Highland Park, Texas
Encyclopedia
Highland Park is a town in central Dallas County
Dallas County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...

, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 8,842 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

. Located between the Dallas North Tollway
Dallas North Tollway
The Dallas North Tollway is a controlled-access toll road operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority , which runs from Interstate 35E near downtown Dallas, Texas , to U.S...

 and U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Kittson County, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other side of a closed border crossing. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 30 and Interstate 45 in Dallas,...

 (North Central Expressway
Central Expressway (Dallas)
Central Expressway is a north–south highway in Dallas, Texas and surrounding areas.- North Central Expressway :The best-known section is the North Central Expressway, a name for a freeway section of U.S. Highway 75 between downtown Dallas and McKinney, Texas...

), four miles north of downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...

 Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

.

It is the 40th wealthiest city in the United States and the 19th wealthiest city with a population of over 1,000. Highland Park is the 3rd wealthiest location in Texas by per capita income
Texas locations by per capita income
Texas is the thirty-second richest state in the United States of America, with a per capita income of $19,617 .-Texas counties ranked by per capita income:...

.

Highland Park is bordered on the south, east and west by Dallas and on the north by University Park
University Park, Texas
University Park is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States, and a inner suburb of Dallas. The population was 23,324 at the 2000 census. The city is home to Southern Methodist University. Like its neighbor, Highland Park, it is a city partially surrounded by the municipality of Dallas...

. Highland Park and University Park together comprise the Park Cities
Park Cities, Texas
Park Cities is a term commonly used in reference to two communities in Dallas County, Texas - the town of Highland Park and the city of University Park...

.

Addresses in Highland Park may use either "Dallas, Texas" or "Highland Park, Texas" as the city designation, although the United States Postal Service prefers the use of the "Dallas, Texas" designation for the sake of simplicity. This can be seen on the USPS website Zip Code finder when the town name (Highland Park) is replaced by the surrounding city (Dallas) name. This shows that the USPS recognizes the use of the "Highland Park, Texas" address designation, but that its automated mail sorter systems will group any mail addressed to a Highland Park address with mail addressed to a Dallas address in the same (or surrounding) zip code(s) http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/zcl_3_results.jsp. The same is true for University Park, Texas and for the nearby former town of Preston Hollow
Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas
Preston Hollow is a neighborhood in north Dallas, Texas, USA.-History:In 1924 Ira De-Loache bought a farm in 1924. Preston Hollow's first lots were carved out of the former farm parcels. De-Loache and Al Joyce developed Preston Hollow, with development largely occurring in the 1930s. Initially...

 which was incorporated into the City of Dallas in 1945.

Highland Park is also home to the Highland Park Village
Highland Park Village
Highland Park Village is an upscale shopping mall located at the southwest corner of Mockingbird Lane and Preston Road in Highland Park, Texas and was the first self-contained shopping center in America. The Highland Park Village was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000.-History:Mr....

 shopping center.

History

The land now known as Highland Park was bought by a group of investors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, known as the Philadelphia Place Land Association, for an average price of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

377 an acre, with a total of $500,000. Henry Exall, an agent, intended to develop the land along Turtle Creek
Turtle Creek (Dallas County, Texas)
Turtle Creek is the name of small tributary of the Trinity River with headwaters in north Dallas, Texas . It generally runs southwest through north Dallas, passing through Highland Park , then back into Dallas through the Oak Lawn community and Turtle Creek neighborhood alongside Turtle Creek...

, as Philadelphia Place, exclusive housing based on parkland areas in Philadelphia. He laid gravel roads, and dammed Turtle Creek, forming Exall Lake, before the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...

 brought a blow to his fortunes, halting development. Afterwards, he began a horse breeding farm. In the 1890s, Exall Lake was a common picnic destination for Dallas residents.

In 1906, John S. Armstrong
John S. Armstrong
John S. Armstrong was the co-founder of the former City of Oak Cliff and founder of the town of Highland Park, Texas. Armstrong was also a founder of the State Fair of Texas.-References:...

 (the former partner of Thomas Marsalis
Thomas Marsalis
Thomas Lafayette Marsalis was, with John S. Armstrong, the founder of Oak Cliff, and one of the key developers of what is now known as the Dallas area.-Early life:...

