There's a lot to like about Dakota. The area is clean and mostly quiet. The maintenance is fantastic. The Village amenities are great (but are factored into rent prices). They make you pay for valet trash. I would recommend this place if your priorities are location, maintenance, and general safety. Otherwise, you can find the same quality apartments in different parts of Dallas for much cheaper.

I lived in the Village Bend for 2 years before moving to the Village Dakota; I'm 8 months in and heavily considering moving.

Should you live here?
Absolutely not. Choose another Village community and save $300 per month and enjoy a quieter community and lower electricity costs.

NEGATIVE:
- Noise, noise, noise! This is not a 1-time thing and ongoing for 8 months and continues. It's consistently noisy here during the morning and afternoon; the Village Dakota is NOT a quiet community. I've been here 8 months and it's consistently this way. Leaf blowers clean the apartment complex daily with no set time-schedule between 8am to 2pm. They will clean even if there are no street debris and while the ground is drenched from rain. It's excessive. Lawn mowers and edgers come once a week do not coordinate with the leaf blowers. Compounded with all the projects, improvements, or fixing, and the loud noise pollution does not end. Grinding concrete, jack-hammering, and large construction vehicles....8 months of this consistently.
- A/C costs are the same as a house. My HVAC is 10 Seer. Considering the Dakota apartments were built at the same time, you can probably expect the same. My summer bill peaked at $220; thermostat is between 70-75. A 10 Seer HVAC system was the standard from 1992-2006; that was 18 years ago. The HVAC was cleaned and didn't make a difference.

NEUTRAL:
- Free uncovered parking spots are limited, but only hard to find late in the evening.
- Valet trash pickup is inconsistent.

POSITIVE:
+ Interior wall insulation built well, haven't heard neighbors.
+ Haven't smelt marijuana which is standard in other Village communities.
+ Maintenance is quick to respond.
+ Pool and workout center are well-maintained.
+ Gates work frequently.

Village Community:
+ Prime Location to access: I-75 and Loop 12, plenty of grocery stores, places to eat, shopping, and entertainment.
+ Multiple Dart bus stops in the local area.
+ Residential staff have outstanding interpersonal communication.
- Walkable, but with CAUTION! There are crosswalks, but cars are impatient and pay no heed to pedestrian crossings.
- Rent raises about 5% per year.

The complex is nice and clean. Despite being in Dallas, it feels safe. Close to lots of restaurants and grocery stores. The one negative is the cost.

The Village Dakota has been wonderful. Gated, safe, conveniently located with plenty of amenities and other law students.

The apartment itself is fine. Nothing special. Outdated style (carpet throughout, laminate countertops, beige walls, etc.). The rent itself is a lot and it does not include electric, water, gas, trash, covered parking, internet, cable, washer/dryer. Ultimately, you are paying a premium for all the Village amenities. Which you likely will not have much time to make use of.

Management has be responsive and helpful leading up to and after move-in. The apartment was extremely clean and updated on move in day, and the surrounding property is constantly kept clean and organized.

I truly love living at the Village Dakota! When looking for an apartment, one of my main concerns was safety/security. The Village Dakota delivers this in spades by being a gated community with round-the-clock security patrols. I have also really enjoyed the amenities (especially the gym). Expect to pay a premium for the amenities, though, as rent at the Village Dakota tends to run a bit higher than similar apartments in the area. One downside I have noticed is noise. My apartment walls seem to be pretty thin, and I can hear my neighbors pretty frequently. All-in-all I have really enjoyed living at the Village Dakota and would highly recommend this complex!

I'm happy with my apartment and the location. The units are a bit older so appliances are probably over 5 years old and insulation isn't amazing. Good price for the area and square footage though.

Plenty of law students, amenities, and events like yoga, pool parties, and trivia nights! Big fan of the community restaurants/bars like La Mina and Over/Under.

Coming from Texas A&M in College Station, I was looking for a more home-y apartment feel. The Dakota fit that perfectly! It's obviously more pricey than College Station because we're in Dallas, and the appliances, etc. aren't as new as some of the apartments in College Station. But, it still has that home-y feel and is still nice. There's very little traffic getting anywhere and campus, the grocery store, and the gas station are less than 20 minutes away. I would definitely recommend. The one thing I miss is that there's less greenery here in Dallas and around the apartment than in College Station, but I can live with that.