mike...
There are "good" and "bad" areas around Love Field. There are some really cool places right on W. Lovers Lane and that goes all the way east to US75 and beyond. Some good, some bad, you have to look around.
The Cedar Springs-Lemmon area is also hit or miss. There's a lot of crime there, mostly car break ins and stuff like that. But also some cool places. A lot of people call the Oak Lawn/Cedar Springs area the "gayborhood." Whatever. There's some cool places to live - again, can be expensive. You pay for security.
If you go a bit east and north into the Travis Walk area (McKinney Ave, Cole Ave, Knox-Henderson) there are some awesome places to live and drink and eat - it's a very walkable neighborhood, lots of women, but it comes with a price. Kinda spendy but many say it's worth it.
Being based at Love, your easiest highway access is going to be the Dallas North Tollway. Get yourself a tolltag - totally worth it. If you head up the DNT, that'll take you into Addison and points north. There are both houses, condos and apartments all over the area.
Drop me a PM if you want - I've lived in Dallas - all over - for 16 years and just moved from there to Austin six months ago. When you're ready to buy, I've got a great real estate agent I can hook you up with, too.
There's just about something for everyone in Dallas. Just depends on what you want and how far you're willing to drive.