Guide to Retirement Communities in Highland Park, TX for 2026
The median home price in Highland Park, TX sits around $2,720,000 - and homes are moving fast, averaging just 15 days on the market. If you're looking to downsize or transition into senior housing here, that combination of price and pace shapes everything about your search.
Finding age-restricted housing in this specific municipality also means looking beyond the town's own borders. Highland Park is a small, affluent enclave, and dedicated senior housing is concentrated in nearby luxury high-rises and continuing care campuses just outside the town limits rather than inside them.
Overview of Senior Living in Highland Park, TX
Senior housing in the Highland Park area is built around a particular set of priorities: upscale amenities, proximity to premium shopping, and easy access to top-tier healthcare. What you'll find in the local inventory is mostly high-rise independent living, assisted living, and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) - the majority of them technically sitting in adjacent Dallas rather than inside the town itself.
Don't come here expecting a sprawling 55+ subdivision with a golf cart in every driveway. The market runs toward luxury apartments and comprehensive care campuses that let you stay in the Park Cities vicinity without managing a large single-family home.
Housing Options in the Area
Available properties run the full spectrum from independent living apartments for active adults to full-service assisted living and memory care. A lot of residents make this move specifically to shed the upkeep of a big house while staying close to local anchors like Highland Park Village.
How the 80/20 Age Rule Works
The federal Housing for Older Persons Act lets communities restrict residency by age. Under the 80/20 rule, at least 80% of occupied units must have at least one resident who is 55 or older. Community management decides how to handle the remaining 20% - though many simply enforce the 55+ requirement across all units.
Categories of Senior Housing Available
The terminology matters here, because each type of facility carries a different level of care, independence, and financial structure. Getting clear on the distinctions before you start touring saves a lot of wasted time.
Some facilities run on a simple month-to-month lease. Others involve substantial upfront buy-ins that lock in future medical care. Which structure fits you depends on where your health is today and where your finances need to be tomorrow.
Active-Adult Communities
These communities are for independent people who want less property maintenance and a built-in social environment. In the Dallas area, that typically means upscale apartment buildings with fitness centers, pools, and organized events - not single-family home tracts.
Independent Living Facilities
Independent living gives you a private apartment alongside shared dining rooms, housekeeping services, and transportation. You keep your full independence while gaining the convenience of on-site amenities and meal plans.
Assisted Living Options
Assisted living facilities help with daily activities - bathing, dressing, medication management. They maintain 24-hour staff and provide meals and social programming. The defining feature is that help is available when you need it, without requiring you to move into a nursing facility.
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
CCRCs offer a tiered approach to aging in place. You typically enter at the independent living stage and can transition to assisted living or skilled nursing care on the same campus as your needs change. It's the one-move solution.
Senior Apartments and Mobile-Home Parks
Standard senior apartments offer age-restricted renting without the dining or medical services that come with independent living. Broader Texas has 55+ mobile-home communities that provide affordable homeownership, but you won't find them inside Highland Park or the immediate Park Cities footprint.
Top Senior Communities in and Around the Park Cities
Several upscale senior living communities serve the Highland Park and Park Cities area. Because Highland Park is geographically small, many of the premier facilities are technically in adjacent Dallas neighborhoods - Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, and Preston Hollow.
These properties emphasize high-end finishes, gourmet dining, and proximity to the area's established cultural and retail centers.
Upscale Senior Living Properties
Anthology of Highland Park operates as a high-rise community in the Oak Lawn neighborhood near the Shops of Highland Park. Clearwater Highland Park offers high-rise assisted living and memory care near Highland Park Village and Turtle Creek Park.
Other notable luxury options include The Preston of The Park Cities, an independent living community near Highland Park and Preston Hollow, and Prestonwood Court, which provides assisted living and memory care. Nearby CCRCs include Highland Springs and C.C. Young in Dallas.
