Highland Park, Texas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Highland Park, Texas
settlement_type = Town
nickname =


imagesize =
image_caption =


imagesize =
image_caption =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Highland Park in Dallas County, Texas


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Texas
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Dallas
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = William H. Seay, Jr.
established_date =
area_magnitude = 1 E9
area_total_sq_mi = 2.2
area_land_sq_mi = 2.2
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
area_water_percent =
area_urban_km2 =
area_total_km2 = 5.8
area_land_km2 = 5.8
area_water_km2 = 0.0
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 8842
population_density_km2 = 1524.1
timezone = Central
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = Central
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_m = 161
elevation_ft = 528
latd = 32 |latm = 49 |lats = 49 |latNS = N
longd = 96 |longm = 48 |longs = 4 |longEW = W
website = www.hptx.org
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 75205, 75209, 75219
area_code = 214
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 48-33824GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1388240GR|3
footnotes =

Highland Park is a town in central Dallas County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,842 at the 2000 census. Located between the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. Route 75 (North Central Expressway), four miles north of downtown Dallas.

It is the 41st 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.

Highland Park is bordered on the south, east and west by Dallas and on the north by University Park. Highland Park and University Park together comprise the Park Cities.

Addresses in Highland Park use "Dallas, Texas" as the city designation; addresses do not have "Highland Park, Texas" designations [http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/zcl_3_results.jsp] .

Highland Park is also home to the Highland Park Village shopping center.

History

The land now known as Highland Park was purchased in 1889 by a group of investors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known as the Philadelphia Place Land Association, for an average price of $377 an acre, with a total of $500,000. Henry Exall, an agent, intended to develop the land along 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 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 Armstrong (the former partner of Thomas Marsalis, 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, the landscape designer who had planned Beverly Hills, California, and George E. Kessler, who had previously planned Fair Park and most of downtown Dallas, were hired to design its layout in 1907 "as a refuge from an increasingly diverse city." [cite web|url=http://jmichaelphillips.blogspot.com/2006/10/my-october-24-speech-before-dallas.html|author= Michael Phillips|title= My October 24 speech before the Dallas Historical Society and Dallas Heritage Village|accessdate=2008-02-28] 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, 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 was constructed, the first shopping center of its kind in the United States.

Due to 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.

Public Safety

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.

Geography

Highland Park is located at coor dms|32|49|49|N|96|48|4|W|city (32.830178, -96.801103).GR|1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000,GR|2 there were 8,842 people, 3,585 households, and 2,412 families residing in the town. The population density 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/sq mi (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, 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, 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 out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 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.

According to a 2007 estimate, Highland Park has a median family income of $373,327 [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007/snapshots/PL4833824.html] . Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $43,594 for females. The per capita income 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% of those under age 18 and 0.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Highland Park Independent School District

Most of the city (areas east of Roland Avenue) is served by the Highland Park Independent School District. The HPISD portion is served by Highland Park High School in nearby University Park, which was ranked as the 15th best high school in the United States by the Jay Mathews Challenge Index used by "Newsweek" in 2008. [cite web
url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18757087/?sort=Rank&count=1236&start=0&limit=100&year=2007&Search=undefined
title = The Complete List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools
accessdate = 2007-04-12
author = Newsweek / MSNBC
last = Newsweek / MSNBC
first =
date = 2007-04-12 ] Bradfield Elementary is also a school in Highland Park, near Highland Park Village. It is named after John S. Bradfield.

Dallas Independent School District

A portion of Highland Park (areas west of Roland Avenue) is zoned to Dallas Independent School District.

DISD schools that serve western Highland Park include Maple Lawn Elementary School, Rusk Middle School, and North Dallas High School.

Public libraries

The [http://www.youseemore.com/highland/default.asp Highland Park Public Library] is located at 4700 Drexel Drive in the Highland Park Town Hall.

Library will be closed after December 21, 2007 for renovation.Library materials may be returned to the reception desk in the town hall Monday - Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Popular Media

Highland Park is the setting for the 2005 legal thriller "The Color of Law" by Mark Gimenez. Also many movies, books, and a soon-to-be-aired TV show have been written about life at Highland Park High School.

WCCW Pro Wrestler Gino Hernandez was billed from here as he was called The Handsome Half Breed

Media

"The Dallas Morning News" is the Dallas citywide newspaper.

" [http://www.peoplenewspapers.com/ME2/Audiences/dirsect.asp?sid=FF3F320C489B4DA8B62754B470A43807&nm=News&AudID=DA7D68F24889442D98449D08560D8327 Park Cities People] " is a local community newspaper.

References

[http://www.architecturallysignificanthomes.com/neighborhoods/Highland%5FPark%5Fand%5FUniversity%5FPark/ Architecturally Significant Homes and the History of Highland Park]

External links

* [http://www.hptx.org City of Highland Park]
* [http://www.youseemore.com/highland/default.asp Highland Park Public Library]
* [http://www.highlandparkdallas.com Descriptions and Photographs of Every Highland Park Neighborhood]
* [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/hfh3.html Highland Park, TX] at the "Handbook of Texas"