The History of Highland Park

Literature Review

The history of predominantly white neighborhoods, especially in the South, is very racist. Highland Park is an example of this. There was a time when black people were not even allowed to live or go to school in the town. It was so anti black that it was considered a sun downtown. Today, the neighborhood is more diverse. One reason for that is because of Southern Methodist University. Another reason is the progression of society. Throughout the country, there are urban cities that are fairly diverse, but a lot of urban areas still have a lot of segregation.

Most of the segregation found in urban areas today is not the result of blatant racism. Most of it is the result of systematic racism or previous generations' racism. For a neighborhood as rich as Highland Park, it is harder for black people to move into this neighborhood for several reasons. One reason is that it is predominantly white. When people move to new areas, they often look in areas that look like them or have people with similar backgrounds as them (Nwosu 2025). African Americans may find it hard to move to Highland Park because there is such little diversity, especially African Americans. In certain places, such as many wealthy neighborhoods like Highland Park, Black families were not able to obtain loans for homes due to policies like discrimination in the middle of the 20th century. The wealth divide that stereotypes caused means that many Black families may still not have the funds necessary to purchase homes insuch expensive neighborhoods, even if it is now forbidden Discrimination's legacy continues to influence communities' racial composition (Krysan et al 2017). It may not seem that way from the outside looking in, it is possible that it could be the case knowing the backstory and history behind the foundations of Highland park. It's safe to safe as you walk down the roads of the Highland park community, you will instantly feel if youre supposed to be there or not.

Deeper issues as to why Highland Park is not as diverse as it could be is because of the systematic racism that African Americans face in the United States. In Dallas specifically, there are a lot of African Americans living in low-income areas, and to grow up in a low-income area and then go to a high-income area such as Highland Park is very hard. The traumas of living in a low-income area stay with people for a very long time and can affect how they choose to live their lives, making it impossible to obtain the livelihood in Highland Park.

Neighborhood History and Demographics Memo

Highland Park is a very well-known neighborhood in the Dallas area. A lot of people know it as one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city and the home of Southern Methodist University (SMU). Most people do not know the history of Highland Park and how it was started. Before Highland Park was Highland Park, the land was used as a trail for a Native American Tribe. There is not a lot of information known about Highland Park between it being part of the Caddo Indian’s Trail and the town it is now. Highland Park is considered an island city because it operates as its own city, but it is in the middle of another city, Dallas.

At the time of Highland Park’s start, there was a lot of racism and segregation in the country because of the Jim Crow laws, and then the Supreme Court case Plessy vs Ferguson. TheJim Crow laws were the start of a segregated society, and the separate but equal clause came from Plessy vs Ferguson. The neighborhood was started because black people were starting to integrate other parts of the city, and some people did not like that. White people wanted a place that was only for them, so they created their own city. Not all white people moved to Highland Park, but the ones who could afford to did. Highland Park was not welcoming to people of color, especially black people. Some may even go so far as to say Highland Park is a sundown town. The only black people who lived there or who could be there after dark were live-in maids, but their children could still not go to schools in the neighborhoods. Highland Park had very strict rules on who could own property and who could attend the schools. It wasn’t until 1975 that Highland Park ISD was integrated.

Highland Park has come a long way since its segregation days. The neighborhood is a little more diverse, but not a lot. The strict laws about buying property and going to school do not exist anymore, though. There were even parents protesting the killing of George Floyd in 2020. That says a lot about the community’s opinion on black people today. There is also a private university on its edge, adding to the diversity. The school does not have a large, diverse population, but its athletic department is, and it adds to the diversity of Highland Park.

