Comments on: Oak Cliff Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You

By: michael a.

michael a. — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:25:41 +0000

My parents, my grandparents and I are all from Oak Cliff. I treasure the perception that Oak Cliff is not safe. We’ve missed a few of those archtectural purges that Dallas is famous for because of it. Hopefully, it will continue to keep a flood of nasty, three story, poorly built, rectangle condominiums at bay at little while longer It seems though that the only thing that ever puts the breaks on out of control development here is a national financial crisis…thanks George.

I for one don’t long for the day where all those falling below a certain yearly salary are priced further away from the city center like they have been in Oak Lawn and Uptown. Those two areas continue to lose all that made them interesting initially. It’s the trees, topography, architecture and ability of all of the diverse people that live in Oak Cliff to get along with each other that makes us different from those that choose to live their lives in the bubble. But hey, that’s a choice, just let us have our choice.

By: Rawlins

Rawlins — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:46:11 +0000

Have to laugh as I leave for a plane reading: ” I have a very restrictive view of just how large Oak Cliff is”. I think that Texas is the northern most American state.

By: Sophie

Sophie — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:29:47 +0000

That’s all North Oak Cliff, which is much too crowded and fabulous for me these days. I live on three wooded Oak Cliff acres far south of there and I hope we never get as fabulous as NoOC.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:22:05 +0000

Jason Roberts is correct on the parameters of Oak Cliff. You could also throw in some of the Hord’s Ridge area too. But that’s it. I have a very restrictive view on just how large Oak Cliff is.

I also hate the word “Uptown”. Uptown is actually where the Plaza of the Americas stands today. It’s actually “UP” a solid 20-30 feet higher in elevation than the low end of town.

I guess calling Uptown by it’s old name of Frogtown and Little Mexico does not lease condos well to 30k millionaires.

By: JIm

JIm — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:06:41 +0000

Jason – I was just saying there’s more Oak Cliff now than what was originally part of the Marsailes plan. You can’t just call Old Oak Cliff Oak Cliff. Rawlins – I always thought Ft. Worth Ave was the boarder to West Dallas, Singleton being West Dallas’ main street. The Belmont and Company would rather say they were in Oak Cliff than West Dallas, though. Evidence? Clyde Barrow is buried off Ft. Worth Ave. Can’t get more West Dallas than that.

By: East Dallas Eccentric

East Dallas Eccentric — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:02:38 +0000

Hey we love Oak Cliff — don’t denigrate Lakewood; we are your allies.

By: jrp

jrp — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:44:08 +0000

rosemont elementary is supposed to be a good school, but i don’t have kids…yet

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:02:10 +0000

Have any of you Cliffies sent your kids to public school in the OC? Not being a wiseguy, honestly wondering. I live in a very diverse area of East Dallas, and I love it. My kid is four and with great, great misgivings I’m considering moving to “downtown” Plano or Richardson. And no, I’m not racist, but an inner-city socialization experience, my kid can do without, thanks. It may even constitute parental malfeasance on my part. Are parents involved in the OC?

By: Lucinda

Lucinda — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:44:23 +0000

I’ve lived 14 years in Oak Cliff, the last ten in one of the more “transitional” neighborhoods and I’ve not had near the problems I would have living in other parts of the city. My sister-in-law who by all accounts lives in one of the nicer neighborhoods of Lakewood near White Rock (you know, the streets with “-shore” in their names) has had three guests’ cars broken into in the past 18 months. And why anyone would live anywhere near Greenville Avenue or the M Streets with the new zero-lot-line atrocities and the inevitability of a drunk person urinating in your garden is beyond my comprehension.

So what if my neighbors don’t have the nicest, newest cars cars or granite countertops or are able spend tens of thousands of dollars on IVF to populate this city with more Rileys and Kayleighs and Landons and Connors. There are more important things in life.

Oak Cliff is rich in warm, engaging people of all walks of life. That’s a resource money can’t buy.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:01:02 +0000

OK, it’s not particularly dangerous, and the North Dallas people who fear it are ignorant. There’s some good eating and a few really interesting neighborhoods. But Oak Cliff still ain’t that great.