Seeking trees, cafes, some walkability, 'cool' feeling - North Oak Lawn? (Dallas: wood floors, apartments)

[Walter Benjamin]

Hi all,

Another person relocating...

I've looked at a number of older threads and wanted to make sure I'm not missing too much. Thanks to all who have already shared such useful information.

I'm looking for a neighborhood with character, maybe even 'coolness,' with shady trees and (maybe) older buildings, cafes and restaurants (possibly even 'funky' ones), some degree of walkability and street life. I'm thinking of a place like Hayes Valley or lower Haight in San Francisco, or Los Feliz or Silver Lake in Los Angeles. Or even like Williamsburg or Park Slope in NYC (culturally, not architecturally).

I saw that posters here had mentioned North Oak Lawn, which if I'm correct is bordered by Lemmon on the southwest, Oak Lawn Avenue on the east, and Hawthorne on the north. I saw that folks had mentioned Hawthorne, Prescott, Herschel, Douglas and Throckmorton streets, in particular.

Am I looking in the right place - have I missed anything? Checking on craigslist, it seems like studios/efficiencies can go for as low as $600 and there are one-bedrooms for under $1000.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts! [EDITED: I'm commuting to Arlington, so looking on the west side as opposed to east side of the city.]

[Dallas native]

North Oak Lawn works. You might also like Knox-Henderson which is about 2 miles north of downtown. It's all the same street, but it changes names depending on which side of I-75 you are on. Knox is west and Henderson is east. It's only about 1 mile away from N. Oak Lawn, so the fact that it is on the east side of I-75 won't have much effect on your commute to Arlington.

You might also like the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff: Bishop Arts District :: Home. There are really cool apartments there priced below $1000: Good Space- Bishop Arts District Dallas Living Working. It's just below I-30 on the SW side of downtown Dallas. You could cut 15 minutes off of your commute time there because you would already be on the correct side of downtown to get to Arlington.

[TrueDat]

I live in North Oak Cliff (not far from the Bishop Arts District) and can vouch for the ease to get to Arlington along I-30. You're going against traffic so you're good.

However, Oak Cliff has less of the development that you might want -- restaurants, bars, etc. It's really just starting to happen here. There's more of that in Oak Lawn and Knox-Henderson. You should come and check the three areas out and see which one fits you.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Dallas native

North Oak Lawn works. You might also like Knox-Henderson which is about 2 miles north of downtown. It's all the same street, but it changes names depending on which side of I-75 you are on. Knox is west and Henderson is east. It's only about 1 mile away from N. Oak Lawn, so the fact that it is on the east side of I-75 won't have much effect on your commute to Arlington.

You might also like the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff: Bishop Arts District :: Home. There are really cool apartments there priced below $1000: Good Space- Bishop Arts District Dallas Living Working. It's just below I-30 on the SW side of downtown Dallas. You could cut 15 minutes off of your commute time there because you would already be on the correct side of downtown to get to Arlington.

Nice. Those apartments are excellent!

[pepper131]

Bishop Arts area is much more what you are loking for in terms of that indie, laidback vibe.

The area of North Oak Lawn is nice, but caters more to the Park Cities crowd with La Duni, Talbots and Equinox gym. It's more about fakery.

Good Space is a great suggestion!

When we go out, we tend to find ourselves around Bishop Arts...Tillman's, Hunky's, Kavala, and Belmont Hotel a short drive away (where they have game night on Tues and outdoor concerts in summer).

[WillysB]

North Oak Lawn is a great neighborhood with older homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes, multi-plexes and nearby businesses. I'm not familiar with SanFran so couldn't make your comparison. Oak Lawn is walkable. I've walked my dog there any time of day, early, mid, eve, night, wee hours of the a.m. with no problems. I think I may be the reference to the local streets in your OP.

The single home lots are older and mix from frame to brick. Condos may be thirty or more years old or some new within the last five years. Same with town homes. On the Hawthorne/Prescott/Herschel are the duplexes and multi's. Many of the duplexes are top/bottom (maybe a SanFran comparison there) usually 2 bedroom and wood floors. Rents may be high. The multi's are also old, some maintained very well. Rents will run according to quality. I rented a one bedroom on Prescott for $675. The place had no upgrades but the neighborhood was exceptional. Prior to that I owned a condo in the area for 5 years. Prior to that I lived in an apartment just across Lemmon for an additional 5 years. So I tend to be familiar with the area.

No where did I meet any resident of North Oak Lawn that 'catered' to any Park cities. On the northwest edge of the area is Lomo Alto and WholeFoods. The shops on that street are Park cities oriented but WholeFoods will take anybody's money. Many of their employees are residents of the Oak Lawn area itself. On the east of Oak Lawn is Oak Lawn Ave/Preston Rd. North of Lemmon the shops tend to be Park Cities oriented, south, they'll take anybody's money.

The 675 apartment I also found on Craigslist and yes, along Hawthorne I saw apartments for $500 (while walking the dog).

If I can answer other questions for you feel free to PM me and I'll help where I can.

[Lakewooder]

How funky do you want?

Jack's Backyard is the newest funky place in town (N. Oak Cliff/Ft. Worth Avenue by the Belmont):

FrontBurner » Blog Archive » What Not to Wear Hits Local Gal at Jack’s Backyard

[pepper131]

I wonder is the OP actually meant to say/post North Oak Cliff - it can be confusing for someone out of town.

Willy - guess I was referring to the area on the most northern part of Oaklawn Ave where that last strip is called Shops at Highland Park...and all just about all the shops from there south to Lemmon.

[TrueDat]

Overall, Oak Lawn is a mix. Yes, there are those mostly upscale shops in the La Duni complex near Highland Park but you've also got all the restaurants/bars/shops along Cedar Springs -- which will soon be the home of the large Ilume mixed-use complex (Ilume In Cedar Springs on the Strip) -- the shops/fast-food restaurants/stores along Lemmon (including Whole Foods and the 24-hour Buzzbrews Cafe) as well as everything along Oak Lawn from Eatzi's down to Cosmic Cafe and Zaguan. Then nearby you've got Lee Park and Turtle Creek. It's this mix which makes Oak Lawn so pleasantly dense, a density that North Oak Cliff (as much as I love it) hasn't yet matched.

[cvill]

Try looking at the neighborhoods around Greenville Ave. (Lower Greenville/between Mockingbird and Ross). You'll find the M streets and Vickery Place. Great little area.