Uptown Dallas Katy Trail History

Uptown Dallas Katy Trail History

December 12, 2012
Chase Heckendorn
Uptown

We are often asked why Uptown Dallas Apartments are so sought out. The answer is very simple, fantastic options and prime locations.  There is nearly every type of residence in the area, from mansions in Highland Park, to high-rise condos on Turtle Creek, to modern lofts in Uptown Dallas. Located just minutes from the best shopping, dining, and entertainment the city has to offer. But the gem of the area is Katy Trail.

The Katy Trail is one of the most popular and visited trails in the Dallas area, linking the business district with parks, shopping areas, and urban spaces. The trail runs between Dallas’s West End and the American Airlines Center arena, crossing the city’s urban core past Knox Street, Southern Methodist University and the Mockingbird DART Station.

Uptown Dallas Katy Trail is the perfect route for families to commute between home and work or school, as well as for recreation and entertainment venues. In addition to its paved surface, the 3.5 mile Katy Trail includes a side  soft-surface track  perfect for walkers, runners, stroller-pushers, cyclists, and dog walkers.

The trail’s life began when in the late 90s an association of community members,  today known as Friends of Katy Trail, and city leaders got together to preserve the greenbelt along the Union Pacific Railroad, which had bought the Katy, the abandoned lines in 1993. Built in what was a former Kansas and Texas “KaTy” Railroad corridor that was donated by Union Pacific, which shut down in the late 1980s. Now a days the non-profit Friends of Katy Trail maintain the area clean, safe and beautiful. As the popular local saying says “The trains don’t run here any more . . . Dallas does.”

Currently Katy Trail counts with 30 acres of nature with amenities for residents and visitors that include: plazas, benches, landscaping, and drinking fountains for humans and pets. The area also serves as a sanctuary for numerous species of native trees and plants. It’s the perfect combination of nature, history and suburban living. In the upcoming year the local organizations have many plans to continue growing while organizing many events in the area, like the annual 5k run and art fairs.

If you have the opportunity to find an Uptown Dallas Apartment in this area you would be part of one of the most exciting, fast growing areas Dallas has to offer.