Dallas Neighborhood Guide

North Oak Cliff

Photo By Kristi and Scot Redman

Welcome to North Oak Cliff

Originally the center of one of Dallas’ first upscale master-planned communities, the neighborhood fell into economic decline as middle-class residents fled to the suburbs during the last half of the 20th century. Fortunately, reinvestment over the last 20 years has transformed North Oak Cliff into a trendy home base for young “urban pioneers” drawn to life in updated old houses set among the slew of new restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and shops.

Why I Love North Oak Cliff

Peter Simek

Letter from North Oak Cliff

Moira Muldoon

Population

73,206

Median Owner-Occupied Home Value

$125,510

Other Neighborhoods in Oak Cliff

Kiestwood

Other Neighborhoods in Oak Cliff

Kiestwood

Around Town

Restaurants Bars and Clubs Shops Attractions

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What the Locals Say

Locals Love

The diversity of the community. The offerings of the long-established Hispanic-owned businesses along Jefferson Boulevard are as valued as are the hip spots along Davis Street that often fill with visitors from the other side of the Trinity River.

Locals Complain

About the neighborhood’s growing reputation as a “hipster” haven and being called “Dallas’ Brooklyn” because of the (admittedly common) preferences of new residents for walkable environments and locally sourced, organic fare.

Known For

The Bishops Arts District and the surrounding blocks have become a true Dallas dining destination. It’s a great place to visit — provided you can find parking.

Don’t Miss The Texas Theatre

The Texas Theatre, most famous worldwide as the place where Lee Harvey Oswald hid out after (allegedly?) shooting President John F. Kennedy, now boasts the most unique cinematic programming in the city. Music and comedy shows, as well as a surprisingly inviting bar, are also draws to the historic venue.

Why I Love North Oak Cliff

By Peter Simek

Read The Story

Embracing Contradiction and Diversity

North Oak Cliff has been called, somewhat pejoratively, Dallas’ Brooklyn or Portland — the place where the hipsters live.

But what you miss if your knowledge of Oak Cliff only began with landing on the island of Hattie’s restaurant is just how this particular sensibility came about.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the neighborhood had largely emptied of its white, working-class population, paving the way for two transformative forces: the urban pioneers and new Latino immigrants.

The northern portion of the neighborhood features subdivisions of gorgeous homes set among rolling lanes envied in many other parts of the city.

The Hispanic community made North Oak Cliff their own before the outside reinvestment of recent years began.

On weekends, parks like Lake Cliff and Kidd Springs fill with life — soccer tournaments, barbecues, and fishing.

Jefferson Boulevard is the most successful urban corridor in Dallas, an unbroken string of boutique shops that is the main street of the city’s Hispanic community.

The neighborhood’s restaurants make regulars feel like part of a greater community.

North Oak Cliff is far more than the sum of the clichés by which some seek to define it.

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Demographics

Population

The 2016 population of North Oak Cliff is estimated to be 73,206. That’s a change of +4.8% in the last five years. Over the next five years, the population is projected to change by +4.5%.

The number of households is 23,505, a change of +7.0% in the last five years. In the next five years, the number of households is projected to change +5.6%.

The average household size is 3.09.

Income & Employment

The median household income is $41,722 and, of the entire population age 16 and over, 32.4% aren’t in the labor force. 23.4% of families live below the poverty line.

Among those employed, 37.9% are blue-collar workers, 43.0% are white-collar workers, and 19.0% are occupied as service industry or farm workers.

The average commute time for workers who live in this area is 30.0 minutes. The average number of vehicles per household is 1.7.

Housing

57.2% of North Oak Cliff homes are detached, single-family houses. The median owner-occupied home value is $125,510

50.5% of the homes are owner-occupied. The average length of residence among residents in owner-occupied homes is 17.2 years, while the average renter has been in the same home 7.1 years.

The median year the area’s housing units were built is 1954.

Crime

North Oak Cliff includes portions of these police beats: 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 441, 442, 443, 444, 446, 447

Throughout those beats during 2014, there were:

Aggravated Assaults (non-family violence)	166
Aggravated Assaults (family violence)	80
Business Burglaries	232
Home Burglaries	454
Motor-Vehicle Burglaries	974
Auto Thefts	481
Business Robberies	68
Robberies of Individuals	161
Shoplifting Incidents	408
Other Thefts	522
Murders	4
Rapes	44

School Passing Grades

2016 STAAR exam passing rates for neighborhood public schools:

Dallas ISD Arturo Salazar Elementary	78
Dallas ISD Felix Botello Elementary	73
Dallas ISD Franklin D. Roosevelt High School	56
Dallas ISD George Peabody Elementary	74
Dallas ISD Harrell Budd Elementary	65
Dallas ISD Hector Garcia Middle School	59
Dallas ISD James Bowie Elementary	75
Dallas ISD John F. Peeler Elementary	62
Dallas ISD John H. Reagan Elementary	69
Dallas ISD Justin F. Kimball High School	63
Dallas ISD L.G. Pinkston High School	62
Dallas ISD L.V. Stockard Middle School	57
Dallas ISD Leila P. Cowart Elementary	70
Dallas ISD Lida Hooe Elementary	67
Dallas ISD Louise Wolff Kahn Elementary	77
Dallas ISD Margaret B. Henderson Elementary	78
Dallas ISD Maria Moreno Elementary	59
Dallas ISD Moises E. Molina HIgh School	78
Dallas ISD Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School and Classical Academy	45
Dallas ISD Rosemont Elementary and International Harold W. Lang Middle Schooluage Preparatory Middle School	72
Dallas ISD Stevens Park Elementary	55
Dallas ISD Sunset High School	73
Dallas ISD W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy	82
Dallas ISD W.H. Adamson High School	69
Dallas ISD Winnetka Elementary	77
Dallas ISD Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Middle School	62

Letter from North Oak Cliff

By Moira Muldoon

Read The Story

Real Estate Snapshot

% Owner-Occupied Housing

50.5%

Avg. Household Size

3.09

Number of Households

23,505

Avg. Length of Residency by Owner

17.2 years

In the News

Dallas Neighborhoods

Sources: Demographic data pulled from Nielsen SiteReports and represents sampling based on most recent U.S. Census estimates. Crime data provided by local police departments. School STAAR exam passing rates from Texas Education Agency.