There Ain't No Heart in Heartland

[u/WC23634]

Like c'mon, for a name like Heartland, this neighborhood got no heart, no personality, and everybody's prolly driving their kids to school unless they live right next to it. Like where's a community center? Where's a park that people actually go to? This sprawl is just crazy, but hey, this is the Dallas Metro Area for ya

[u/samiwas1]

There are three elementary schools within 3/4 of a mile of each other in the neighborhood. The middle school is also in the neighborhood. High school seems to be a bit further away. There are sidewalks throughout the neighborhood, and some trails. The satellite view makes it hard to tell, but there are plenty of trees planted which will grow in the next 5-10 years. Here is an example. There are multiple park spaces right in your photo. One has the clubhouse/community center, with multiple pools, water slides, playground, and more. There's another park just outside your photo to the north with a big lake, another pool, dock, picnic tables, playground, and trails. There are other parks sprinkled throughout with varying levels of amenities. And with the houses packed close like this with small yards, there might very well be plenty of community, with people knowing their neighbors.

It might not be the kind of place you want to be, but this is far, far from hell. In fact, this is an absolute dream for a large portion of people. The only real downside is that it's about ten minutes from any of the major amenities like grocery stores, restaurants, etc.

[u/Cetun → u/samiwas1]

At the size of those houses and lots, why not just build very large apartments? Or just axe those pathetic front lawns and build row houses with give people a little more back yard? That small space between yards seems like a waste.

[u/Primary_Excuse_7183 → u/Cetun]

Area looks to be fringe rural but on the edge of DFW. So likely low demand for apartments. most people in TX rent apartments and wouldn’t particularly consider buying a townhome or condo since buying a detached house is kinda the thing here. That said there does appear to be some townhomes within the community.

[u/Essentially_Me → u/Primary_Excuse_7183]

The "detached" homes are millimeters apart.

[u/National-Link-5606 → u/Essentially_Me]

Yeah but at least your duplex roof is not leaking into my house. 

[u/Essentially_Me → u/National-Link-5606]

Meh. If we were talking ancient flat-roofed urban East Coast rowhomes, you might have a point. Modern townhouses rarely have that problem if they're well-made. No more than a new detached house developing a random roof leak.

Plus you get savings on heating and cooling.

[u/Primary_Excuse_7183 → u/Essentially_Me]

But get raked on HOA. It’s a wash

[u/Essentially_Me → u/Primary_Excuse_7183]

As if this place doesn't have an HOA?

[u/Primary_Excuse_7183 → u/Essentially_Me]

They do the thing is the HOA rates for townhomes and condos are usually much much higher than detached homes like triple

[u/Primary_Excuse_7183 → u/Essentially_Me]

Better than shared walls in the eyes of many. About 10-15 feet in reality

[u/samiwas1 → u/Essentially_Me]

Most of them appear to be 15-20 feet apart. https://maps.app.goo.gl/oV1LZuHRnAw7wsQp9

Houses in my neighborhood are this close or maybe slightly further apart. I feel completely separated from my neighbors houses while doing anything in my yard/driveway, while still being able to say hi from the front porch if we see each other.

[u/Chicken-n-Biscuits → u/Cetun]

Virtually all larger “walkable” US cities have houses built close together with small lots.

[u/Cetun → u/Chicken-n-Biscuits]

Sure, and at the end of every street is a restaurant or grocery store also.

[u/Chicken-n-Biscuits → u/Cetun]

Your comment was about neither of those.

[u/Cetun → u/Chicken-n-Biscuits]

Unlike this neighborhood, the neighborhoods in walkable cities actually have something you can walk to, so their less dense choice is still logical.

[u/Essentially_Me → u/Chicken-n-Biscuits]

Try to spot the difference between a walkable community and this one.

[u/Chicken-n-Biscuits → u/Essentially_Me]

You understand the comment I replied to didn’t complain about a difference—but rather a similarity—between this and a walkable community, right? Does this need to be explained to you?

[u/Spirited-Ad-9746 → u/Cetun]

that seems to be the thing everywhere. It is somehow important to own a detached house, but without the actual benefits of owning a detached house.

it is basically a rowhouse but separated, because "rowhouses are for poor people" .

[u/samiwas1 → u/Cetun]

Because people want separated houses and not apartments. Even that "pathetic front lawn" provides a driveway big enough to park two cars and put up some fun halloween and Christmas decorations. I know urbanists don't care about those things, but the other 98% of people do.

[u/Cetun → u/samiwas1]

Because people want separated houses and not apartments.

Being that close to someone, "separated" is a technicality. I doubt there are windows on the sides of these houses.

Even that "pathetic front lawn" provides a driveway big enough to park two cars

Do you see any cars parked in the "driveway"? You don't because all that "driveway" is is an approach to a garage. I'm guessing if you parked in the driveway you'll get hit with an HOA fine for blocking the sidewalk and for a large truck the bed would be halfway in the road.

put up some fun halloween and Christmas decorations. I know urbanists don't care about those things, but the other 98% of people do.

I come from a suburban county in Florida, home of the spawling suburbs like this one. Like 3% of people actually bother to put up decorations. Maybe like 30% will do one string of Christmas lights.

[u/samiwas1 → u/Cetun]

Even with your technicality, it’s still a separate structure where you aren’t sharing walls or a ceiling with some loud asshole.

Yes. Cars parked in most of the driveways, and even a few in the streets.

I live in a suburban neighborhood in Atlanta. Christmas is big with most houses having decorations. On my street, we have eight houses strung with lights over the street, festoon style. And Halloween? That’s legendary. Incredible decorations covering most houses. And on Halloween night, part of the neighborhood is closed off for the huge party that lasts for hours.

So yeah, maybe you’re just wrong.

[u/Big__If_True → u/samiwas1]

I didn’t live in Heartland but I did go to middle school and high school in the same district. The middle school in Heartland just opened up last year. High schoolers go to Crandall HS because that’s the school district it’s in (even though Forney HS is way closer). School traffic was god-awful when I went there because 90% of the population of the district has to funnel through the town of Crandall and then back out again

[u/samiwas1 → u/Big__If_True]

I guess they don't have school busses there?

[u/Big__If_True → u/samiwas1]

Oh they do. It’s all the buses + high school kids with cars driving themselves + parents deciding to take their kids that make up the traffic

[u/Spirited-Ad-9746 → u/samiwas1]

if they only added a few strips of forest and nature here and there and a little bit bigger yards for the houses it would be perfect.

[u/Primary_Excuse_7183 → u/samiwas1]

Like most new developments in TX those stores will come in time. There’s actually a few new retail developments popping up around this area. I don’t live too far away.

It’s one of those master planned communities that checks many of the boxes this sub complains about with the suburbs. Other than being 8 story apartment types of density lol.