Texas Money
Old Money, The Nouveau Riche, and Me
In DFW parlance, I live “outside the bubble.” That means I’m not one of the lucky few to have my primary residence in the tony streets of Highland Park. If you’re not from the area (and I’m a recent addition to the Dallas Metroplex), Highland Park is the Texas equivalent of Bel Air in California, 2.2 square miles of pristine lawns and picture windows advertising a life of exclusivity and gentility that newly-minted celebrities can only aspire to. Those who live there today likely inherited their homes from a relative. The Bubble is Old Money.
There is plenty of money here in DFW, much of it of the newly-minted kind. Those who weren’t raised in The Bubble, but made their money during various periods of financial prosperity, moved out to the rapidly-growing suburbs north of the city’s center — Preston Hollow, Plano, Richardson, Frisco. There, the McMansions are larger, boast more modern amenities, and cost a pretty penny. But as I’ve learned in the nine months since I moved here, saying you’re from Highland Park offers the sort of cachet that no other address in town will fetch.
“Bubble” people have had their seats at the orchestra, front and center, or in the exclusive loge boxes — with the highest ticket prices, of course — for generations. They have the best tables at the Highland Park restaurants, without…
