Park Cities · Central

Living in Highland Park & University Park, Highland Park / University Park

The Park Cities are two separate towns surrounded by Dallas, with tree-lined streets, Turtle Creek parks and SMU. Highland Park Village, a 1931 Spanish-style center, is a National Historic Landmark.

Home typesLuxury single-family, Estate home, New construction rebuild, Condo (limited)

Home ageOriginal homes date from the 1910s-1940s, but many lots have been rebuilt with newer luxury homes.

LotsStandard to large lots, with bigger estate lots along Turtle Creek and in parts of Highland Park.

HOANo HOAs on most streets; each town has its own building and zoning rules, which are strict on new construction.

School districtsHighland Park ISD, Dallas ISD (small part of Highland Park)

Getting around

Downtown and Uptown are a short drive down the Tollway or US 75, with DART at Mockingbird and Lovers Lane stations nearby. Legacy and Frisco are a Tollway drive north.

Downtown Dallas ~11 min 5 mi
Legacy West (Plano) ~26 min 19 mi
DFW Airport ~33 min 22 mi
Downtown Fort Worth ~47 min 38 mi

Off-peak drive estimates from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), measured from each area's center on 2026-10-21. Rush hour is often much longer.

2025 property tax rates

Location	City	School district	County	Total
Highland Park (Highland Park ISD)	0.1993	0.8347	0.5341	1.5681%
University Park (Highland Park ISD)	0.2186	0.8347	0.5341	1.5873%

2025 tax rates per $100 of value, from Republic Title's 2025 DFW Area Tax Rates (compiled from county appraisal districts). County column includes county, community college and hospital districts where they apply. Excludes MUD/PID and special districts, and is before homestead exemptions.

Strengths

Own town services and school district
Central location
Mature, park-lined streets

Tradeoffs

Among the region's highest prices
Strict local building rules
Teardown and construction activity

Nearby

Highland Park Village, Snider Plaza, Meadows Museum (SMU), Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Lakeside Park, Katy Trail

Development watch

SMU opened the $100 million Garry Weber End Zone Complex at Ford Stadium in 2024, and The Knox project on the Highland Park edge is set for late 2026.

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