Dallas Morning News Article - Find an 'urban oasis' in Lochwood

This was in the paper a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting it
Ju-Ju Allen, with grandaughter Scarlett Patterson and dog Dolly Mae, has lived in three houses in the Lochwood neighborhood

07:39 PM CDT on Friday, September 29, 2008 By DEBORAH FLECK

Nestled among towering trees, the Lochwood neighborhood in northeast Dallas overflows with natural beauty. Creeks snake alongside its homes, and a few ponds dot the landscape. There's even a hidden lake. Resident Margaret Bell said she will never leave.

"The greenbelts in Lochwood are beautiful spring, winter and fall ... daffodils, dogwoods and redbuds in the spring, beautiful fall leaves, and in the winter, we enjoy the native nandinas with their red leaves and clusters of berries," Mrs. Bell said.

When her family needed more space, they just moved to another home in Lochwood. Mrs. Bell said there are homes of all sizes, from the smaller homes in Lochwood Estates near Garland Road to the larger ones near Lochwood Park.

Judy "Ju-Ju" and Richard Allen have lived in three homes in Lochwood. Residents since 1965, the couple moved into a Spanish-style home five years ago that they remodeled into an English manor house. The trees, creeks and lush landscaping keep them from leaving, said Mrs. Allen. And one of their children has returned to live in Lochwood.

Although it's just south of Lake Highlands, which is served by the Richardson school district, Lochwood is part of the Dallas Independent School District. Mrs. Stettler sent her son to Reilly Elementary, where she works part time, and said the school has an excellent parents group.

White Rock Lake is about a mile away, and downtown Dallas just about eight miles southwest.

The neighborhood is bordered by retail and commercial development along Garland Road. Along Northwest Highway, its northern border, a new residential community called the Enclave at Wyrick Estates is adding homes starting at about $320,000.

Another new development of "green" townhomes is going up at the intersection of Lake Highlands Drive and Easton Road on the neighborhood's west side.

Mrs. Bell sums up Lochwood's appeal: "We are a true urban oasis. Tom Sawyer would have loved to live here."TOUR more than three dozen Dallas-Fort Worth communities.

LOCHWOOD AT A GLANCE
History: The Lochwood area of northeast Dallas near White Rock Lake has three sections – Lochwood Estates, Lochwood Meadows and Lochwood. It's sometimes called Dixon Branch.