I've only been here since the 80s so my view is borne of more recent history, thus my characterization of Oak Cliff as a ghetto. All of know of it is the contemporary times as an unsavory place with a lot of holder's people and illegal mexicans. It's a shame because some of the region's most interesting terrain is found there as well as beautiful shade trees and lush vegetation.
When I chat with some of the Texas natives of my age (mid 70s) at my church, they talk of the old Old Cliff as the section where the well-to-do used to live. And they add that negro districts used to be on the north side of the Trinity, places like Hamilton Park. Does that square with what you remember?
Does that square with what you remember?
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Yep. My folks bought a newly built house in OC in ‘43, when I was 1 y/o. During the 1940 to 1965 era, OC was primarily white, and the South Oak Cliff and Kessler Park areas had some of the most expensive homes. ....Blacks and Mexicans largely lived in South Dallas; on the East side of the Trinity River. ...There were no blacks in my elem., jr. hs. or sr. hs., and I only recall a handfull of Mexicans in HS at Sunset in ‘60.
About a dozen years ago, my younger sister and I took my daughter and grandkids on a drive through the old neighborhood. It was still in pretty good shape, but many of the open yards we knew as kids had been enclosed with chainlink fences and there were bars on windows and doors. The area was probably 90% hispanic then. ....Keep in mind that most of those houses were built in the 1930-1950 time period, so are now 60-80 years old, and small. Our house was 800 sq.ft. ...People buy houses that they can afford.