Lake Highlands

Lake Highlands
Neighborhood of Dallas
Nickname(s): "L.H.", "The Highlands"
Location of the Lake Highlands area in Dallas
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Dallas
City	Dallas
Area
• Total	14.6 sq mi (37.8 km2)
• Land	14.6 sq mi (37.8 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	571 ft (174 m)
Population (2014)[1]
• Total	87,860
• Density	6,017.8/sq mi (2,324.3/km2)
Demonym(s)	Lake Highlander
ZIP codes	75231, 75238, 75243
Area code(s)	214, 469, 972
Website	http://www.lhaia.org

Constituting most of Northeast Dallas, the sprawling Lake Highlands neighborhood is a collection of dozens of subdivisions bound together by their support for Richardson ISD schools.

Geography

Overview

Lake Highlands touches Richardson on the north, Garland on the east, White Rock Lake and East Dallas on the south, and Lakewood and North Dallas on the west. The neighborhood is bisected southeast-northwest by I-635 and is bordered on the south by Northwest Highway and White Rock Lake, and on the west by White Rock Creek or Central Expressway.^[2] On the north and east, the neighborhood ends at the city limits of Richardson and Garland.^[3][4]

Compass

Relation of Lake Highlands to other places:

	Far North Dallas & Midtown	Richardson	Richardson & Garland
	North Dallas		Garland
		Lake Highlands
	Lakewood	White Rock Lake	East Dallas

Topography

The neighborhood differs from the rest of Dallas and the surrounding area, which is mostly flat. Lake Highlands has hills and valleys, with street elevations that can vary by 50 feet, which offer scenic views of downtown Dallas.^[5]

White Rock Lake, a reservoir constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, is located on the south side of Lake Highlands. The lake and surrounding park is a popular destination for boaters, rowers, joggers, and bikers, as well as visitors seeking peaceful respite from the city at the 66-acre (267,000 m²) Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, located on the lake's eastern shore. White Rock Creek feeds into White Rock Lake, and then exits on to the Trinity River southeast of downtown Dallas. Trails along White Rock Creek are part of the extensive Dallas County Trails System.

White Rock Lake

Subdivisions

The following neighborhoods are generally considered part of or closely connected with Lake Highlands. ^[6][7]

Demographics

A total of 87,860 people lived in the neighborhood's 14.60 square miles, according to the 2014 U.S. census estimate—averaging 6018 people per square mile. The median age for residents was 34.7.

According to the 2014 Census estimate, 48.2% of the population was White, 30.8% was Black, 6.0% Asian, 15.0% from two or more races. 24.6% of the total population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.^[9][10]

48.8% of residents are male, 51.2% are female. 72.5% are age 18 or over. 34.6% have never been married, 50.0% are married, 4.5% are widowed, and 10.9% are divorced.

The median household income in 2016 was $44,539. 31.8% of Lake Highlands homes are detached, single-family houses. The median owner-occupied home value is $266,181. The average household size is 2.38. Homeowners occupied 39.7% of the housing units, and renters occupied the rest.^[11]

Education

Lake Highlands residents aged 25 and older holding a four-year degree amounted to 36.6% of the population in 2016, considered high when compared with the city and the county as a whole, as were the percentages of residents with a bachelor's or a postgraduate degree.^[12][13]

Public Education

The Lake Highlands area is one of few areas in Dallas not within the Dallas Independent School District; most of the area is served by the Richardson Independent School District.^[2][14] The RISD portion of Lake Highlands is served by the following schools:^[15]

Elementary schools

• Aikin Elementary School
• Audelia Creek Elementary School
• Hamilton Park Pacesetter Elementary School
• Forestridge Elementary School
• Lake Highlands Elementary School
• Merriman Park Elementary School
• Moss Haven Elementary School
• Northlake Elementary School
• Skyview Elementary School
• Stults Road Elementary School
• Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
• Wallace Elementary School
• White Rock Elementary School

Middle schools

• Forest Meadow Junior High School
• Lake Highlands Junior High School
• Liberty Junior High School

High schools

• Lake Highlands Freshman Center
• Lake Highlands High School

Colleges and universities

• Richland College, part of the Dallas County Community College District, is located within Lake Highlands.^[16] The school was founded in 1972 and is the largest school in the DCCCD, featuring nearly 22,000 students. Richland is the only community college to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Nearby universities

Dallas Hall at Southern Methodist University in University Park

• Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private, coeducational university in University Park. SMU is the closest university to Lake Highlands, which is home to many of the school's alumni.^[17] SMU was founded in 1911 by the Southern Methodist Church and now enrolls 6,500 undergraduates, 1,200 professional students in the law and theology departments, and 3,500 postgraduates.^[18][19] According to sources such as the U.S. News & World Report, SMU is the best overall undergraduate college in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and the third best in the State of Texas.
• The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), part of the state public University of Texas System, is located in the city of Richardson and is in the heart of the Telecom Corridor. UT Dallas, or UTD, is renowned for its work in combining the arts and technology, as well as for its programs in engineering, computer science, economics, international political economy, neuroscience, speech and hearing, pre-health, pre-law and management. The university has many collaborative research relationships with UT Southwestern Medical Center. UT Dallas is home to approximately 21,145 students.

