Living in the Park Cities, one sees no shortage of yard signs. From high school sports to the marching band, to Mad for Plaid, to SMU football, it seems our front yards are always making a statement.

In Caruth Hills, the section of University Park and Dallas situated at the Northeastern most part of The Park Cities, yet another yard sign will be popping up this week. The “WHOA!!! Drive Slow” campaign, spearheaded by the Caruth Hills & Homeplace Neighborhood Association (CHHNA), uses yard signs twice a year to spread an important message to drivers weaving through the beautiful streets of this gateway area. Many drivers come speeding off the Central Expressway onto Lovers Lane or Southwestern Blvd and often need a special reminder that they are no longer on the highway, and are now entering a residential area.  “Slowing the speeds of cars entering our neighborhood will make the streets safer for all drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, especially since school is now underway”, said Shelley Huber, CHHNA director for the WHOA!!! campaign.

So when you see a WHOA!!! Drive Slow! sign, remember to slow down and enjoy the ride.  If you live within the boundaries of CHHNA (Between Central Expressway and Airline, within Lover’s Lane and Northwest Hwy), and want a sign for your yard, check out our website, www.CHHNA.org to contact us and find out more about what CHHNA can do for you.

“This campaign is just one of CHHNA’s initiatives,” says John Swank, CHHNA’s President.  Emphasizing that CHHNA is not a homeowners association, but one where neighbors connect voluntarily, Swank stated "its mission is to advance the safety, beautification and general quality of life and well-being of our neighborhood.  By doing that, we hope to enhance and preserve its warmth, vitality and special nature for future generations.”

The sign campaign kicks off on September 20 and signs are left up for approximtely two weeks.

Overview

The Caruth Hills & Homeplace Neighborhood Association (CHHNA) was founded in late 2005 as a Texas non-profit corporation to serve as a vehicle for neighborhood enhancement and protection for residents of the original Caruth Hills and Caruth Homeplace additions lying in both Dallas and University Park, TX.  It is not a homewoners association, but rather a  voluntary orgnization of neighbors interested in maintaining the integrity of the neighborhood. The CHHNA area is bounded on the east by North Central Expressway, north by Northwest Highway, west by Airline Road and south by Lovers Lane (both sides). The association encompasses about 1,200 residences.

The Caruth neighborhood is on part of the original, historical home site founded in 1852 by the William Barr Caruth family. A pioneer family that established their homestead in the Dallas area in 1848, the Caruth’s eventually owned 30,000 acres of North Dallas land that stretched from Downtown Dallas, north to Forest Lane and from Inwood Road east to Abrams. The Caruth Farm legacy is now the site for some of Dallas’ most prestigious properties, including Southern Methodist University, the West End, Highland Park and NorthPark Center,  The Caruth Homeplace, an impressive plantation home with its roots in the 1800’s, can still be found on five acres within the Caruth Homeplace townhomes addition.

(Story by Katherine Robinson.)