Best Neighborhoods in Dallas: 13 Areas, One Honest Verdict Each

Three inputs, in order of weight. First, our own quote-request flows: 1,445 quote requests through August 31, 2026, of which 1,368 had two ZIPs we could map. Second, the Census Bureau’s 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey for home value, rent, renter share and commute. Third, one daily-life fact per neighborhood: a trail, a station, a school rating.

The limits, plainly. A quote request is not a move. Our work skews toward full-service jobs with local moving crews, so the southern sector is under-represented here, which says more about us than about those neighborhoods. ZIPs are not neighborhood boundaries; 75206 is the M Streets plus Lower Greenville plus Knox-Henderson. Counts under five are anecdotes, labelled as such.

The order: three groups by who the neighborhood suits, and inside each group the best areas to live in Dallas are ranked by inbound quote requests.

The best Dallas neighborhoods at a glance. Quote requests are Element’s, through August 2026; home value and rent are Census ACS 2020 to 2024 medians.

These seven entries are 46% to 96% renters per the ACS, five of them above two-thirds, and they took in 150 of the 414 inbound Dallas quote requests in our data, counting the three that went to the West End’s 75202, more than a third. Four of the most walkable neighborhoods in Dallas by Walk Score are here (Henderson 87, Oak Lawn 85, Lower Greenville 77, Deep Ellum 76), though Walk Score lists ten above 75 and several of the rest are in Oak Cliff.

1. M Streets, Lower Greenville and Knox-Henderson

The #1 inbound ZIP in our data, with 36 quote requests in. It is also the highest-churn ZIP in the city: 44 out, and 14 that started and ended inside 75206, tied for the most same-ZIP requests in Dallas. That is what people who rent here and then stay here look like in the data. Walk Score puts Lower Greenville at 77 and Henderson at 87; Mockingbird Station sits at the north end. Per the ACS the owner median is $615,400 and 73% rent. No guide yet.

2. Uptown, State-Thomas and Cityplace

Uptown is where Dallas residents ask to move to from elsewhere in Dallas. The ZIP is dead even at 35 in and 35 out, but 23 of the 35 inbound came from another Dallas ZIP, the most intra-city inbound of any ZIP. The 3.5-mile Katy Trail runs through it, Klyde Warren Park’s 5.4 acres sit at its south edge, and Cityplace/Uptown station adds DART rail. Per the ACS, 81% rent. Read our Uptown guide before you sign; the towers and the walk-ups are different propositions.

3. Downtown: Main Street District, Arts District and Farmers Market

Downtown sent out 29 quote requests and took in 23. Per the ACS, 89% rent, at a median $2,008, the highest rent outside the Park Cities. Condos are cheaper than a year ago: Zillow’s typical value for 75202 was $274,013 in January 2026, down 7.2%, the largest drop in this roster. Honest read: a great two-year address, rarely a ten-year one. Our downtown apartment guide covers the towers; the Arts District and Farmers Market District guides cover the rest.

4. Oak Lawn and Turtle Creek

Oak Lawn and Turtle Creek sent out 42 quote requests and took in 21, the largest net outflow of any Dallas ZIP in our data. The defence, as pattern: two-thirds of households rent, per the ACS, which is consistent with a short-tenancy neighborhood. Walk Score gives Oak Lawn an 85 and a Transit Score of 60, the best transit of any entry here except Deep Ellum. A two-year lease here is a good decision; fewer people make it ten. Our guides to moving to Oak Lawn and Turtle Creek cover the split.

5. Medical District and Love Field

The cheapest of the close-in neighborhoods in Dallas, and you will hear the airport. Nineteen requests out, 15 in, and 8 that stayed inside 75235. Per the ACS the owner median is $294,500, the lowest in this roster; 75% rent at a median $1,647; and the commute is 19.3 minutes, the shortest outside the Park Cities and the West End.

6. Bishop Arts, Kessler Park and North Oak Cliff

Flat to slightly positive at 13 requests out and 14 in, and the only southern-sector ZIP with double-digit volume both ways. The streetcar and the bungalows are real, and so is the price jump since 2019. The Dallas Streetcar runs 2.45 miles and six stops to Union Station. Per the ACS, 46% rent, so this is the one entry here where buying is normal; the owner median is $438,400. Kessler Park is not walkable (Walk Score 42); Bishop Arts is. Our Bishop Arts District guide has the streets.

7. Deep Ellum

Ten requests out, three in, and three is too few to call a trend, so we will only say this: in our data nobody is moving to Deep Ellum in numbers, and plenty are leaving it. Walk Score gives it a 76 and a Transit Score of 76, the highest on Walk Score’s Dallas table, and a Green Line station sits at its edge. Per the ACS, 96% rent, too few owners for the Census to publish a home value. Verdict: the best night out in the city and a hard place to stay.

The East Dallas neighborhoods and North Dallas neighborhoods where people buy and stay: renter share drops to 24% to 45% per the ACS and same-ZIP requests climb. For the best neighborhoods in Dallas to buy a house, read our post on family-friendly areas in Dallas alongside, and see the FAQ on the safest neighborhoods in Dallas.

8. Preston Hollow

A small net gainer on both ZIPs (22 out, 24 in for 75230), plus 14 requests that stayed inside 75230, tied with 75206 for the most same-ZIP requests, a pattern consistent with households upgrading inside the neighborhood. The unflattering fact: Preston Hollow Elementary fell to a C (72) in TEA’s 2025-26 ratings while Kramer Elementary, in the same ZIP, scored an A (90). The neighborhood runs on Hockaday, St. Mark’s and ESD; budget for it. Per the ACS the 75230 owner median is $931,500 and rent is $1,358, among the lowest in the roster because almost nothing is for rent. It is on our list of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Dallas-Fort Worth; our Preston Hollow guide covers the rest.