Shopping

• Lake Highlands Town Center

Nearby shopping

• NorthPark Center
• Galleria Dallas
• Preston Hollow Village
• Upper Greenville

Recreation and parks

White Rock Lake, located on the south end of Lake Highlands

Nestled in the arms of White Rock Creek, Lake Highlands boasts a labyrinth of parks and recreational opportunities that make it one of Dallas' finest neighborhoods in which to live, work and play. Access to over 875 acres of parks, 26 miles of trails, disc golf as well as traditional baseball, soccer fields and playgrounds give a wide variety of outdoor sports.

White Rock Lake is located on the south end of Lake Highlands. Recreational activities on the lake include kayaking, canoeing and standup paddleboarding, available by rental. The park surrounding the lake features a 9.33 mile trail for hiking, running and bicycling. The White Rock Lake Dog Park is also located on the north side of the lake on Mockingbird Lane.

Government and infrastructure

Lake Highlands is represented by Councilman Adam McGough on the Dallas City Council.^[20] At the State level, Senator Don Huffines and Senator Van Taylor represent the area on the Texas Senate. Representative Linda Koop and Representative Jason Villalba serve on the Texas House of Representatives.

The United States Postal Service operates the Lake Highlands Post Office,^[21] Northlake Post Office, and Richland Post Office within the Lake Highlands area.

Economy

Lake Highlands is home to the headquarters of Texas Instruments (TI). TI is the No. 4 manufacturer of semiconductors worldwide after Intel, Samsung and Toshiba, and is the No. 2 supplier of chips for cellular handsets after Qualcomm, and the No. 1 producer of digital signal processors (DSPs) and analog semiconductors, among a wide range of other semiconductor products.^[22]

Major business areas near Lake Highlands include the Platinum Corridor, Preston Center, and the Telecom Corridor.

Libraries

Lake Highlands is served mainly by the Audelia Road Branch of the Dallas Public Library. Built on its current site in 1971, the building was renovated and expanded in 2004.

Transportation

The Central Expressway and I-635 interchange near Lake Highlands, commonly known as the High Five Interchange.

As the majority of Lake Highlands was developed in the late 20th century, the primary mode of local transportation is the automobile and the area has a low density compared with neighborhoods built in the early 20th century. Efforts made by the City of Dallas and Dallas Area Rapid Transit to increase the availability of alternative modes of transportation have received varying degrees of support from residents of Lake Highlands. Since 1996, two light rail lines flanking Lake Highlands have been constructed and well received.

Lake Highlands' road network was developed according to the street hierarchy school of urban design. Roads in the area are separated into major limited-access highways, high-capacity principal arterial roads, mid-capacity minor arterial roads, mid-capacity collector roads, and minor streets. The most organized of these systems is Lake Highlands' modified grid plan of principal arterial roads, which runs on a standard N/S/E/W grid.

Highways

The routing of limited-access highways through Lake Highlands is based on the area's proximity to Dallas' downtown freeway loop, as Dallas' freeway system was built according to the hub-and-spoke paradigm.

• U.S. Highway 75 (Central Expressway) runs northeast/southwest.

Additionally, two separate beltways arc across Lake Highlands: in order from their proximity to downtown:

• Northwest Highway (Loop 12)
• Interstate 635

Thoroughfares

Major thoroughfares include:

Light rail

DART began operating its light rail lines in Lake Highlands in 1996: The Red Line connects Lake Highlands to downtown, Uptown, Richardson, and Plano. The Blue Line connects Lake Highlands to downtown, Uptown, East Dallas, and Garland. The Orange Line runs to DFW Airport, Irving and Las Colinas, Dallas Love Field, the Medical District, Victory Park, downtown, Uptown, Richardson, and Plano.

Lake Highlands Station

Lines and stations in Lake Highlands include:

 Blue 

• White Rock Station
• Lake Highlands Station^[23]
• LBJ/Skillman Station

 Red   Orange 

• Forest Lane Station
• LBJ/Central Station

Notable Lake Highlanders

• Annie Clark - Grammy Award-winning singer songwriter who performs as St. Vincent
• Mark Salling - actor on the television show Glee
• C.B. Hudson - lead guitarist for the rock band Blue October
• Chris Harrison - Host of the TV show "The Bachelor"
• Dan Beebe - former commissioner of the Big 12 Conference
• Morgan Fairchild - Film and Television Actor
• Gibby Haynes - Lead singer of the band Butthole Surfers and son of "Mr. Peppermint"
• Jerry Haynes - aka "Mr. Peppermint", actor and host of long running (1961- 1996) Dallas-based children's television program, Mr. Peppermint Place

Media

"Lake Highlands Chamber of Commerce is working to develop and grow business in LH. They can be found on Facebook under Lake Highlands Chamber and on LinkedIn under LH Community (part of the LHCC).

"Lake Highlands Advocate Magazine" is a local community magazine and daily news blog.

"Lake Highlands Today" is a local community website.

The Dallas Morning News is the local citywide newspaper.

Lake Highlands People was a local community newspaper, not currently being published.

The Lake Highlands edition of Black White Read online community newspapers was a local community website, not currently being published.

External links

• Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association
• District 10 Map from the City of Dallas
• City of Dallas, Texas
• Richardson Independent School District
• Dallas City Council District 10

Notes and references

• Where is Lake Highlands, Texas? Lake Highlands Advocate Magazine 2011