Oak Lawn – Dallas, Texas
Oak Lawn is a neighborhood in Dallas, Texas with a population of 12,451. Oak Lawn is in Dallas County and is one of the best places to live in Texas. Living in Oak Lawn offers residents an urban feel and most residents own their homes. In Oak Lawn, there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many young professionals live in Oak Lawn and residents tend to be liberal.
Oak Lawn is a neighborhood in Dallas, Texas (United States), defined in Dallas City Ordinance 21859 as Planned Development District No. 193, the Oak Lawn Special Purpose District. The unofficial boundaries are Turtle Creek Boulevard, Central Expressway, the City of Highland Park, Inwood Road, and Harry Hines Boulevard. It is over 12 square miles (31 km2) in area.
Officially it is bounded by the City of Highland Park, the North Central Expressway, Stemmons Freeway, Woodall Rodgers Freeway, and other roads. The district is within the boundary defined by the City of Dallas law, excluding any existing planned development districts within.
Dallas is a city full of fun and interesting neighborhoods. When looking for a scenic area to frolic, find food, and shop, make Oak Lawn your go-to stop. The area, just north of Downtown Dallas and minutes away from all the action in Uptown, is home to young professionals, long-time residents, and Dallas’ thriving LGBTQ+ community. With so many options to choose from, we’ve narrowed down some must-try spots to visit while in the Big D.
Between tonier Highland Park to the north and flashier Uptown to the south, Oak Lawn has long been the center of Dallas’ gay community. As does the annual Dallas Pride parade down Cedar Springs Road, the neighborhood bars and clubs still draw big crowds each weekend. But there are plenty of quieter streets of charming old duplexes, plus luxury living along Turtle Creek.
One of the best ways to explore a new area is to dive into the restaurant scene, and Oak Lawn isn’t lacking in that category. In the mood for Italian? Barsotti’s (Used to be Carbone) is the undeniable go-to. From the spinach lasagna to the tortellini vodka to the fried ravioli, this neighborhood staple dishes out quality cuisine day in and day out. And if you have a sweet tooth, visit Chocolate Secrets for truffles, bonbons, Texas-shaped sweets, and more!
Oak Lawn is one of the wealthier areas of metropolitan Dallas, with the population consisting mainly of urban professionals. The area is peppered with upscale townhouses, condos, apartments, and duplexes. Along the Uptown portion of McKinney Avenue and Turtle Creek Boulevard, there are many new high-rise condominiums and apartments. It is also a very diverse neighborhood with well-established areas of older, single-family homes.
For most of the 20th century, the southern portion of the neighborhood near the intersection of Cedar Springs Road and Harry Hines Blvd was known as “Little Mexico”. St. Anne’s Catholic School served as the center for the community. With the redevelopment of the neighborhood beginning in the 1980s Little Mexico vanished. Only a few structures of this original community remain for most have been replaced by high-rise office buildings, luxury hotels, and condominiums. As of 2010, St Ann’s Catholic School, which had closed, is now an upscale restaurant.
Oak Lawn became a magnet for the counterculture movement in the late 1960s due to its inexpensive apartments and its proximity to Turtle Creek Park (formerly known as Lee Park and Oak Lawn Park).