Where exactly is South Dallas?

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“Where exactly is South Dallas?”

We’re frequently asked some semblance of this question. Another version is: “How do you define South Dallas?”

The answer is that we at Dallas Free Press do not define South Dallas. Instead, we ask our South Dallas neighbors how they define their neighborhood, and let that be our guide for our reporting and storytelling parameters.

Crucial note: South Dallas ≠ southern Dallas.

The term “South Dallas” is often used (including by local media) to describe everything south of Downtown until you reach Duncanville. That’s actually “southern Dallas,” which we don’t capitalize because it refers to an area, not a self-defined community. 

As we have learned over the years, neighbors generally define South Dallas/Fair Park as all of zip codes 75210 and 75215, and a small portion of 75223 (the Jubilee neighborhood) and 75226 (where Citysquare sits). It’s a 14-square-mile area immediately south of Downtown, but immediately north and northeast of Oak Cliff. The map above, from the South Dallas/Fair Park Area Plan task force, captures this definition.

“I think it’s always good to assume that if you cross a bridge from Downtown, you are in either Oak Cliff or West Dallas,” lifetime South Dallas resident Ken Smith told us when we asked for his definition two years ago. “Folks don’t use the terms ‘South Oak Cliff,’ ‘North Oak Cliff,’  or ‘West Oak Cliff’ enough. But, I think it is just downright wrong to say ‘South Dallas’ when referring to Red Bird Mall.”

The complicated part is when neighbors disagree on the definition of where their neighborhood is. For example, the Mill City neighborhood often is referred to as part of South Dallas/Fair Park, including in our coverage, like like last week’s piece on 50 new homes that will be constructed on vacant lots. But Antong Lucky of Urban Specialists, who is partnering with Matthews Southwest on the project, insists that Mill City, where he grew up, is in East Dallas.

”I had an argument with someone from the City who told me Spring Avenue is in South Dallas,” Lucky quipped at the groundbreaking ceremony.

So what do we do when there isn’t consensus?

Just keep listening and let neighbors tell their own stories about their communities. That’s the important thing.