Highland Park boasts 2.2 square-miles of land with an independent police force, local government, and school district alongside University Park. As one of the Dallas area’s first suburbs, it began as a prairie land and developed into an up-and-coming community, rich with heritage, close to downtown Dallas. 2013 is an especially good year for Highland Park as residents are celebrating their centennial. The town will hold a celebratory picnic, history lectures and even a film festival.