Haute House

See how this Lake Highlands home beautifully balances classic and trendy

Though originally built in 1972, a thoughtful renovation brought 9253 Raeford Dr. into the 21st century while maintaining hints of its funky pedigree.

An open floorplan lets its 2,272 square feet flow seamlessly from room to room, and also allows the generous windows to cast an abundance of natural light throughout the home.

The kitchen is open to the main living room, an island clad in reclaimed wood serving as the focal point while complementing the gently rounded ceiling, painted-brick fireplace, and dark wood floors. White subway tile stacked in a herringbone pattern gives the kitchen backsplash interest without competing against the sleek array of stainless steel appliances or the mod glass pendant lights.

Designer fixtures abound not only in the kitchen but in the three bathrooms as well. Tasteful yet interesting tile selections keep the bathrooms relaxing but still sophisticated, letting features such as the stand-alone tub truly shine.

Four bedrooms and a large yard make the home ideal for a family that's looking to get into the Richardson Independent School District. Technically located in Lake Highlands, the home is conveniently situated only a short drive to either White Rock Lake or Greenville Avenue and all the restaurants, shopping, and recreation that come with.

It's listed for $519,000 with Katherene Hough of Ebby Halliday Realtors, a steal when you take into account all the high-quality upgrades and luxe materials that went into the remodel. Add in the coveted location, and we don't expect this property to be available for long.

Reclaimed wood pairs beautifully with crisp white in the kitchen.

9253 Raeford Dr. Dallas Lake Highlands house for sale

Photo courtesy of Ebby Halliday Realtors

Reclaimed wood pairs beautifully with crisp white in the kitchen.

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safe suburbs

Dallas neighbor is proclaimed the second safest city in the U.S.

City of Frisco TX - City Hall/Facebook

Frisco residents feel right at home in the second-safest city in America.

One of Dallas' buzziest suburbs is also one of the safest in the U.S.: It's none other than Frisco, which was declared the No. 2 safest city in America for 2025 in a new study by personal finance advisors MoneyGeek.

The website's experts used an unusual metric: They looked at FBI crime statistics from 2023 to determine the cost of crime in 292 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000 residents.

The estimated cost of crime — otherwise known as the "societal cost of crime per resident" – was a mere $287 in 2023 in Frisco. That cost per capita is far lower than the national crime cost, which was $2,178 per resident.

The report also analyzed the city's violent crime and property crime rates per 100,000 residents, and Frisco again came through with flying colors, logging the third-lowest rate of violent crime in 2023, or only 86 crimes committed for every 100,000 residents.

The city didn't fare as well on property crime rate: There were 1,357 property crimes committed in 2023, the 40th lowest rate out of all 292 U.S. cities. It's still better than most places in the country, and way better than Oakland, California, which had the highest property crime rate in the nation with 10,117 crimes committed per 100,000 residents.

Finally, MoneyGeek determined each city's total cost of crime, which the study defines as the "economic losses attributed to crime and its cost to society (individuals, community and nationally) in millions."

In this metric, Frisco had the 11th lowest total crime cost, which came out to more than $65.5 million in 2023.

While some of these statistics may seem damning, Tulane University associate professor of political science Geoffrey T. Dancy warns it is unwise to make assumptions about a city based solely on its crime rates.

"We live in an unequal society," said Dancy in the report. "One often overlooked indicator of that inequality is who gets to engage in the politics of safety. Those who are objectively safe often fear crime and act on it in the counterproductive policies they support. Those who are actually victimized by crime and terrorized by gun violence pay the price and are rarely heard."

Other safe Texas cities in the report include Houston (No. 13), Plano (No. 18), Sugar Land (No. 20), McKinney (No. 22), Round Rock (No. 26), Grand Prairie (No. 42), and League City (No. 48).

In a comparison of just large U.S. cities, Arlington ranked as the No. 12 safest nationally with crime costs amounting to $1,515 per capita.

The top 10 safest American cities for 2025 are:

No. 1 – Ramapo Town, New York
No. 2 – Frisco, Texas
No. 3 – Irvine, California
No. 4 – Fishers, Indiana
No. 5 – Lakewood Township, New Jersey
No. 6 – Cary, North Carolina
No. 7 – Pembroke Pines, Florida
No. 8 – Elk Grove, California
No. 9 – Surprise, Arizona
No. 10 – Sterling Heights, Michigan

In a separate MoneyGeek analysis of the safest small cities in each state, Sachse (located 26 miles northeast of downtown Dallas) came out on top over all other tiny Texas towns with populations between 30,000 and 100,000 residents. In the national comparison, Sachse is the 40th safest small city in America.

For the purpose of the study, violent crime rates were determined based on the number of murders and non-negligent manslaughters, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults per 100,000 residents; and property crimes were defined as the rates of burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 residents.

dallas frisco suburbs reports rankings