A relocation website has named Allen the best neighborhood for the money in North Texas.
NeighborhoodScout.com put together the list of the best neighborhoods for the money of 20 major metro areas in the United States. The neighborhoods that made the list have premium qualities for a low price compared to similar neighborhoods in that metro area, the website told According to Walletpop.com, an AOL consumer finance website.
Staci Byers, who works at Allen Bowl, said she has watched the Collin County city transform in the 30 years she has called it home.
"It's buildings and houses," she said. "It's absolutely amazing."
State Highway 5 used to just be a two-lane blacktop with a few stoplights.
"I remember, actually, Highway 5 just out there was a one-way road, and it had like a one-way bridge," Byers said. "If you were passing, you had to wait for the other car to go. You couldn't pass at the same time, and now, to see it's an actual highway now, it's unbelievable."
Now, new homes with a median price of a little more than $234,000, new shopping centers and new residents are filling up Allen.
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Kelsey Hinkle moved two years ago from Plano after she married her husband, whose family lives in Allen.
Hinkle said the city is the perfect mix of old-meets-new at a price she and her young family can afford. She said Allen has plenty of good housing in convenient locations.
"It's not too city," she said. "It's a little bit suburb."
According to Walletpop.com, Allen made NeighborhoodScout.com's list based on factors such as affordable housing, crime rates, the percentage of owner-occupied homes, the percentage of single-family homes, residents' education levels and excellent public schools.
Allen isn't the only North Texas to be growing. The U.S. Census Bureau ranked both McKinney and Fort Worth among the top 10 fastest-growing cities in the country.
