This city is about more than Southlake Town Square, big houses and Dragon football.
For the 26,575 residents, the focus on a family-friendly atmosphere sets the city apart.That's what hooked Jen Johnson and her husband, Dustin, when they moved to Texas from the Washington, D.C., area six years ago. They have six children, so a child-friendly city was a must."When we came to visit and try to pick out a home to buy, we noticed right away lots of happy moms driving lots of kids, playing in the parks, eating at the restaurants, dads participating in school and other activities," Johnson said. "It has an unmistakable friendly and welcoming feel to it."The Johnsons love to get the whole family involved in events like Art in the Square, Home for the Holidays and Stars and Stripes."The schools have the motto 'Kids Come First' everywhere, and I feel like that idea is echoed all over the city," Johnson said.The 2009 American Community Survey estimated that nearly 59 percent of Southlake households are families with children. Almost 80 percent of homes have four or more bedrooms, the survey estimates.And the houses keep getting bigger in Southlake. The average market value jumped from $301,605 in 2000 to $496,566 in 2010, according to the Tarrant Appraisal District. That's the highest value of any Tarrant County city with more than 1,000 people."The city does not just have a couple good schools or some nice pockets that would be good for families," Jen Johnson said. "The entire city is welcoming to families, and every school is outstanding."The city's north half still has a more rural character, and that's what really appealed to Deanne Vetter and her family. In 1996, they bought a 2.8-acre ranch north of Texas 114."We loved the fact that you felt like you were living in the country, but the city was close by," Vetter said.They've seen a lot of changes since they moved to town and built their dream home, but Vetter, her husband, Vincent, and their three children still love the city."We still drive by cow pastures on our way home from the grocery store, and I love that about Southlake," Vetter said.