Enjoying all the benefits of living near downtown Dallas and its Arts District, Lakewood area homeowners reside almost exclusively in older single-family residences, with few apartments or other multi-family properties in the community.

Bordering White Rock Lake, a unique in-town amenity boasting biking trails, clubhouses, sailboating, and a dog park as well as soothing lake views from stately older homes, Lakewood is a strong family-oriented area with many churches, schools and walking-distance neighborhood shopping centers.

Like other popular areas, Lakewood's borders are undefined and often widened by those who want to be included, but the boundaries of lore are the lake itself, and the homes that border the west side of the lake, east of Abrams Road, south of Mockingbird Lane and north of Gaston Avenue.

While most homes near downtown are older, Lakewood as a neighborhood has grown where other neighborhoods have deteriorated primarily because of its strong neighborhood activism. With strong support for community parks, historical homes and a desire for quietude and privacy, Lakewood residents voted down public trains through its borders, even while other neighborhoods clamored for the economic boost promised by better access. Instead, the neighborhood turned its energies to cleaning up White Rock Lake, spearheading an initiative to get the lake dredged, a project that was just completed in 2000. Residents also conduct occasional organized shoreline cleanups and participate in fundraisers that improve other areas of the park.

Many Realtors feel that Lakewood's land values would be even higher if the area had better ingress-egress to highways. Because of a fan-like highway configuration, Lakewood residents have at least a ten to fifteen minute drive just to access a highway. Residents who want to go downtown most often travel residential streets where traffic lights have been wired for quicker commutes in the morning and afternoons. In addition, much growth in the Dallas area has been to the north and northwest to take advantage of the international airport and other business opportunities. Lakewood, in East Dallas, is not a neighborhood convenient to air commuters.

But it all depends on what residents value. Lakewood residents, with their older and historic homes, value life the way it was before incredible population expansions in Dallas made it a city of strangers instead of neighbors. This is a neighborhood of people more likely to remodel and preserve older architectural styles than to tear down. Lot sizes for the most part are generous, and allow for add-ons. Trees are mature and provide majestic canopies to the homes. But the biggest draw will always be the brief bike ride, walk or drive to the lake. Residents enjoy evenings watching sunsets from the docks, or running in marathons for worthy causes, or throwing sticks for their dogs to retrieve from the water.

"The Lakewood area which features classic Tudor and Prairie-style homes built from the early 1900's and is located minutes from downtown and White Rock Lake has attracted homeowners from across the Metroplex and around the world," says Realtor David Marett. "Appropriately priced, updated homes under $500,000 are selling quite well. And the Hollywood Heights area in particular has outperformed the rest of Old East Dallas selling within 98 percent of list price with an average of 32 days on market."

Published: September 11, 2002

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.