, the prominent developer of Oak Cliff), sold his meatpacking business, and invested his money in a portion of the former Philadelphia Place land, to develop it under the name of Highland Park. He chose this name as it was located on high land that overlooked downtown Dallas. Wilbur David Cook
Wilbur David Cook
Wilbur David Cook , or Wilbur D. Cook, Jr., was an American landscape architect and urban planner. Cook designed the master plans for the city of Beverly Hills, California, and the city of Highland Park in Dallas, Texas.-Overview:...

, the landscape designer who had planned Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

, and George E. Kessler, who had previously planned Fair Park and most of downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...

, were hired to design its layout in 1907 "as a refuge from an increasingly diverse city." Notably, twenty percent of the original land was set aside for parks. A second development in Highland Park was developed in 1910.

In 1913, Highland Park petitioned Dallas for annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...

, but was refused. The 500 residents voted to incorporate on November 29, 1913, and incorporation was granted in 1915, when its population was 1100. The first mayor of Highland Park was W. A. Fraser. A third and fourth development were added to the town in 1915 and 1917, respectively. In 1919, the city of Dallas sought to annex Highland Park, beginning a lengthy controversy that lasted until 1945. J W Bartholow led the fight to resist the annexation. The final major land development occurred in 1924. In 1931, Highland Park Village
Highland Park Village
Highland Park Village is an upscale shopping mall located at the southwest corner of Mockingbird Lane and Preston Road in Highland Park, Texas and was the first self-contained shopping center in America. The Highland Park Village was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000.-History:Mr....

 was constructed, the first shopping center of its kind in the United States. The distinctive Moorish Style ornamental metalwork and lighting in Highland Park Village was created by Potter Art Metal Studios, a 90 year old custom metalwork company still in existence today.

Because of its location near Dallas, Highland Park had, by the early 1930s, developed a moderately large (8,400) population, with a few businesses. Eventually the school districts and newspapers of Highland Park and University Park were combined. In the 1940s, after the failure to annex Highland Park, Dallas began annexing the land surrounding it. Reaching a population high of just under 13,000 in the late 1950s, Highland Park afterwards grew only by building houses on the remaining vacant lots, and by the destruction of old buildings. Since 1990, Highland Park has maintained strict zoning ordinances. Known for its quality housing, the town still has many parks running along Turtle Creek and is home to the Dallas Country Club
Dallas Country Club
Dallas Country Club is a country club located in the town of Highland Park in Dallas County, Texas.It was established in 1896, purportedly by "by several men golfing on a cow patch in Oak Lawn."...

.

The Highland Park Village became somewhat famous in the early 1980s when the popular television show Dallas used to shoot on location there.

Geography

Highland Park is located at 32°49′49"N 96°48′4"W (32.830178, -96.801103).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), all of it land.

Highland Park is about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the center of Dallas.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

 of 2000, there were 8,842 people, 3,585 households, and 2,412 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 3,948.0 people per square mile (1,524.1/km²). There were 3,759 housing units at an average density of 1,678.4 per square mile (647.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.27% White, 0.90% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.73% of the population.

In terms of formal education, Highland Park is Texas' second best educated city, after its neighbor University Park
University Park
The term University Park may refer to:In the United States*University Park, Los Angeles, California, home of the University of Southern California*University Park, Florida, in Miami-Dade County, home of Florida International University...

, with 76.6% of adults age 25 or older holding an associate degree or higher, and 74.7% of adult residents possessing a baccalaureate degree or higher.

There were 3,585 households; 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present; 32.7% were non-families; 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals; and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population is spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $149,389, and the median income for a family was $200,001. Males had a median income of $100,000+ versus $43,594 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $97,008. About 1.6% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% (.025) of those under age 18 and 0.5% (.005) of those age 65 or over.

Real Estate & Property Prices

In the Dallas area, Highland Park has earned a reputation for having some of the most expensive property prices. For Instance, in December of 2010 the average price of a home on the market in Highland Park was $1,202,369, a $958,088 steeper price tag than East Dallas's average of $244,281. This disparity may be due in part to the proximity of Southern Methodist University (SMU), the lush landscape, and a history of nepotistic fortunes preserved through the decades.

