For most of its history, the historical Elm Thicket/North Park area, has been predominantly an African American community.[5][6]
Geography
Often referred to by residents as North Park, Elm Thicket/North Park refers to the current-day area bounded by Lover's Lane to the north, Lemmon Avenue to the west, Mockingbird Lane to the south, and Inwood Road to the east.[7][8]
Historical
Elm Thicket referred to the lower Southwest portion of the neighborhood.[6][9] This area was bounded by Mockingbird Lane to the South, Cedar Springs Road to the West, Roper Street to the East and University Boulevard to the North, and it was one of the few minority-majority areas of North Dallas. It is adjacent to the east side of Love Field airport.[5] Portions of Elm Thicket were lost due to Love Field airport and roadway expansion.[8]
A southeastern subsection of Elm Thicket/North Park is also known as Shannon Estates. This area is bounded by Inwood Road on the east, Mockingbird Lane on the south, Kenwell Street on the west, and West University Boulevard on the north.[10]
In the 1944 Dallas Master Plan,[10]Bluffview to the North originally extended south to University Blvd.
Demographics
Race
Elm Thicket/North Park has undergone extensive social and physical change from 2000-2023. The African American population has dropped by half, from 62% of the neighborhood's population in 2000 to 29% in 2023. In the same time, the Hispanic population has experienced a rise and fall, from 26% to 42.5% and back again to 26.4%. The white population has risen from 11% to 61.7% of the neighborhood's population.[2][1]
The origin of the North Park name has multiple potential origins. One source claims that the name originated in from further development of the Elm Thicket area, roughly around 1940, with the development of the Booker T. Washington and North park additions.[12] While another survey claims the original name of the area was North Park and it was unofficially known as Elm Thicket.[5]
Elm Thicket Park and Hilliard golf course
In 1944, construction of Elm Thicket Park began on land owned by neighboring Love Field airport, but temporarily loaned to the Dallas Parks Department until needed for airport expansion. In 1946, the Hexter and Frank Building Company filed with the City of Dallas, the Greenway Terrace additions. The Greenway Terrace additions, are orientated in the present northwest area of the neighborhood. The first development was located West of Kenwell Street, South of Hopkins Avenue, North of Wateka Drive and East of Roper Street. Greenway Terrace Number Two (#2) was further developed; West of Roper Street, North of Hopkins Avenue, South of Lovers Lane and East of Taos Road. In 1950, a 9-hole golf course was constructed on land owned by Love Field Airport. The Hilliard golf course, was dedicated in 1950 by the Dallas Negro Golf Association as the nation's first Negro golf course.[13] In 1954, the land upon which the 9-hole golf course and adjoining Elm Thicket Park, was repossessed by the City of Dallas as part of the airport expansion and rerouting of roads to serve the expanding city.[14]
1960s and 1970s
Through the early 1970s many blacks flocked to Elm Thicket/North Park and it became a close knit community creating many businesses and revenue for the area.
2000s
With support of the neighborhood's Crime Watch group and residents, the Dallas Police Department, in 2004, began to apply the "broken windows" police concept to address the blight afflicting the neighborhood.[15]
2010s
In the Spring of 2016, Elm Thicket/North Park was included in Dallas' Neighborhood Plus Plan. Adopted in 2015, Neighborhood Plus is a citywide neighborhood revitalization plan for the City of Dallas to alleviate poverty, fight blight, attract and retain the middle class, increase homeownership and enhance rental options.[2]
In 2017, as part of the Neighborhood Plus program, residents of Elm Thicket/North Park were given an opportunity to share their stories, gather historical photos and archive information to help the neighborhood tell the story of this historic and dynamic part of the city. Interviews were recorded and combined into videos and published on YouTube.[16]
In 2018, real estate professionals began to rename Elm Thicket/North Park as "Inwood Park or Inwood Park West" in an effort to rebrand the neighborhood in order to make it more appealing to new home buyers.
Sudie L. Williams Talented and Gifted Academy (located next door in the Bluffview neighborhood) serves academically talented and gifted students in grades four through six (expanding to eighth grade by 2020). Admission to Williams is based on academic achievement and an application is required.
Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy (located next door in the Greenway Parks neighborhood) serves students in grades 6-8 selected through the magnet process. The students receive the same basic middle school program offered in all Dallas Independent School District middle schools. However, special focus is placed on the exploration and development of each student's interests and abilities.
Originally dedicated in 1969 as Polk Park, KB Polk Recreation Center offers a variety of senior, adult, teen, and youth programs for all interest levels.
^Max in the northeast corner of the neighborhood near the intersection of W. Lovers Ln. and Caillet St.
^Min in the northwest corner of the neighborhood near the intersection of Taos Rd. and Hopkins St.
^ abcRobertson, Jack; American Council on Education. American Youth Commission (1937). A study of youth needs and services in Dallas, Texas. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Library. Washington, D.C. : American Council on Education.
^Dallas, Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the City of; Holmes, Maxine; Saxon, Gerald D. (1992). "The WPA Dallas Guide and History". The Portal to Texas History. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
^"Timeline A CONCISE HISTORY". D Magazine. D Magazine Partners, Inc. June 1998. Retrieved 16 December 2018. Dallas Negro Golf Association dedicates nation's first Negro Golf Course at Elm Thicket, located at the present site of Love Field.