9. Bluffview, Greenway Parks and Devonshire

The only Dallas ZIP that takes in meaningfully more quote requests than it sends out: 12 out, 19 in, and 13 of those 19 came from another Dallas ZIP. This is the trade-up neighborhood, and the usual answer when someone asks for the nicest neighborhoods in Dallas. Large lots, creek-bottom trees, and Preston Hollow next door without Preston Hollow prices: the ACS owner median is $864,200 against $931,500. Withers Elementary scored an A (91) in TEA’s 2025-26 ratings. We have guides to moving to Bluffview and to Greenway Parks.

A note on Midway Hollow and Northwest Dallas, 75229 and 75220. Flat in our data: 14 out, 13 in, with 75220 slightly positive on numbers too small to call. Per the ACS, 31% of 75229 households rent, the second-lowest share in this roster behind only 75225. Walk Score says 40, and the r/Dallas consensus, borrowed with credit, is “nice and boring.” That is the point.

10. Lakewood and Junius Heights

White Rock Lake is 1,015 acres with a nine-mile loop, and Lakewood sits beside it. In our data it sent out 26 quote requests and took in 17. Lakewood is the neighborhood people tell us they want, and one they leave more often than they arrive, a pattern consistent with households outgrowing the original 1920s and 1930s housing stock. Per the ACS the owner median is $777,100 and 40% rent. Casa Linda and Little Forest Hills in 75218 are the cheaper White Rock answer at $521,000, also slightly negative at 11 out, 7 in. Our Lakewood neighborhood guide walks the streets house by house.

11. Highland Park and University Park

Separate towns with their own councils and tax rates, and a Dallas postal address. The data: 25 quote requests out, 11 in, the second-largest net outflow in the roster, and only 3 of the 11 inbound came from another Dallas ZIP. The pattern is consistent with families who buy in for the schools and sell when they are done with them. Highland Park ISD scored an A (95) in TEA’s 2025-26 ratings, the highest-scoring 5A/6A public district in Texas. The Census median home value is over $1.7 million. For tax year 2025, the most recent fully adopted year, each town’s municipal rate is about $0.20 per $100 against Dallas’s $0.70; a tax rate election is on University Park’s November ballot. Our University Park relocation guide, the University Park vs Highland Park comparison and the best streets for families in Highland Park go deeper.

North of I-635 the city keeps going for miles. These ZIPs look and price like suburbs, keep a Dallas address, and share school zoning with Richardson ISD rather than Dallas ISD alone.

12. Far North Dallas and Prestonwood

The #3 inbound ZIP in our data, 30 quote requests in and 30 out, and none of the lists we read mentions it. Its neighbor 75252, one mile north, sent out 21 and took in 9, the third-largest net outflow. The data does not say why; the two ZIPs differ on Tollway side and school zone, which is where we would look first. Per the ACS the 75248 owner median is $576,100. School zoning splits between Richardson ISD, a B (83) in TEA’s 2025-26 ratings, and Dallas ISD by street, so check the address. If you are already this far north, you are one exit from the suburbs, and we ranked those separately in best Dallas suburbs.

13. Lake Highlands

Reddit’s default answer for families, and our data does not back Reddit up. Across 75238, 75243 and the west side of 75231, Lake Highlands sent out 37 quote requests and took in 22, negative on all three. It has the longest commutes in the roster, 26.3 and 26.9 minutes per the ACS. Richardson ISD, a B (83), runs Lake Highlands High School, and two Red Line stations sit on the LBJ side. Verdict: a good house for the money and a long drive to it. Our guide on how the districts compare compares the districts side by side.

In our data the city of Dallas sent out more quote requests than it took in, 534 against 414, with Plano, Austin, Carrollton, Irving and Richardson the top destinations. If that is you, Best Dallas Suburbs ranks them the same way. Or read who shouldn’t move to Dallas at all, and how the neighborhoods lean politically.

What Is the Safest Neighborhood in Dallas?

We do not publish crime rankings, and no list of the safest neighborhoods in Dallas should. The Dallas Police Department’s public incident data on the City of Dallas Open Data portal is the primary source, and the Park Cities publish their own; pull the beat for the specific streets you are looking at, not the ZIP.

What Is the Wealthiest Part of Dallas?

By median household income in the Census Bureau’s 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, 75225 (University Park and south Preston Hollow) at $200,234, then 75205 at $181,631. Our list of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Dallas-Fort Worth goes wider than the city line.

What Part of Dallas Should You Stay Away From?

We will not draw that map. Our data is narrower: our quote requests concentrate north of I-30 and in North Oak Cliff, and the southern sector barely appears, which describes our customer base, not those neighborhoods. Drive the street at 9 pm and read the incident data for that beat; a ZIP is too big a unit to judge anything by.

Is $80,000 a Good Salary in Dallas?

It depends on the ZIP. Per the ACS, $80,000 is above the median household income in 75243, 75231, 75235 and 75226, and well under half of it in 75225. We wrote a longer answer on what salary you need to live comfortably in Dallas.

Where Do Young Professionals Live in Dallas?

75204, 75206 and 75219. Those three ZIPs are 66% to 81% renters per the ACS, carry Walk Scores of 77 to 87, and took in 92 of the 414 inbound Dallas quote requests in our data, more than one in five. The honest addendum: they also generate the most outbound requests.

Which Dallas Neighborhoods Are Best for Families?

Bluffview and Greenway Parks, the one meaningful net gainer in our data; Preston Hollow; the Park Cities for HPISD; Lakewood if you can carry the price; Lake Highlands or Far North Dallas for the yard, if you can take the commute. Park Cities moves are their own discipline, with narrow streets, permit rules and estate-grade furniture, which is why our Highland Park crew and University Park moves have their own pages.