Oak Lawn
One of the most affluent communities in Dallas is Oak Lawn which is just north
of the downtown area where many self-proclaimed suburban refugees —
professionals and young urbanites — fled to live in upscale townhouses,
condominiums, apartments and duplexes near the city core.
It is also a very diverse area with well established neighborhoods of
older, single-family homes from the 1990s, including a few Victorians, but
mostly two-story, so-called Prairie mansions with wide porches.
Neighborhood Details
Cost of Housing
Newer townhouses of 1,800 square feet come in on either side of
$400,000 depending on square footage, amenities and location. Age can drop
prices by $100,000 for a slightly larger town home or condo, but add another
1,000-square feet and some acreage to newer homes and prices can easily soar
well past $1 million.
New and more recent homes vary in style from Mediterranean
to modern, with marble flooring, 10-foot ceilings, and stainless steel
appliances.
Rents go for premium prices as well. While a few one-bedroom apartments
are available for $500 to $600 a month, most are more, from $700 to $1,000 or
more depending upon location. Larger units reveal the same degree of
difference with two bedroom units often renting for $800 or more.
School System
The community is served by the Dallas
Independent School
District. Elite private schools are also
available such as Jesuit College Preparatory and St. Mark's School
elementary, which are about 10 miles away.
Entertainment
Oak Lawn is known for some of Dallas'
best restaurants and is adjoining the Dallas Design District of art,
showrooms for home furnishings, fabrics, and decorative accessories which
compliment the community's artsy and upscale lifestyle. The
neighborhood’s Cedar
Springs Road region running from downtown to
Love Field is the Dallas-Fort Worth region’s hub for gay and
lesbian-themed restaurants, entertainment, coffee shops, and bookstores.
Gay and straight- Oak Lawn is
known for top-rated restaurants, bars and clubs. The exclusive Mansion on
Turtle Creek hotel, is ranked among the top U.S. hotels.
Transportation
Love Field, a former World War I military training base-turned-general
purpose airport with Southwest Airlines and Express Jet hubs, is five minutes
away by car, 10 minutes by DART bus and Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport
is 15 to 20 minutes to the north. The neighborhood offers easy access to the
Dallas North Tollway, the Stemmons
Freeway (Interstate 35), and Central Expressway.
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) bus-light-rail connection gives
commuters another way south into downtown, 10 miles or 15 minutes away.