Lake Highlands

Lake Highlands is a neighborhood constituting most of Northeast Dallas. The neighborhood is a collection of dozens of subdivisions served by Richardson ISD and Dallas ISD public schools, as well as an array of private schools.

Lake Highlands touches Richardson on the north, Garland on the east, White Rock Lake and East Dallas on the south, and Lakewood and North Dallas on the west. The neighborhood is bisected from southeast to northwest by I 635 and from southwest to northeast by DART Blue Line. It is bordered on the south by Northwest Highway and White Rock Lake, and on the west by White Rock Creek or Central Expressway. On the north and east, the neighborhood ends at the city limits of Richardson and Garland.

The neighborhood differs from much of Dallas and the surrounding area, which is fairly flat. Lake Highlands has hills and valleys, with street elevations that can vary by 50 feet, which offer scenic views of downtown Dallas. White Rock Lake, a reservoir constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, is located on the south side of Lake Highlands. The lake and surrounding park is a popular destination for boaters, rowers, joggers, and bikers, as well as visitors seeking peaceful respite from the city at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, located on the lake's eastern shore. White Rock Creek feeds into White Rock Lake, and then exits on to the Trinity River southeast of downtown Dallas. Trails along White Rock Creek are part of the extensive Dallas County Trails System.

A total of 87,860 people lived in the neighborhood's 14.60 square miles, according to the 2014 U. S. census estimate—averaging 6018 people per square mile. The median age for residents was 34.7. According to the 2014 Census estimate, 48.2% of the population was White, 30.8% was Black, 6.0% Asian, 15.0% from two or more races. 24.6% of the total population was of Hispanic or Latino origin. 48.8% of residents are male, 51.2% are female. 72.5% are age 18 or over. 34.6% have never been married, 50.0% are married, 4.5% are widowed, and 10.9% are divorced. The median household income in 2016 was $44,539. 31.8% of Lake Highlands homes are detached, single family houses. The median owner occupied home value is $266,181. The average household size is 2.38. Homeowners occupied 39.7% of the housing units, and renters occupied the rest.

Forerunner Mentoring Program is a non profit specifically dedicated to serving the neighborhood of Lake Highlands. For over 10 years, Forerunner Mentoring has been providing mentorship for boys growing up without a father figure in the home. What started as just a one to one mentoring organization has expanded to additionally provide after school mentoring programs for K 8th grade boys, a high school ministry for young men, and a women's ministry for the single mothers of the students they serve.

Nestled in the arms of White Rock Creek, Lake Highlands boasts a labyrinth of parks and recreational opportunities, with over 875 acres of parks, 26 miles of trails, disc golf, and several traditional baseball fields, soccer fields, and playgrounds. White Rock Lake is located on the south end of Lake Highlands. Recreational activities on the lake include kayaking, canoeing and standup paddleboarding, available by rental. The park surrounding the lake features a 9.33 mile trail for hiking, running and bicycling. The White Rock Lake Dog Park is also located on the north side of the lake on Mockingbird Lane.

Lake Highlands is represented by Councilman Adam McGough on the Dallas City Council. At the State level, Senator Nathan Johnson and Senator Angela Paxton represent the area on the Texas Senate. Representative Ana Maria Ramos and Representative John Turner serve on the Texas House of Representatives. The United States Postal Service operates the Lake Highlands Post Office, Northlake Post Office, and Richland Post Office within the Lake Highlands area.

Lake Highlands is home to the headquarters of Texas Instruments (TI). TI is the No. 4 manufacturer of semiconductors worldwide after Intel, Samsung and Toshiba, and is the No. 2 supplier of chips for cellular handsets after Qualcomm, and the No. 1 producer of digital signal processors (DSPs) and analog semiconductors, among a wide range of other semiconductor products. Major business areas near Lake Highlands include the Platinum Corridor, Preston Center, and the Telecom Corridor.

Lake Highlands is principally served by the Audelia Road Branch and Forest Green Branch of the Dallas Public Library. The Audelia Road Branch, built on its current site in 1971, was renovated and expanded in 2004.

As the majority of Lake Highlands was developed in the late 20th century, the primary mode of local transportation is the automobile and the area has a low density compared with neighborhoods built in the early 20th century. Efforts made by the City of Dallas and Dallas Area Rapid Transit to increase the availability of alternative modes of transportation have received varying degrees of support from residents of Lake Highlands. Since 1996, two light rail lines flanking Lake Highlands have been constructed and well received. Lake Highlands' road network was developed according to the street hierarchy school of urban design. Roads in the area are separated into major limited access highways, high capacity principal arterial roads, mid capacity minor arterial roads, mid capacity collector roads, and minor streets. The most organized of these systems is Lake Highlands' modified grid plan of principal arterial roads, which runs on a standard N/S/E/W grid.