West Dallas | |
|---|---|
 Fish Trap Lake Park in West Dallas, including the smokestack of the defunct RSR Corporation smelter in the background | |
 Location inDallas | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Counties | Dallas |
| City | Dallas |
| Area | |
• Total | 11.45 sq mi (29.66 km2) |
| • Land | 11.45 sq mi (29.66 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 406 ft (124 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 24,132 |
| ZIP code | 75212 (main postal zip code), 75208 and 75211 (small areas) |
| Area code(s) | 214,469,972 |
| Website | www |
| References:[1] | |
West Dallas is an area consisting of many communities and neighborhoods inDallas,Texas, United States. West Dallas lies just west ofDowntown Dallas, north ofOak Cliff, and east ofIrving andGrand Prairie.
Largely lying in theTrinity River floodplain, the area's history has been largely defined by its relationship to the river, to industry, and to downtown. Although not incorporated into Dallas until the 1950s, West Dallas has had a close but problematic relationship to the city since its founding. The area is currently undergoing significant changes due to its central location within the city, attracting new development and revitalization efforts but also threatening existing communities.
The City of Dallas defines West Dallas boundaries asInterstate 30 on the south, theTrinity River on the east and north, and the Trinity River's West Fork on the west.[2]
The southern part of West Dallas is elevated by theAustin Chalk limestone formation, creating a continuous ridge withOak Cliff that overlooks the Trinity and downtown Dallas. The majority of West Dallas lies in the Trinity River floodplain and is traversed Singleton Boulevard.
The recorded history of the area that would become West Dallas begins in the 1840s, when theRepublic of Texas offered up to 640 acres of land tohomesteaders in North Texas.[3]
The town of Eagle Ford, a significant community in the early history of West Dallas, was established as a farm in 1844 by Enoch Horton at the site of ford in the west fork of the Trinity River floodplain.[4] In 1857 Enoch's son Jacob established a grist mill that would be an important hub for the local farming community.[5] Enoch's daughterSarah Horton Cockrell was an important business leader in early Dallas, most notably building the first bridge connecting the city Dallas to west.
In 1855, the Fourierist colony of La Réunion was established on a limestone ridge overlooking the Trinity floodplain. The colony attracted approximately five hundred European settlers starting in 1855, briefly rivaling the small town of Dallas as an urban center. Although the colony was formally dissolved in 1857 and many of the settlers returned to Europe, others such asBenjamin Long andJacob Boll moved to Dallas and became prominent citizens in the growing metropolis. A few, such as the Santerre andReverchon families would remain and continue to farm the colony land until the turn of the 18th century.[6]
In 1873, theTexas and Pacific Railway began service through West Dallas, and because of thePanic of 1873, Eagle Ford would remain the western terminus of the line for several years. This led to a brief boom period for the city, as the town became a major cattle shipment hub. This brief boom period would last until 1878, when construction had resumed and Fort Worth supplanted it and Eagle Ford's significance and population declined.[7]
Industrial development and exploitation of the area began in the early 1900s, with the establishment of a brick works using the rich Trinity clay, and a cement works that processed the limestone cliffs into cement.[8]
The town ofCement, Texas was incorporated on April 28, 1908 as a segregated factory town for the Texas Portland Cement Company.[9] Many of the workers at the cement plant were Mexican immigrants who were fleeing theMexican Revolution.[10]
As West Dallas's population grew, flooding became an increasingly serious problem, as much of the area lies in the flood prone Trinity bottom lands. The Dallas Levee System was originally completed in 1932 and upgraded in the 1950s by theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers, significantly addressing the flooding problem in the area.[11]
Although in 1931 Cement City had a population of 609, the population had declined to 249 in the late 1940s and by 1951 the community was no longer incorporated.[12] In 1954, West Dallas was officially annexed by the city of Dallas.[13]
In 1955, the West Dallas housing projects were established, consisting of three separate developments, segregated by race (Blacks, Hispanics and Whites). The names of the developments were George Loving Place, Edgar Ward Place and Elmer Scott Place.[14]
On April 2, 1957, the devastating1957 Dallas tornado passed through West Dallas. That same year, the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike opened as a toll road, and would eventually becomeInterstate 30 in 1977 when the toll was paid off. The highway would accelerate the growth ofGrand Prairie andArlington, leading directly to the creation ofSix Flags Over Texas but also created an enormous physical barrier between West Dallas andOak Cliff.[15]
In 1984, a $45 million settlement was reached with RSR Corporation on behalf of 370 West Dallas children who had been harmed by the RSR lead smelting plant's operations.[16]
On September 29, 1995 the smelting plant site was declared aSuperfund site after decades of efforts by local residents.[17]
In March 2012, theSantiago Calatrava-designedMargaret Hunt Hill Bridge opened as part of theTrinity River Project. The bridge and associatedTrinity Groves retail development have marked a new era of gentrification for the neighborhood. Neighborhoods such as La Bajada have been put under pressure from rising property taxes and speculative real estate development.[18]
In 1934 Murphy Metals (later known as RSR Corporation), started operating a 63-acre (250,000 m2)secondary lead smelter facility in West Dallas. The process melts lead scrap into metallic lead that can then used for casting. Significant lead emissions can occur from poorly controlled refining, casting, and drossing operations.[19]
The city of Dallas annexed West Dallas into the city limits in 1954. Before that year, many residents lived in an area lacking the basic services because they resided outside the city lines. Shortly after annexationin 1956, the city built a 3,500-unitpublic housing complex just north of the RSR lead smelter facility. The southern edge of the public housing complex was located 50 feet (15 m) from the lead smelter's property line.