Government and infrastructure

The Highland Park Town Hall houses municipal services. The first floor houses the general administrative offices, the Building Inspection Department, the Engineering Department, and the Utility Billing and Customer Service Department. The second floor houses the Town Council Chambers, the Finance Department, and Municipal Court. The Spanish Colonial architecture building was designed by Otto Lang and Frank Witchell, two architects. The Highland Park Department of Public Safety and the Highland Park Public Library are adjacent to the town hall.

The town council authorized the purchasing of a fire engine and the construction of a fire house after the 1913 incorporation. The town hall was built in 1924. During the same year, a new fire station opened next to town hall. As time passed, the town hall received several renovations. One connected the town hall to the public safety building. In 2003 a portion of the public safety building was razed, and a new facility was built in its place.

Highland Park employs a public safety department instead of separate police and fire/EMS departments. The public safety officers are certified as firefighters, peace officers, and paramedics. They work 24 hour shifts (with the next two days off), varying their role during the shift. EMS medical direction is provided by the BioTel system through UT-Southwestern Medical School, which provides this service to the majority of fire/EMS departments in Dallas County.
Highland Park Independent School District

Most of the city (areas east of Roland Avenue) is served by the Highland Park Independent School District
Highland Park Independent School District
Highland Park Independent School District is a public school district based in University Park, Texas, United States.HPISD serves most of the city of Highland Park, all of the city of University Park, and portions of Dallas. HPISD administers seven schools...

. The HPISD portion is served by McCulloch Middle School and Highland Park Middle School, which share a campus located partially in Highland Park and partially in University Park, and Highland Park High School
Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas)
Highland Park High School is located in University Park, Texas.Highland Park is a part of the Highland Park Independent School District. It serves all of the city of University Park, most of the town of Highland Park, and portions of Dallas.-History:...

 in nearby University Park
University Park, Texas
University Park is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States, and a inner suburb of Dallas. The population was 23,324 at the 2000 census. The city is home to Southern Methodist University. Like its neighbor, Highland Park, it is a city partially surrounded by the municipality of Dallas...

, which was ranked as the 15th best high school in the United States by the Jay Mathews Challenge Index used by Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

in 2008.

Two elementary schools in Highland Park, Armstrong
Armstrong Elementary School (Highland Park, Texas)
John S. Armstrong Elementary School is a public primary school located at 3600 Cornell Avenue in Highland Park, Texas, United States. The school, a part of the Highland Park Independent School District, serves pre-Kindergarten through 4th Grade...

 and Bradfield
Bradfield Elementary School
John S. Bradfield Elementary School is a public primary school located at 4300 Southern Avenue in Highland Park, Texas, United States. The school, a part of the Highland Park Independent School District, serves pre-Kindergarten through 4th Grade. The school serves sections of Highland Park, and...

, serve sections of Highland Park.
Dallas Independent School District

A portion of Highland Park (areas west of Roland Avenue) is zoned to Dallas Independent School District
Dallas Independent School District
The Dallas Independent School District is a school district based in Dallas, Texas . Dallas ISD, which operates schools in much of Dallas County, is the second largest school district in Texas and the twelfth largest in the United States.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically...

. The area is within Trustee District 2 As of 2008 Jack Lowe represents the district. DISD schools that serve western Highland Park include Maple Lawn Elementary School, Rusk Middle School, North Dallas High School
North Dallas High School
North Dallas High School is a public secondary school located in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas, .North Dallas enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District...

.

Prior to fall 2006, Williams Elementary School, Marsh Middle School, and W. T. White High School served western Highland Park. After fall 2006 western Highland Park was rezoned to the schools that serve it as of 2008.

Public libraries

The Highland Park Public Library is adjacent to the Highland Park Town Hall. The library building and art gallery first opened in 1930. As time passed, the art gallery was repurposed as town council chambers and a portion of the library. In 2008 the library underwent major renovations.

Media

The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...

is the Dallas citywide newspaper.

BubbleLife provides online news, discussions and neighborhood Q&A.

Park Cities People is a local community newspaper.

www.parkcitiesnews.com PARK CITIES NEWS is the official legal publication for Highland Park

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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