Composed of two separate municipalities and six square miles in size, these cities within the city offer a small and very affluent community within 10 minutes drive to downtown Dallas. Separate fire, police and schools are but a few of the unique features of these communities. Because of these amenities, many families seek out this area of Dallas to raise their children. Drive through the quiet, plush streets and you will see kids of all ages outside enjoying the large front lawns and the numerous parks in this ideal community. Careful, thoughtful zoning and city planning make this area some of Dallas’ most coveted real estate. The Highland Park Village Shopping Center, the first retail shopping center in the United States, is a landmark feature of the area with its Mediterranean architecture designed by Fooshee & Check and housing the city’s most exclusive boutiques. The Highland Park Independent School District is highly acclaimed and is a major drawing card to the area. The Park Cities is also home to the Southern Methodist University campus and Snider Plaza shopping center. Noted Dallas’ architects, who designed many of the churches and public buildings, also designed some of the significant homes in the Park Cities. In the 1920s, Hal Thomason designed the eclectic period mansions, which still exist on Armstrong, Bordeaux and Lakeside, and Anton Korn left his mark with many of the classical homes along Beverly Drive and Turtle Creek Boulevard. Mark Lemmon, credited with Highland Park United Methodist Church, Highland Park Presbyterian Church and Perkins Chapel, was a champion of historic styles, and architects like Richard Drummond Davis and Robbie Fusch still build many of these grand homes today. David R. Williams was the leading proponent of a Texas vernacular movement of architecture, which carried on with O’Neil Ford and Frank Welch, who bridges regionalism with modernism. For spare modern architecture, individuals have turned to Howard R. Meyer, Bud Oglesby, Lionel Morrison and Max Levy. Lots are going for increasingly higher prices as builders keep reinterpreting the styles and features of homes to meet the needs of today’s homeowner. Let your Bill Griffin Real Estate agent find the ideal home for you and your family in the Park Cities or the surrounding neighborhoods.