Highland Park only has a population of 8,642 people. That is a small population and would be considered a small town. It is not thought of as a small town, though, because it is in the middle of a big city. Only 7.4% of that population is not white people, and 24% are foreign-born. Those stats are very low compared to the whole city of Dallas, but make sense. Highland Park was a couple of decades behind in letting other races into the neighborhood. The poverty rate is really low for Dallas, and it’s 6.3%, as expected for an affluent area. The college graduation rate in Highland Park is 28%. This is close to the Dallas college graduation rate. Thiscould mean that just because you have more money doesn’t mean you’re more likely to go to school. All of these statistics make up the basic demographic of Highland Park and are expected of a wealthy neighborhood like this.

Something very different about Highland Park it is almost completely residential. Most of Highland Park is just homes, with very little retail space. The density of jobs in Highland Park is 1,300 jobs per square mile, and that is low for the city of Dallas. Because there is very little retail space in Highland Park, it makes sense that there are few jobs in the area. The percentage of people who commute to work is 20. That is low compared to Dallas. It is probably because most of these people own their own companies and work from home. It could also be because a lot of the households have a stay-at-home parent, so that cuts the amount of people commuting to work in half. The median household income in Highland Park is $250,000, which is high for Dallas. It is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Texas, so a higher income is expected (Opportunity Atlas 2025).

Highland Park is always changing as the generations change. The children grow up, move away, and sometimes come back to repeat the cycle. There is a lot of old money, but there is also a lot of new money. Some people live here because they own their own business and have invested. Some people live here because of inheritance. Some people may live here because their family is here. There is a large range in age of people who live here, but the community is still very close. Some of the houses in the neighborhood are considered historical. That means that they are preserved and cannot have too many renovations done on them. There are also a lot of houses that are getting torn down and rebuilt by developers. This can also show the age range of the community. Younger people are more likely to buy newly developed and modern homes than the older generation. Most of the older generation has lived there for a while and live in olderhomes. The racial diversity in the neighborhood has not increased a lot, but it has increased some. Since the mid to late 1900s, it has become more welcoming to outsiders, particularly black people. Without the strict laws on who can buy property and who can go to school there, anybody can now move into the area. This has created some diversity and is likely to continue to increase in the future. The neighborhoods in Highland Park have beautiful homes, and the city takes pride in its landscape. There is a lot of greenery and flowers, and big trees all through Highland Park. The schools are also rated highly in success. These are all factors that will continue to draw outsiders into the area, as long as they can afford it. So the racial diversity may change, but the basic demographics most likely will not. It will still be a wealthy neighborhood, with mainly houses, lots of green space, and it will still operate as its own city.

Individual Observations Notes

Highland Park, a wealthy and historically significant neighborhood located in Dallas, Texas. As I observed this neighborhood, I already have a perception that the Highland Park neighborhood is predominantly white. That's only from looking in from outside, but I have reasons why I believe this is a true statement. The foundation of its history was built hundreds of years ago. This neighborhood was built to duplicate the magic of Beverly Hills with the windy streets, creeks, and manicured parks. As I went on with this observation, I visited Highland Park Shopping Center and the Highland Park neighborhood, which is right next to Southern Methodist University, which is a home for future successful career majors. I made sure to walk and drive past these neighborhoods as I observed to focus more on the surroundings, the people that were walking around, and what makes these places special.

Highland Park Village is a shopping center near SMU also, which is surrounded by neatly cut grass fields, schools, and parks. First I thought to myself that I would love for my kids to oneday stay in a neighborhood like this. It was full of family and friends going to shop, eat, and enjoy the outer experiences this shopping center has to offer. It had luxurious restaurants, bars, clothing stores, shoe stores, and more. I went yesterday on a Wednesday afternoon; my first observation was mostly women shopping here. The men were just here to observe and let their family do them. I understood the masculine energy that was presented. I saw people isolated by themselves, studying and reading at tables, which seemed peaceful and quiet. It was a rare percentage that i seen black people there, which further supports my belief about this neighborhood. It's very expensive, which is why most black people wouldn't shop here or live here, and i believe that it is intended to be that way and stay that way for a long time. The grocery foods and the grocery stores explain why white people have the lifestyles they do. They don’t have the same access to healthy foods the same way people who stay in highland park’s neighborhoods do. Around this area, they have more healthy food choices compared to people in the “hood.” Most black populated areas have grocery stores with a majority of processed foods and unhealthy food choices, but it's the only way for people to afford food these days.

