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A drive down Main street reminds you that Garland wasn't always a major Dallas suburb, but once a small Texas town with it's own thriving little economy. The western end of Main Street contains a number of historic tudor homes which have been mostly converted to commercial uses, as well as a number of aesthetically challenge commercial buildings from the later half of the 20th century. The other end of Main Street, east of 5th street, serves as a gateway to downtown from busy SH-78/Lavon Dr., and is home to many auto related business, a Taco Bell, and a locally owned Feed and Seed store.

The middle section of Main Street is home to the downtown square, and is the epicenter of Garland's downtown Core. Main Street, along with the rest of downtown, is currently experiencing some much needed revitalization, a couple of restaurants have opened in the last few years, the Plaza Theatre has received a much needed restoration, and the building next door to Suzy's Quilt Shop is currently being restored to become a coffee shop.

The arrival of the DART train has also lit a fire under other downtown development during the last few years, including the Patty Granville Arts Center, a new Community College, and a mixed use development of shops, townhomes, and 200 apartments, bringing a residential component to downtown Garland. With all the new residents, Main Street is sure to get a new lease on life during the next few years.

Stretching several miles across central Garland, West Walnut Street is home to the city's only real hospital, the main post office, Dart Train/Bus transit center, and the new community college, making it one of the city's most important streets. However Walnut is not just commercial, many people also live on West Walnut, in several sections of single family homes, and apartment complexes.

However, while Garland is a reasonably safe city, if there was one area of town that I would avoid at night, it would be West Walnut, particularly around Jupiter Rd. In my opinion the crime problem has more to do with the plethora of low rent apartment complexes that line Walnut west of Shiloh, rather than the single family residential neighborhoods that surround West Walnut, which are mostly in reasonably good shape.

A lot of Businesses have closed along Walnut in the past few years, including the chain fast food places like Arby's, McDonalds, Long John Silvers, and Taco Bell. However a couple of new restaurants, Chopstick Xpress, and Rice Xpress are under now under construction, so perhaps it is a sign that the area is headed for a rebound soon.

Pink, Red, Orange, and more, with an extra half bathroom, hookups for an automatic washing machine, and a price tag of $13,000, these little brick houses were the American dream when they were built in the mid 1950s. When you moved to Bluebird Lane in the 1950s you didn't keep up with the Joneses, you were the Joneses, and more than 50 years later, some them still call Bluebird Lane home, with no intention of ever leaving.

While it won't impress your friends, Bluebird Lane is still a solid, stable place to live. With no thru-traffic, and a location far from any busy streets, you don't get much quieter than this in the city. The main drawback to the neighborhood is it's close proximity to the Kraft Foods factory and some other industrial neighbors about 1/2 mile away. While you tend to forget that Kraft is there most of the time, you are occasionally reminded some evenings when the air smells like Italian salad dressing. But condiment factories aside, compared to other streets in Garland with a similar price range, Bluebird comes out on top.

There are two sides to South Glenbrook Drive, running mostly parallel to Duck Creek, from downtown Garland to it's terminus at Centerville Rd, near 635/LBJ, it serves both as a thoroughfare, and residential neighborhood. For those aware of it's existence, Glenbrook drive serves as a quieter, more scenic(by Garland standards), alternative north/south route to busier/uglier streets like S. 1st Street.

From Downtown Garland to Miller Road, the four lane Glenbrook Drive is purely thoroughfare as it traverses Downtown businesses, a cemetery, parkland, and passes conveniently underneath slow, disruptive freight trains, which can snarl traffic on other, busier, thoroughfares.

South of Miller Road, Glenbrook aligns itself with Duck Creek, and narrows to two lanes as it transitions into charming 1950s residential neighborhoods, where you are surrounded by a canopy of tall trees. The homes, some of them large and sprawling, are mostly all well kept, and each have their own individual personalities, unlike many of Garland's other cookie cutter neighborhoods. With the winding streets, and tall trees, South Glenbrook feels a lot like many streets in Lake Highlands, but a home here can be had for half the price.

Clinton street is one of three streets, Anne St. and Redell St. being the other two, that make up a nifty little pocket neighborhood in central Garland. You will find mostly 1940s cottages, and a few duplexes towards Newman Street. The single family homes are mostly well kept, manicured, and quite charming, the duplexes could use a little sprucing up, but they're not disasters.

Clinton Street is truly in the middle of it all, and the neighborhood appears to thrive on it. The post office and grocery store are literally around the corner, while downtown garland and the DART light-rail station are nearly as close, perhaps even walking distance. For some, the main downside to this street would probably be some traffic noise, though it wouldn't bother everyone. Clinton street serves as a shortcut between the post office and Krogers, though the neighborhood has delt with cut-through traffic by installing multiple speed bumps.

Clinton St. is bordered by busy Walnut and Garland Roads on two sides, and is separated from the Dart Rail tracks on the south by a sound wall. If you need total silence and cul-de-sac living, Clinton street probably isn't for you, but it would be a great place for those looking for a Garland location with unmatched convenience and vintage charm.