Uptown, Dallas

Uptown Dallas

Looking east along Blackburn Street in Uptown
Country United States
State Texas
Counties Dallas
City Dallas
Area
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation 472 ft (144 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 13,000
ZIP code 75201, 75204
Area code(s) 214, 469, 972
Website www.uptowndallas.net
The West Village

Uptown is a PID (public improvement district) and an upscale neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. Uptown is adjacent-to and north-of downtown Dallas, and is bordered by US 75 (Central Expressway) on the east, N Haskell Avenue on the northeast, Katy Trail on the northwest, Bookhout Street and Cedar Springs Road on the west, N Akard Street on the southwest and Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway) on the south.[1]

Uptown is one of the most pedestrian-friendly areas in all of Texas. It is largely "new urbanist" in scope; the majority of facilities considered "Uptown institutions" are relatively new and were created during the late 20th and early 21st Centuries' new urbanist urban planning movement. Popular with young professionals, multi-use development is the norm and an increasingly pedestrian culture continues to thrive.

History

The now-upscale Uptown area was originally outside the city limits of Dallas, and was home to those not welcome in the city. The west side, near present-day Harry Hines Boulevard, once hosted a large Hispanic neighborhood known as Little Mexico. The east side, now anchored by Cityplace Center, was the site of the Freedmen's Town established by freed African-American slaves. Very little of this working-class history remains, with the Hispanic west being turned into high-rise buildings, and the African-American east being destroyed by the construction of Central Expressway and Woodall Rodgers Freeway. All that remains of Freedmen's Town is the Freedmen's Cemetery, which gained national recognition when Central Expressway reconstruction revealed over 1,100 graves beneath existing and proposed roadways.[2]

About

A view of the Uptown Dallas skyline.
Uptown Skyline.

Uptown is one of the most pedestrian-friendly areas in the city of Dallas. It is largely "new urbanist" in scope; the majority of facilities considered "Uptown institutions" are relatively new and were created during the late 20th and early 21st Centuries' new urbanist urban planning movement.

The district is one of the most dense in Dallas and is home to a wide variety of establishments, including office buildings, residential towers, apartment complexes, retail centers, nightlife strips and hotels. This mixed-use development practice lends to what many people identify as a very urban lifestyle, unlike the compartmentalized social structures of suburban bedroom communities and office parks. The majority of Dallas and its surroundings are compartmentalized due to the style of mid-20th Century American urban planning and so Uptown stands out in its surroundings as an alternative to the norm. This makes Uptown very popular with younger professionals.

Neighborhoods

Economy

As of 2013, two Fortune 500 companies call Uptown home. Dean Foods is headquartered in Cityplace Tower in the Cityplace district in Uptown. The other is the independent petroleum refiner and marketer, Holly Frontier

Firebird, the parent company of El Fenix, is headquartered in Uptown. It announced that it would purchase what is now its headquarters in 2012.[3]

The following consulting firms have their Dallas offices in Uptown Dallas:
Bain & Company
Booz Allen Hamilton

The following major law firms have their offices in Uptown Dallas: Jones Day

Education

North Dallas High School

Public (Dallas ISD)

Residents are within the Dallas Independent School District.[4]

Houston Elementary School and Milam Elementary School cover portions of Uptown.[5][6] All residents are zoned to Rusk Middle School and North Dallas High School.[7][8]

The William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted is located in Uptown.[4][9]

Transportation

Major Highways

The McKinney Avenue Trolley

Streetcars

Stop sites along the route include: The Gallery Walk Shopping District, Stanley Korshak (at the Crescent), West Village, Hotel Zaza, four historical cemeteries and The Dallas Museum of Art.

The MATA Trolley extends into the north part of the Downtown Dallas area. Residents of Uptown Dallas may use this free trolley to commute to downtown dallas.

Trains

Light rail

References

  1. ↑ Uptown Dallas Association - . Retrieved on 15 March 2010.
  2. ↑ Davidson, James M., et al., Remembering North Dallas/Freedman's Town: First Steps Towards Public Archaeology within an African-American Community in Dallas, Texas Paper given to the 2004 meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology as a part of the "Can Archaeology Save the World" symposium, Jay Stottman organizer. (c) 2004. Retrieved 2009-01-04. Note: Marked "DRAFT: Do not cite without permission of ..."
  3. ↑ Brown, Steve. "El Fenix nears purchase of Uptown office building" (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. June 7, 2012. Retrieved on September 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Uptown Public Improvement District." City of Dallas Economic Development. Retrieved on November 19, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Fall 2011 Sam Houston Elementary Attendance Zone Grades PK-5." Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved on November 19, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Milam Elementary Attendance Zone Grades PK-5." Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved on November 19, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Fall 2011 Thomas J. Rusk Middle School Attendance Zone Grades 6-8." Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved on November 19, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Fall 2011 North Dallas High School Attendance Zone Grades 9-12." Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved on November 19, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Home." William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted. Retrieved on November 19, 2011. "3001 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX 75204"

External links