If you're the type to shop for luxurious jewelry, dining, and fashion, well, this is the place for you. In my opinion, I love all that I observed from this area, except the valet parking, because it was too expensive, and I felt that I wouldn't fit in compared to the other cars that were there. It was nothing but luxurious cars, including Lamborghinis, Rolls Royces, McLarens, and even Maybachs. I didn't even know the names of all these cars. It was peaceful; I didn't have to watch every car that drove past me. Usually in a neighborhood in Oak Cliff, Dallas, you have to be aware of your surroundings; nine times out of ten, you’ll hear sirens, you’d see crackheads walking down the street with rarely any clothes on, and you’d have carsdriving recklessly in an area where it’s a low speed limit; it’s just an area where you have to be on point at all times, which, at some point, is not the right way to live at all. These homes are based on their amazing architecture and luxurious designs. I feel it's a majority of white people because you wouldn't see homes like this in a poverty-based area. Highland Park has creeks. Nice schools, golf courses, police stations, basketball courts, and parks all around just to make the residents feel at home, safe, and protected. The homes that are bought here are homes black people would work their entire lives for and most likely still won't get an opportunity to be able to purchase something as such. There's a lot of construction going on in these neighborhoods. I couldn't tell you how long these houses have been here, but I know they've been built and they're owned. The economy that we live in, having a 2-story home is hard to get, let alone a mansion in Highland Park. It's amazing, what a culture they have, the foundation they have built. Some say it's generational wealth; some have it, most don't, but let's just say the houses in Highland Park is filled with them. Most of these people, from seniors to young adults, have protected and served, have had successful careers and retired careers, and have promising futures for their children. Even the smaller homes and the bigger homes aren't much different from each other; a home is a home.

To conclude my observation, That's something I want for my family cause I never had that. Even if I have to work my whole life to get there, I will, which is why this project was important to me, so that i can understand what makes these places special and why it's meant forpeople my color to not have such luxury; it's rare.

References

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Anon. n.d. Opportunityatlas.Org. Retrieved February 25, 2025. (https://www.opportunityatlas.org/).

Batsell, Carter. 2003. “Texas History 101: September 2003.” Texas Monthly. Retrieved May 12, 2025 (https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/texas-history-101-37/).

Brown-Saracino, Japonica. 2017. “Explicating Divided Approaches to Gentrification and Growing Income Inequality.” Annual Review of Sociology 43: 515-539.

Krysan, Maria, and Kyle Crowder. 2017. Cycle of Segregation: Social Processes and Residential Stratification. New York: Russell Sage. Ch. 2&3

Sampson, Robert J. 2012. Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Ch. 2&6.

Texas State Historical Association. n.d. “Highland Park: A Historical Overview of Dallas’ Exclusive Community.” Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 12, 2025 (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/highland-park-tx).

Massey, Douglas, and Nancy A. Denton. 1990. American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of an Underclass. Ch. 1.

Nwosu, Jeneta. n.d. “The History of Race in Dallas: Highland Park’s Past, Present and Future.” HP Bagpipe. Retrieved April 26, 2025b(https://hpbagpipe.com/9000/features/the-history-of-race-in-dallas-highland-parks-past-present-and-future/).

Wirth, Louis. 1938. "Urbanism as a Way of Life." American Journal of Sociology 44:1-24.

Wise, Kathy. 2020. “Dear Highland Park: Listen to Your Students and Learn a Little Something about Systemic Racism.” D Magazine. Retrieved May 12, 2025 (https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2020/07/dear-highland-park-listen-to-your-students-and-learn-a-little-something-about-systematic-racism/)