In 1968 theCity of Dallas enacted an ordinance regulating pollution thresholds for the facility. This act went unenforced - in the 1960s RSR Corp West Dallas facility released more than 269 tons of lead particles into the air each year.[citation needed] Few residents could afford air conditioning, so in the summers they kept their doors and windows open, directly exposing them to the toxins. In 1972, Dallas officials learned that lead could be finding its way into the bloodstreams of children who lived in West Dallas and the bordering community of East Oak Cliff.[citation needed] The Dallas Health Department then conducted a study - they found children living near smelters had a 36 percent increase in blood lead levels.[citation needed] In 1974 the city sued local smelters and RSR Corporation agreed to pay $35,000 and install new pollution control equipment - however by 1983 they still had not installed the pollution equipment.
In 1981 public concern and pressure were raised after the West Dallas Boys Club had to suspend outside activity after a soil test showed lead levels 36 times those considered dangerous for children; the club was forced to close in 1983 due to high lead levels. The Dallas Alliance Environmental Task Force, a citizens group appointed by the Dallas City Council, said this in a 1983 study:
“We believe the city had missed many opportunities to serve and protect the community at large and two neighborhoods in particular in relation to the lead problem we now address. It is clear that the State and Federal governments have also failed in their opportunity to regulate and industry of this type with regard to the general welfare of citizens.”
On September 6, 1984 the Dallas Board of Adjustment ordered the smelter closed.[20] In the summer of 1985 an out-of-court settlement for $20 million was reached between RSR and a class including 370 children and 40 property owners affected by the lead, represented byFred Baron.
In May 1993 a proposal was made to add the lead smelter site to theNational Priorities List as aSuperfund site.[21] On September 28, 1994, the EPA signed the Preliminary Close Out Report for the site stating all clean-up for all the units had been completed. The EPA then signed a Ready For Reuse document in May 2005 declaring the site ready for reuse or redevelopment.[21] The EPA reported that the clean-up resulted in direct lower lead blood leaves of children; the community also benefited by having 400 properties on 300 acres (1.2 km2) of commercial property eliminated of contamination.[citation needed]
In the late 1980s, the neighborhood had a population of 13,161.[22] As of the 2000U.S. census, there were 24,132 people living in the neighborhood.[22] The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 2.7%White, 37.3%African American, 0.6%Native American, 2.4%Asian orPacific Islander, 41.8% fromHispanic orLatino, and 15.2% from two or more races.[citation needed]
West Dallas has been the site of significant redevelopment since the opening of theMargaret Hunt Hill Bridge in 2012. New developments includeTrinity Groves, on Singleton Boulevard, Sylvan/Thirty, on Fort Worth Avenue, and multiple condominiums and townhomes.
These developments are bringing top-tier chefs, yoga studios, fresh-food markets, hip retail and apartments and condos with views of the downtown Dallas skyline, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and the Margaret McDermott Bridge.
Long-standing neighborhoods in West Dallas prior to gentrification of the community include:
Public education in West Dallas is provided byDallas andIrving Independent School Districts, as well as a public charter school from Uplift Education and two private schools. Dallas schools cover over 90% of the area — only areas on the north side of the original channel of Westmoreland and on the west side of the original channel of Mountain Creek attend Irving schools. (See:Channeling of the Trinity River)
All students zoned to Dallas ISD Schools attend Thomas A. Edison Middle Learning Center andL. G. Pinkston High School,[23] as well as one of the following elementary schools:
All students zoned to Irving schools attend Bowie Middle School andNimitz High School. Students living on the north side of the original channel of the West Fork of the Trinity River attend Schulze Elementary School and students living on the west side of the original channel of Mountain Creek attend Townley Elementary School.[24]
Students in West Dallas may also attend Uplift Heights Preparatory, a college preparatory, non-selective, but lottery-based publiccharter school located in the Lake West neighborhood of West Dallas. As of August 2015, Uplift Heights serves slightly more than 1,700 Pre-Kindergarten through 11th grade students. Uplift Heights will have its first graduating class in 2017. Uplift Heights Preparatory has been open since 2006 and is part of Uplift Education.
Interstate 30
Interstate 35E
Texas State Highway Spur 366
Texas State Highway Loop 12
Dallas North Tollway
