Moving to Richardson: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Richardson means choosing DFW's clearest tech/telecom-and-university suburb -- a genuinely different economic and demographic profile than Garland or Mesquite, and, unusually among DFW satellite cities, one split across two counties.
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Learn moreA city split between two counties -- a real, structural distinction
Roughly two-thirds of Richardson (the southern portion, about 18.2 of the city's 28.6 square miles) sits in Dallas County and is zoned to Richardson ISD, while the northern third (about 9.2 square miles) sits in Collin County and is zoned to Plano ISD instead (League of Women Voters of Richardson/City of Richardson Open Data Hub, retrieved 2026-08-22). This isn't a minor technicality: it determines which county appraisal district values a specific property, which county tax rate applies, and which school district a family is zoned into. Confirm which portion of the city a specific address sits in before assuming either county's rules or Richardson ISD's schools apply.
The University of Texas at Dallas sits inside city limits
UT Dallas enrolls roughly 30,000 students, with undergraduate enrollment at 21,858 as of fall 2024. Only about 22% of students live in college-owned or -affiliated housing, with 78% living off-campus (CollegeVine/US News, retrieved 2026-08-22) -- a real, ongoing driver of Richardson's rental market and demographic mix. The university has an approved 340-unit/534-bed housing development aimed at relieving a persistent on-campus housing shortfall (Connect CRE, retrieved 2026-08-22), a specific local dynamic worth knowing before renting nearby.
A real employer base, not just a bedroom suburb
Richardson's decades-old "Telecom Corridor" identity -- built up since the 1960s-70s around Texas Instruments and a cluster of telecom-sector employers, plus a State Farm regional campus -- gives it a genuine white-collar job base most DFW satellite suburbs in this dataset don't have (base record).
A meaningfully higher cost of entry than Garland or Mesquite
Richardson's median home sale price runs $462K-$526K across sources (base record), well above Garland's $290K-$320K and Mesquite's $280K-$301K. Movers should size their housing budget accordingly and weigh that premium against the Telecom Corridor job base and UT Dallas proximity that justify it for many buyers.
Key takeaways
- Richardson is genuinely split between Dallas County (southern two-thirds, Richardson ISD) and Collin County (northern third, Plano ISD) -- confirm which portion a specific address sits in before assuming county rate or school district.
- UT Dallas (~30,000 students, 21,858 undergraduates) sits inside city limits and is a real, ongoing driver of the local rental market; a new 340-unit/534-bed development is underway to address a persistent on-campus housing shortfall.
- Richardson's "Telecom Corridor" identity (Texas Instruments, telecom-sector employers, a State Farm regional campus) gives it a genuine in-city white-collar job base.
- Richardson's median home price ($462K-$526K) runs well above Garland's ($290K-$320K) and Mesquite's ($280K-$301K) -- budget accordingly.
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