University Park

University Park is the home of Southern Methodist University. This close-in suburb was incorporated in the1920's on what had been the Caruth family farmland. The original Caruth home built in 1852 sits across from NorthPark Center. The primary building on the SMU campus, the Rotunda, was completed in 1915. Houses were soon built around the campus for university professors and personnel.

University Park, like Highland Park, is a township and has its own city hall, school system (the Highland Park Independent School System which serves both towns), mayor, and police and fire departments. Residents of both towns like to brag about the quick response time when either police or fire personnel are needed.

Collectively Highland Park and University Park are known as the Park Cities. University Park has a much larger land mass than Highland Park and has almost three times the population. There are also a number of parks in the town. At Goar Park, on University Blvd. adjacent to the Town Hall, the town hosts a big neighborhood party at the end of the annual 4th of July parade.

University Park has seen an amazing number of new homes constructed in the past decade. As the neighborhood has become more and more desirable, there has been a tremendous demand for new family homes averaging around 5,000 square feet. New homes in the area currently begin at over $1.5 million.

The exclusive University Park and Highland Park are two incorporated municipalities with their own police force, city services, and school district, an island of exclusivity surrounded by the city of Dallas. Just five miles north of the city center, the Park Cities is gracefully laid out around an abundance of parks, more than 20 altogether, and block after block of old-world mansions. The area is home to Southern Methodist University and Highland Park Village shopping center, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark.