Uptown and Oak Lawn run into each other just north of downtown Dallas, and plenty of renters can’t tell where one ends. In this directory they are two separate neighborhoods with 43 apartment buildings between them, and the buildings tell different stories: Uptown is almost entirely post-1995 construction, while Turtle Creek / Oak Lawn mixes high-rise towers with some of the oldest small apartment buildings in the city.
Short answer: Uptown / State-Thomas has more and larger buildings (24 buildings, 6,945 apartment homes, built 1996–2024), dominated by mid-rises and a handful of 20-plus-story towers near McKinney Avenue. Turtle Creek / Oak Lawn has 19 buildings and 4,575 homes, with a far wider age range (1927 to 2026), including 50- to 60-unit walk-ups and two new 20-plus-story towers.
The two neighborhoods side by side
| Uptown / State-Thomas | Turtle Creek / Oak Lawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings | 24 | 19 |
| Apartment homes | 6,945 | 4,575 |
| Average per building | About 289 | About 241 |
| Unit range | 94–601 | 52–380 |
| Years built | 1996–2024 | 1927–2026 |
| Rail access | M-Line streetcar; Cityplace/Uptown DART station | Market Center DART station (Green and Orange lines) |
Uptown / State-Thomas: newer, larger, more uniform
The oldest building in the Uptown / State-Thomas category is MAA McKinney Avenue, built in 1996. Everything else is newer. The neighborhood has two broad types:
- Four- to eight-story mid-rises such as Lennox at West Village (159 units, 2002), Bell Katy Trail (208 units, 2015) and Gables McKinney Ave. (239 units, 2015).
- Towers including Cortland on McKinney (26 floors, 2008), Uptown by Onni (23 floors, 2016), Mondrian West Village (21 floors, 2003) and Miro (14 floors, 2016).
The smallest building is ArtHaus2828 at 94 units. The Katy Trail runs along Uptown’s western side, and the McKinney Avenue streetcar (the M-Line) links much of the neighborhood to the Arts District downtown.
Turtle Creek / Oak Lawn: old and new in the same blocks
The Turtle Creek / Oak Lawn category starts with The Argyle, a 52-unit, seven-story building from 1927, and includes several small 1960s–70s buildings: The District (52 units, 1964), Aston (53 units, 1972) and The Prescott (63 units, 1972), all three floors.
At the other end are two recent high-rises near Turtle Creek: Aster (270 units, 22 floors, 2021) and Novel Turtle Creek (206 units, 20 floors, 2022). Between them sit four-story communities such as Park West (240 units, 2013), Echo Apartments (200 units, 2015) and Seville Uptown (282 units, 2005), whose name reflects how loosely “Uptown” is used in marketing.
What the differences mean for renters
- Building size: if you want a small building where you might know your neighbors, Oak Lawn’s 50- to 60-unit properties have no equivalent in Uptown.
- Building age: a 1920s or 1960s building can have larger rooms but older systems; ask about windows, plumbing, air conditioning and laundry setup.
- Amenities: Uptown’s newer stock is more likely to include a full amenity package and structured parking. Confirm per building rather than assuming.
- Transit: Uptown has the streetcar; Oak Lawn’s rail access is Market Center station on its western edge. Most residents of both areas still drive for some trips.
- Names: check the address, not the building name. Several buildings marketed as “Uptown” sit in Oak Lawn, and vice versa.
Before you sign
- Ask how parking is charged and whether guest parking exists; street parking in both neighborhoods is limited.
- For buildings opening in 2026, ask whether the property is in lease-up and which amenities are finished.
- For pre-1980 buildings, ask whether units have in-unit laundry or a shared laundry room.
Browse every listing on the Uptown / State-Thomas and Turtle Creek / Oak Lawn pages.