Now I'm in Richardson so it's shorter. It's worth the commute for us. We have friends who are moving closer to the city because the commute is too long. It's just depends on the family, there's no right or wrong answer.
Suburbs that are closer to the city are Plano, Richardson, Carrollton, Coppell, Sunnyvale--I've probably missed a few. All places worth looking.
I personally think your quality of life will be much higher in Dallas as opposed to Cali or DC, but I know that some people will disagree. And I'm not from TX so I don't the "Texas Pride." I just really like living here.