In 2018, Dallas became the first city in Texas with an official Texas Historical Commission subject marker acknowledging its longstanding queer community. The Oak Lawn neighborhood, located along Cedar Springs Road, has held the heart of the LGBTQ community in Dallas for over 30 years and is the primary assembly point for LGBTQ political and social events, including the annual Alan Ross Freedom Parade. As that group grew to over 3,000 while marching through downtown, Dallas became the site of the first gay pride parade in all of Texas. That emergence intensified in 1972, when three days after the Stonewall Riots, 300 activists took to the streets in the name of equality. In 1947, one of the first gay bars in Texas, Club Reno, opened in Dallas, heralding the city’s LGBTQ community as one of the earliest to form in the state. Their one-of-a-kind restaurants, vivacious nightclubs, and lovable locals crown these gayborhoods as attractive destinations-no matter where you fall on the sexuality spectrum. For decades, all types of people from cowboys to drag queens have lived, worked, and played harmoniously in these charming meccas of queer life. Texas’ “gayborhoods” aren’t just neighborhoods with rainbow-painted crosswalks at their intersections they’re historic communities where Texas pride and gay pride intersect in ever-fascinating unison. Oak Lawn Symphonic Band has performed in the Dallas area since 1980.One of Oak Lawn’s two gateway signs sits at the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Cedar Springs Road, in Dallas, right in front of Kroger. The band performs at local venues around the Dallas area. The neighborhood even has its own symphonic orchestra known as the Oak Lawn Symphonic Band. The theatre challenges the audience to become more aware of injustice. The plays performed by the theatre deal with socially conscience and moral issues. Kitchen Dog Theatre was founded in 1990 by five college students who were influenced by the play Waiting For Godot. A second theatre called the Kitchen Dog Theatre is also located in Oak Lawn. The theatre is a beautiful structure of squares and circles and has been awarded for its innovative architecture. Over 500 theatre plays have been brought to the Oak Lawn community through the theatre. The Kalita Humphreys Theatre was established in Oak Lawn in 1959 and was recognized as a historical facility in 2007. It is considered a Dallas landmark and has luxury rooms and a presidential suite. The Warwick Melrose is a four-star historic hotel that was built in 1924. The famous Warwick Melrose Hotel is located in the Oak Lawn neighborhood. The neighborhood is also known for its historical buildings. Although the neighborhood is popular for many restaurants there are also theatre entertainment options for Oak Lawn residents and visitors. The area continues to introduce a mixture of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and other entertainment venues to the Dallas area. Oak Lawn is also home to the city's first golf course which was introduced to Dallas in 1896. A local landscape architect was used by the committee to create an oak garden and stone monument to celebrate the neighborhood and its elements. The committee was responsible in setting up a community landmark near the center of the neighborhood. The committee serves an integral force that keeps Oak Lawn a great area by addressing neighborhood issues that affect quality of life. The Oak Lawn Committee was created to bring together people who have an interest in building and advancing the Oak Lawn community. The neighborhood's main association is called The Oak Lawn Committee which was formed in 1982. Gay and Lesbian entertainment is found more predominantly in Oak Lawn than any other neighborhood in Dallas. There is also an abundance of gay friendly places in the Oak Lawn area. The Oak Lawn neighborhood is well established so it's not lacking in older single family homes. Condos, townhouses, apartments and duplexes are four main housing options for people interested in living in the neighborhood. The housing is more affordable and spacious than some of the trendier areas which makes the neighborhood an ideal place for professionals. The cost of living in Oak Lawn is less than other neighborhoods in Dallas that are located closer to the center of downtown. Over six thousand people live in Oak Lawn. The neighborhood is located between Dallas North Tollway and Turtle Creek and is only a few minutes north of Downtown.
In a survey of the twenty-six most walkable neighborhoods in the city of Dallas, Oak Lawn came in second place.