I am thinking about moving to Dallas area. My job will be in the Walton Walker Blvd; Dallas, TX, 75236 area. I think I want to live in a small rural town to the South or East of Dallas. What is in those areas that might work for me? And can I rent in those towns to get started?

The commute from the South and East is better than from the North and West, but it can still be rough. Coming north up highway 67 or I-35 at the peak traffic periods can mean an hour to 90 minute commute to Uptown/North Dallas. The drive up I-45 is typically ok up to MLK / Lamar, which is most of the drive. As a comparison, I have coworkers who live north of Dallas and it can take them 60-90 minutes to go 11 miles. There are also "park and ride" options for public transportation - the DART rail doesn't extend too far south, but it goes to right about where the traffic starts getting thickest - you can always commute to there, then ride the rail in the rest of the way (if your work is near a station.) There's also the bus, but I have no experience with the bus system. Your definition of "rural" is important. I think of rural as meaning that there are a lot of large land lots, farmland, and livestock. If you want "suburbia" then Duncanville, DeSoto, Lancaster, Grand Prairie, Mequite, or Garland are all good fits. Most all houses are on 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots, close to one another, in planned subdivisions. Oak Cliff is going to be suburban/urban mix, especially since it encompasses the Bishop Arts district. The closest rural town to Dallas when travelling south is probably Red Oak. It's a growing community but still has plenty of rural areas. Cedar Hill may have a few pockets of rural area left, but it's become such a shopping destination for the south-of-Dallas area its become mostly suburban and developed. Waxahachie is a great historic town with plenty of rural development in its outskirts, while also providing plenty of shopping and eating options. Midlothian is a great rural town - although it has quite a few subdivisions, it also has plenty of large lots and sprawling land, and the town square is small and quaint. Shopping and eating options are limited, but with Cedar Hill and Waxahachie nearby, it's not a problem. Southeast down I-45 there are plenty of smaller rural towns like Garret, Palmer, and Ennis. They each have varying degrees of accessibility to eating & shopping options (the more options, the less rural the area becomes as it attracts more population and requires denser development.) To the east, Forney is a good rural town. They're all going to have a bit of suburbia mixed in - no town is immune to subdivisions and sprawl in the D/FW area - but these are the areas you'll most likely find a "rural" feel. As far as renting 1B/1B, I do know that in Midlothian there are a few apartment complexes and that they're what I'd consider affordable - $400-$700 range, off the top of my head. The more rural places tend to have less apartments, though. They exist, but there won't be the variety that you'll find in a more suburban/urban area.