The History of Oak Cliff Neighborhood, Dallas, Texas

Table of Contents

Geographic Level
Geopolitical Level
Financial Level
Educational Level
References

Geographic Level

The geographical feature of north-central Texas: rolling plains.
Humid, subtropical climate; annual precipitation ̶ 35.77 inches.
It is located on the west side of the Trinity River.
Occupies the territory of 87 square miles.
Elevation above the sea level: 500 to 800 feet.
Mean temperature: 45.44° F (winter) and 85.72° F (summer).

The neighborhood of Oak Cliff occupies “an 87-square-mile section of the city south of the Trinity,” which constitutes about the third of the whole territory of Dallas (Stone, 2015, para. 1). Just like Dallas in general, Oak Cliff has all of the geographic features associated with the area of north-central Texas. It is located in rolling plains approximately to the headwater and comprises a lot of human-made lakes (“Dallas: Geography and climate,” 2018). Additionally, the weather there is usually hot in summers and mild in winters.

Geopolitical Level

First settlers appeared in the 1830s.
As an independent city with a few neighborhoods.
Before 1900, it was an elite residential area.
After 1900, it became a working-class community.
Was annexed into Dallas in 1903.
It continues to maintain its unique cultural identity.

The city of Oak Cliff (initially known as Hord’s Ridge settlement) was founded when the first farmers started to appear in the area in the 1830s and developed with the arrival of William Henry Hord (Stone, 2015). The land was consequently bought by Thomas Marsalis, who commenced establishing his real estate company there and marketing Oak Cliff as a resort. Shortly after the business collapsed, the city was annexed by the city of Dallas, with an overall population of 3.640 (Nall, n.d.). Subsequently, Oak Cliff continued to expand to the west as part of the city.

Financial Level

Comprehensive plan: new 200.000 households, 400.000 jobs.
Oak Cliff: a central point of development.
Focus areas: infrastructure, transportation, and recreational zones.
She has experienced economic growth in recent years.
Will receive a large part of the investment.
Developable land and workforce boost financial growth.

Dallas has the City’s Comprehensive Plan aimed at the development of inner urban areas, creation of job opportunities, and enhancement of residential areas. According to Brown (2014), “Oak Cliff has become a focal point for development in Dallas,” and a significant portion of about US 1$ billion investment sum is devoted to its expansion and improvement (para. 2). Nevertheless, It is observed that a median household income in the neighborhood comprised the US $24,481, which is “less than half of the median income of Dallas County” (“For Oak Cliff works to improve the South Oak Cliff community,” n.d., para. 4). The developmental trend may thus contribute to the improvement of the financial status of local residents, especially those living in the South Oak Cliff.

Educational Level

Education level: higher in people aged 25 and older.
Lower than the educational level in Dallas.
High school diploma: 34.5% of residents.
College and higher degree: 24.9% of residents.
No high school diploma: 40.6% of residents.
Earnings associated with graduate degrees: about $85.4k.

People of 25 years old and older tend to have higher educational degrees: doctorate (1.1%), professional (2.0%), master’s (4.9%), bachelor’s (14.1%), et cetera (“Educational attainment in Oak Cliff,” 2015). About 4.4% of residents in the neighborhood have no education at all, and the majority of them are female (“Educational attainment in Oak Cliff,” 2015). Overall, the educational level in Oak Cliff is slightly lower than the mean educational attainment rate in Dallas.