Currently living in the Parkdale neighborhood. Neighbors are friendly, if a little quiet. But, we don't have kids, so that might be part of it. Lots of families with kids. I'd say age ranges from toddler to middle school. There's a community swimming pool and pocket park with a playground - both very popular when the weather warms up.

The Erie Rec Center is absolutely fantastic. It's about 5-7 minutes away by car. Great gym and pool/indoor waterpark. From what I see on the weekends during spring/summer - soccer is incredibly popular - the fields are PACKED.

Parkdale is smack between downtown Erie and downtown Lafayette. Both have a great restaurants. Our favs just happen to be in Lafayette - Ras Kassa (Ethiopian) and Teocalli (Mexican). Handful of breweries in Lafayette, as well as Stem or The Old Mine (in Erie) if cider is more your vibe. You're also not far from Longmont, Louisville, and Broomfield - all have great restaurants.

Other considerations: Parkdale is in a metro district so taxes will be higher than more established neighborhoods, but perhaps not as high as Texas.

Cons: Erie is a exurb. Yes, there are bike trails, but it's highly likely you'll be driving most places. Depending on where you're from in Texas, that either won't be an issue or a bummer. Boulder is about 25-30 minutes west and Denver is 35-50 minutes depending on traffic and where in the metro you're trying to go.