. There's a lot around the airport. Originally Posted By TontoGoldstein: Originally Posted By Subnet: I live in Princeton, and I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not. Unless you work a retail job in town or something (or work from home - there ain't much real industry here), you WILL be commuting. Encore Wire is huge. Simpson Strong Tie also comes to mind. There's a lot around the airport.
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Originally Posted By mikNtx: i believe you are correct on both. tucked a little south and east behind mcd then on 380. he built / rebarreled several rem700's for me back around '07/8. "williams gun repair". he was a good dude and had opinions. https://i.imgur.com/qMHtxhy.jpeg Originally Posted By mikNtx: Originally Posted By Dangus: The husband or the wife? I’m wanting to think they were both Genes if you’re talking about who I think you are. i believe you are correct on both. tucked a little south and east behind mcd then on 380. he built / rebarreled several rem700's for me back around '07/8. "williams gun repair". he was a good dude and had opinions. https://i.imgur.com/qMHtxhy.jpeg Jeanie passed away couple years back. Gene is still doing good and still working in the same place at 83. Good man that Gene. |
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Originally Posted By GSAR_Dude: Jeanie passed away couple years back. Gene is still doing good and still working in the same place at 83. Good man that Gene. Originally Posted By GSAR_Dude: Originally Posted By mikNtx: Originally Posted By Dangus: The husband or the wife? I’m wanting to think they were both Genes if you’re talking about who I think you are. i believe you are correct on both. tucked a little south and east behind mcd then on 380. he built / rebarreled several rem700's for me back around '07/8. "williams gun repair". he was a good dude and had opinions. https://i.imgur.com/qMHtxhy.jpeg Jeanie passed away couple years back. Gene is still doing good and still working in the same place at 83. Good man that Gene. thank you for sharing. they're kind people. |
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Originally Posted By mikNtx: back on topic, the zoomers live on 121 and zip up tollway/75 to white. recommended princteon for house investment recommendation vs rent. I must re-iterate - the traffic getting into and out of this town FUCKING SUCKS. That said, I do own my house here, and it's appreciated quite a bit since 2016. So that's nice.
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And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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Originally Posted By Subnet: I'm sure owning a home here in Princeton is all well and good for investment reasons, but I must caution again - you might not enjoy actually living in it, unless you work from home most of the time. I must re-iterate - the traffic getting into and out of this town FUCKING SUCKS. That said, I do own my house here, and it's appreciated quite a bit since 2016. So that's nice. Originally Posted By Subnet: Originally Posted By mikNtx: back on topic, the zoomers live on 121 and zip up tollway/75 to white. recommended princteon for house investment recommendation vs rent. I must re-iterate - the traffic getting into and out of this town FUCKING SUCKS. That said, I do own my house here, and it's appreciated quite a bit since 2016. So that's nice. My daughter has stressed to me that an easy commute is one of her top priorities in finding a place. Plus, this is her first job as an engineer so she is just starting out on her own and isn't ready to buy a home. I appreciate all of the advice and tips about the area though. |
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Originally Posted By Dynamo: My daughter has stressed to me that an easy commute is one of her top priorities in finding a place. Plus, this is her first job as an engineer so she is just starting out on her own and isn't ready to buy a home. I appreciate all of the advice and tips about the area though. Originally Posted By Dynamo: Originally Posted By Subnet: Originally Posted By mikNtx: back on topic, the zoomers live on 121 and zip up tollway/75 to white. recommended princteon for house investment recommendation vs rent. I must re-iterate - the traffic getting into and out of this town FUCKING SUCKS. That said, I do own my house here, and it's appreciated quite a bit since 2016. So that's nice. My daughter has stressed to me that an easy commute is one of her top priorities in finding a place. Plus, this is her first job as an engineer so she is just starting out on her own and isn't ready to buy a home. I appreciate all of the advice and tips about the area though.  And yeah, there's no need to rush into buying a home when you're young. All she'll need to know is that she'll eventually want one, and to start squirreling away money to that effect, so that she'll be ready when it makes sense. Which I'm sure she already knows, because she's an engineer and probably thinks like one, too.
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And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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Originally Posted By Subnet: I'll bet you're very proud of her. I would be. And yeah, there's no need to rush into buying a home when you're young. All she'll need to know is that she'll eventually want one, and to start squirreling away money to that effect, so that she'll be ready when it makes sense. Which I'm sure she already knows, because she's an engineer and probably thinks like one, too. Originally Posted By Subnet: Originally Posted By Dynamo: Originally Posted By Subnet: Originally Posted By mikNtx: back on topic, the zoomers live on 121 and zip up tollway/75 to white. recommended princteon for house investment recommendation vs rent. I must re-iterate - the traffic getting into and out of this town FUCKING SUCKS. That said, I do own my house here, and it's appreciated quite a bit since 2016. So that's nice. My daughter has stressed to me that an easy commute is one of her top priorities in finding a place. Plus, this is her first job as an engineer so she is just starting out on her own and isn't ready to buy a home. I appreciate all of the advice and tips about the area though. And yeah, there's no need to rush into buying a home when you're young. All she'll need to know is that she'll eventually want one, and to start squirreling away money to that effect, so that she'll be ready when it makes sense. Which I'm sure she already knows, because she's an engineer and probably thinks like one, too. I am very proud of her. She has worked hard and I am impressed with what she has done. She and I drove up to McKinney yesterday to look at a few apartments and check out the area. We both liked it up there, it's pretty nice. Both an HEB and Buc-ee's just a few miles away too. I think we narrowed it down to a specific apartment which would be a real easy work commute (so close I'm not even sure I'd call it a commute). She is just waiting on the results from the background check and security clearance. I am sure she will pass both but we don't want her to sign an apartment lease until she gets a green light. |
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My daughter was notified this week that all of the pre-employment contingency stuff (security clearance, etc) was all good and gave her an official start date. We went ahead and snagged one of the apartments that we looked at last weekend. It's a newer complex that is very close to her work so she is happy. We'll be moving her up there in a couple of weeks.
