DALLAS — Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood is among the 16 most up-and-coming neighborhoods in the U.S., according to a new list by online lifestyle publication TravelMag.
TravelMag chose neighborhoods in 16 of 25 major cities across the country based on factors like the number of cocktail bars, coffee houses and trendy eateries that have opened in the last few years. The mag also noted LGBTQ-friendly and vegan spots and boutiques.
The publication noted Deep Ellum’s shopping, art galleries, theaters and live music venues, as well as the range of diverse culinary choices with more than 100 restaurants and bars.
“Deep Ellum’s diverse culinary choices range from Hawkers, an eatery inspired by Asian street food stalls, to Terry Black’s BBQ to Local, an upscale mainstay in the Boyd Hotel presenting a la carte options and a multi-course tasting menu with wine pairings,” the TravelMag article reads. “But these few mentions don’t even scratch the surface in terms of cuisine here. Eater deemed Deep Ellum one of Dallas’s best food neighborhoods, so it’s easy to understand its desirability and why Texans and transplants want to settle here.”
Deep Ellum joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2023 in celebration of the neighborhood’s 150th anniversary. It was named a Cultural District by the state of Texas before that in 2020. The Deep Ellum Historic District encompasses the area bounded by the DART Green line to the north, South Hall Street to the south, I-345 to the west, and I-30 to the east.
Deep Ellum’s music scene has a long history. It was a hotbed for early jazz and blues musicians in the 1920s, and hosted the likes of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, Texas Bill Day, Blind Willie Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Alex Moore and Bessie Smith, among others, according to the Deep Ellum Texas website.
Many of its businesses closed after the proliferation of the automobile led to the removal of the Houston and Texas Central railroad tracks to make way for Central Expressway after World War II and during the '50s. By the 1970s, few original businesses remained.
The neighborhood experienced a resurgence in the ‘80s, when it served as a launching pad for local bands like Old 97s, Toadies, Tripping Daisy, the New Bohemians, and more. The ‘90s saw the opening of hotspots like the music venue Trees, Club Dada, Deep Ellum Live, and more. Other popular venues in the neighborhood include the nearly 100-year-old Sons of Hermann Hall, Adair’s Saloon, The Bomb Factory, Ruins, Three Links, Reno’s, the intimate AllGood Cafe, jazz and blues destination The Free Man, and more.
The Govalle neighborhood in east Austin is another Texas neighborhood to make the TravelMag list.
Here are the rest of the neighborhoods:
- Brewerytown, Philadelphia
- Buckman, Portland
- Butchertown, Louisville
- Bywater, New Orleans
- Corktown, Detroit
- Edgewood, Washington D.C.
- Frogtown, Los Angeles
- Gowanus, Brooklyn
- Greenwood, Seattle
- Little River, Miami
- North Park, San Diego
- Outer Sunset, San Francisco
- Pilsen, Chicago
- Wedgewood-Houston, Nashville
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