Where I Live: Watching Southlake grow from a quiet stop to a ‘remarkable city’

by The FWR Staff, Fort Worth Report
December 13, 2025

By Randy White

I remember the first time I really saw Southlake. It was in the late 1960s, and we were on our way to one of our family fishing trips at Grapevine Lake.

Back then, Southlake was just a quiet stop along the way — a place where we’d pull over to grab bait or stretch our legs before heading on to the water. 

All the roads were quaint, two-lane stretches bordered by small farms, thick clusters of trees, and long views of untouched countryside. It was peaceful, simple, and it made an impression I never forgot.

Many years later, Southlake is one of the most remarkable cities I could have ever imagined as a boy riding along those country roads. The arrival of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in 1974 changed this area’s future forever.

Almost overnight, the town became one of the most attractive places in the nation for families looking to plant roots. Its proximity to the airport, coupled with its perfect placement near Dallas and Fort Worth, turned Southlake into a destination — somewhere people sought out, not merely passed through.

Being just 20 minutes from Dallas connects us to incredible entertainment, restaurants and events. At the same time, our sister city to the west — Fort Worth — offers world-class museums, the world-renowned Fort Worth Zoo, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, cultural venues, Dickies Arena, and the beloved annual Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

And yet, despite all that regional energy surrounding us, living in Southlake still feels like classic American suburbia — elevated with something uniquely our own. We created a Town Square designed as a true throwback to the 1920s and ’30s.

It looks and feels like a historic town center, complete with parks, a bookstore, restaurants and gathering spaces where people naturally come together. It’s more than a shopping area. It’s the heartbeat of the community, a place that captures the charm of an earlier era while serving the needs of modern families.

Another thing that sets Southlake apart is how we think about where we live. Many cities use the word “subdivisions.” Here, we call them neighborhoods because that’s what they genuinely are — real communities where you know your neighbors.

We have a school district widely recognized as one of the best in the state. While our students are known for excelling in sports, far more achieve elite status in academics and the performing arts.

People here know one another, support one another and build relationships that last. That sense of genuine community has been one of the greatest blessings for Natalie and me during our 34 years in Southlake.

Southlake

Total population: 31,071
Female: 51% | Male: 49%

Age
0-9: 12%
10-19: 22%
20-29: 5%
30-39: 7%
40-49: 17%
50-59: 18%
60-69: 11%
70-79: 5%
80 and older: 3%

Education
No degree: 1%
High school: 7%
Some college: 17%
Bachelor’s degree: 41%
Post-graduate: 33%

Our life here has been shaped by overlapping circles of connection: our neighborhood, our church, Southlake Chamber of Commerce events, city functions and all the moments that weave into the fabric of everyday life.

To me, Southlake is home in the deepest sense of the word. It’s where we built a life, a business, a ministry of service and a legacy we’re proud of. It’s where we raised our family, invested our time and planted our hearts.

And we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Randy White is a longtime Realtor who founded his own boutique brokerage in 2004, Randy White Real Estate Services, that focuses on Southlake and northeast Tarrant County. 

Race
White: 69% | Asian: 16% | Hispanic: 9% | Black: 2% | Two or more: 4%

Click on the link to view the schools’ Texas Education Agency ratings:

Carroll Senior High School
Carroll Elementary
Durham Intermediate School
Robert H. Rockenbaugh Elementary
Carroll High School

Old Union Elementary
Jack D. Johnson Elementary
Eubanks Intermediate School
George Dawson Middle School
Carroll Middle School
Walnut Grove Elementary

Source: Census Reporter 

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