I need information about Plano, TX, can you help?

I may be getting a promotion in Plano, TX and will have to move there from Minneapolis, MN. I REALLY want to live in Dallas, preferably the downtown area, but I don't know how bad that commute would be. I know that it is about 18 miles from downtown Dallas to my job location in Plano, but is traffic in the area really bad? How long would it take me (during rush hour) to get from Dallas to Plano? Also, what is a good area to look for an apartment that is either in the downtown Dallas (that isn't too hard to access the freeway) or that is in between downtown Dallas and Plano? The community needs to be gay/ friendly, have a lot of local businesses, and be a good "walking" community. Any information you can give me would be awesome!