Cadillac Heights, Dallas
Cadillac Heights is a neighborhood in East Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas.[1] The neighborhood is mostly African American and Hispanic.[2]
As of 2010 there are plans to demolish all of Cadillac Heights.[3] There are plans to establish the new Dallas Police Department police academy in the community.[4][5]
History
Peter Johnson, a community activist, said that Cadillac Heights was "a community that was poisoned; the earth had been polluted. And it stunk. Most of those people were sick with cancer and kidney problems. The children had birth defects and some had lead poisoning. The city didn’t pay attention to their problems. Lead was a part of that community for a long time."[4]
Cityscape
The community is in proximity to Downtown Dallas. Henry Tatum of The Dallas Morning News said "Americans have spent years calling prestigious products the Cadillac of this or the Cadillac of that. Cadillac Heights isn't the Cadillac of residential neighborhoods."[6] The community, located in proximity to the Trinity River, consists of 200 small frame houses, which were mostly built in the 1940s. Metal industries, a meat packing plant, and a water treatment facility surround the houses on three sides. The streets are narrow and thinly paved. The neighborhood has few walkable sidewalks, dirt ravines, and no concrete curbs. Pit bulls wander freely on those streets. The neighborhood floods easily.[4] The Cadillac Heights Levee was proposed to protect the community.[7]
Education
Residents are zoned to schools in the Dallas Independent School District.[7]
The zoned schools include Albert Sidney Johnston Elementary School,[8] Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School,[9] and Franklin D. Roosevelt High School.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Lundy, Audrey Steinbergen. "'WE'RE ALL FRUSTRATED' Cadillac Heights struggles to address multiple problems." The Dallas Morning News. August 21, 1995, Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ^ Simon, Scott. "Transcript: Profile: History and future of Cadillac Heights in Dallas, Texas." National Public Radio. September 30, 2000. Retrieved on July 18, 2010.
- ^ Schutze, Jim. "Something Stinks Near Cadillac Heights, And It's Not the Sewage Plant." Dallas Observer. Wednesday April 21, 2010. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ^ a b c Polk, Laray. "Harold Simmons Is Dallas' Most Evil Genius." D Magazine. January 20, 2010. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ^ "Dallas Police Academy Project Acquisition and Relocation Plan Update." City of Dallas. April 4, 2005. 2. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ^ Tatum, Henry. "City not finished with Cadillac Heights." The Dallas Morning News. May 6, 1998. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ^ a b "Dallas Floodway Extension Project." (Direct image link) Trinity River Corridor. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ^ "Fall 2009 Albert Sidney Johnston Elementary School Attendance Zone Grades PK-5." Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ^ "Fall 2009 Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School Attendance Zone Grades 6-8." Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ^ "Fall 2009 Franklin D. Roosevelt High School Attendance Zone with Wilmer-Hutchins (Grades 9-12)." Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
External links
- Tatum, Henry. "Cadillac Heights idea looks promising, if ... City officials have a lesson to learn from earlier buyout plan." The Dallas Morning News.
- "Cadillac Heights." National Public Radio