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Originally Posted By Dynamo: My daughter was notified this week that all of the pre-employment contingency stuff (security clearance, etc) was all good and gave her an official start date. We went ahead and snagged one of the apartments that we looked at last weekend. It's a newer complex that is very close to her work so she is happy. We'll be moving her up there in a couple of weeks. Congrats. Is it Raytheon? McKinney's a great place to raise a family and there's enough to do for a lazy weekend (restaurants, theater, downtown). Younger folks may look towards Frisco/Plano/Dallas for weekend activities. Easy access to 75, 380 or 121 will keep all options open and decently convenient. |
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Yesterday was a very long day but we got our daughter all moved in by early afternoon. Then we spent the rest of the day doing some unpacking and shopping for various things she needs. We saw the delivery drones operating at Walmart. Pretty cool stuff. I had a brief moment of panic last night/this morning. In addition to the Uhaul truck my wife drove our 4Runner and our daughter drove our Crosstrek. The was because I drove back home today due to work tomorrow but my wife & our oldest daughter stayed up there to spend an extra day helping her get settled in. They are all coming back tomorrow and our daughter will spend a day or so here at home then take her car back to McKinney for good. Anyway, right after we go to bed at the hotel last night the storm blows through. Sounded like hail to me.   I could hardly sleep after that thinking just our luck that the one weekend we are up there both of our vehicles got hail damage. I checked them first thing this morning and thankfully no damage on either. But another big storm was blowing through around 11am right when I was heading home. I thought we got hard hitting storms here in central TX but I guess you have us beat.
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Originally Posted By Dynamo: Yesterday was a very long day but we got our daughter all moved in by early afternoon. Then we spent the rest of the day doing some unpacking and shopping for various things she needs. We saw the delivery drones operating at Walmart. Pretty cool stuff. I had a brief moment of panic last night/this morning. In addition to the Uhaul truck my wife drove our 4Runner and our daughter drove our Crosstrek. The was because I drove back home today due to work tomorrow but my wife & our oldest daughter stayed up there to spend an extra day helping her get settled in. They are all coming back tomorrow and our daughter will spend a day or so here at home then take her car back to McKinney for good. Anyway, right after we go to bed at the hotel last night the storm blows through. Sounded like hail to me. I could hardly sleep after that thinking just our luck that the one weekend we are up there both of our vehicles got hail damage. I checked them first thing this morning and thankfully no damage on either. But another big storm was blowing through around 11am right when I was heading home. I thought we got hard hitting storms here in central TX but I guess you have us beat.She'll want covered parking. Mine live in a garage, and if they didn't, they'd have been hail damaged (and repaired) several times by now. As it stands, I've spent ~$800 for three consecutive years now, repairing storm damage to my roof. I expect it to happen again this year. It's a thing. |
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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Originally Posted By Subnet: Hail is a massive problem up here, and there's a season for it every single year. She'll want covered parking. Mine live in a garage, and if they didn't, they'd have been hail damaged (and repaired) several times by now. As it stands, I've spent ~$800 for three consecutive years now, repairing storm damage to my roof. I expect it to happen again this year. It's a thing. Originally Posted By Subnet: Originally Posted By Dynamo: Yesterday was a very long day but we got our daughter all moved in by early afternoon. Then we spent the rest of the day doing some unpacking and shopping for various things she needs. We saw the delivery drones operating at Walmart. Pretty cool stuff. I had a brief moment of panic last night/this morning. In addition to the Uhaul truck my wife drove our 4Runner and our daughter drove our Crosstrek. The was because I drove back home today due to work tomorrow but my wife & our oldest daughter stayed up there to spend an extra day helping her get settled in. They are all coming back tomorrow and our daughter will spend a day or so here at home then take her car back to McKinney for good. Anyway, right after we go to bed at the hotel last night the storm blows through. Sounded like hail to me. I could hardly sleep after that thinking just our luck that the one weekend we are up there both of our vehicles got hail damage. I checked them first thing this morning and thankfully no damage on either. But another big storm was blowing through around 11am right when I was heading home. I thought we got hard hitting storms here in central TX but I guess you have us beat.She'll want covered parking. Mine live in a garage, and if they didn't, they'd have been hail damaged (and repaired) several times by now. As it stands, I've spent ~$800 for three consecutive years now, repairing storm damage to my roof. I expect it to happen again this year. It's a thing. The apartments have garages but they are an additional $200/mo. She drives a 10-year old Corolla that already has mild hail damage from when she was in school in Lubbock. I told her if she gets a newer car that she needs to budget for a garage. Our vehicles live in the garage at home so not an issue here. We do get hail sometimes but sounds like nowhere near as extreme as you get. |
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Originally Posted By Dynamo: The apartments have garages but they are an additional $200/mo. She drives a 10-year old Corolla that already has mild hail damage from when she was in school in Lubbock. I told her if she gets a newer car that she needs to budget for a garage. Our vehicles live in the garage at home so not an issue here. We do get hail sometimes but sounds like nowhere near as extreme as you get. ive been near 380 and 75 for the past 18 months and have had no issues with hail (knock on wood). its been a rather quiet neighborhood (im on the west side of 75) |
| Fun fact, Princeton actually road blocked their own infrastructure. They fought the county and state when 380 was proposed to be a limited access highway through their city. It would have made the commute a breeze but they halted the progress because they were worried that they would be a drive over city. |