Lower-Cost and Affordable Alternatives
Highland Park itself has very limited dedicated affordable senior housing. Most low-cost senior apartment options are in surrounding Dallas-area communities. DeSoto, TX averages around $1,705 per month for assisted living; Lancaster, TX averages about $4,624 per month - both providing cheaper alternatives to the immediate Park Cities area.
Options in West Highland Park and Dallas
Buyers focused on the West Highland Park area will mostly find luxury mid-rise and high-rise buildings just across the municipal border. These locations offer immediate access to the Dallas North Tollway and Lemmon Avenue, keeping residents connected to the broader metroplex.
Costs and Fees for Highland Park Senior Living
Financial structures vary depending on whether you're leasing a standard senior apartment or buying into a CCRC. A Place for Mom reports the average cost of general senior apartments in the Highland Park area is about $1,839 per month, though luxury properties run considerably higher.
Data from a listed 55+ retirement community near Highland Park on Lomo Alto Drive shows rents ranging from roughly $3,150 to $6,215 per month for one- to three-bedroom units.
Entrance Fees and Monthly Dues
CCRCs require an upfront entrance fee on top of monthly charges. No CCRC sits inside Highland Park, but nearby Dallas-area campuses provide a benchmark. Highland Springs reports entrance fees ranging from roughly $190,000 for smaller residences to more than $500,000 for larger apartments.
Across the broader Dallas area, CCRC entrance fees typically range from $100,000 to $500,000. Average monthly fees for these communities sit between $2,500 and $6,000, depending on unit size and the level of care contracted.
Medicare and Financial Assistance
Medicare doesn't cover room and board in assisted living or independent living facilities. It may pay for specific short-term skilled nursing care or specific medical services provided on-site - but plan to cover your standard monthly rent and care fees out of pocket or through long-term care insurance.
Retiring in the Highland Park Area
Highland Park offers beautifully maintained parks, historic architecture, and high-end retail. The market is competitive: currently about 44 available homes in the area, with properties selling at roughly 98.7% of list price. Downsizing within the municipality requires a serious budget. The area appeals to people who prioritize immediate access to top-tier amenities and central Dallas over a low cost of living - those two things don't coexist here.
Local Cost of Living Factors
Estimates on the local cost of living vary depending on how home values are weighted. HomeSnacks and AreaVibes report the overall cost of living index in Highland Park at roughly 2.6 times the national average. ERI puts it at 42% more expensive than the national average, and BestPlaces scores it much closer to the U.S. baseline.
The spread in those numbers is wide enough to be worth noting - but regardless of which index you trust, everyday expenses, property taxes, and housing costs here sit well above the Texas state average.
Access to Medical Centers
Highland Park-area seniors are close to major Dallas medical centers. Parkland Memorial Hospital is located near the medical excellence hub close to Highland Park senior communities. UT Southwestern Medical Center and Baylor University Medical Center serve as primary healthcare facilities for CCRCs and senior communities throughout the Dallas and Highland Park region.
Weighing the Trade-Offs of Age-Restricted Housing
Moving into a dedicated senior community changes your daily lifestyle and your financial obligations. The structured nature of these properties works well for some people and feels confining to others. Worth thinking through before you sign anything.
Advantages of These Communities
Freedom from home maintenance is the core appeal - no landscaping, no exterior repairs, no property upkeep. You also get a built-in social network, organized activities, and on-site security, which matters both to residents and to the family members who worry about them.
Potential Drawbacks
Cost is the obvious one, particularly the steep entrance fees CCRCs require and the high monthly rents at luxury assisted living properties. Beyond the financial piece, some residents find management or HOA rules around guests, pets, and unit modifications more restrictive than they expected.
Alternatives to Traditional Assisted Living
If the cost of local high-rise assisted living is out of reach, hiring in-home caregivers to age in place is a legitimate alternative. Residential care homes in surrounding Dallas suburbs are another option - smaller settings, often more affordable than a large luxury campus.
Touring and Selecting a Property
You have to visit in person. Photos and brochures don't capture the daily atmosphere or the quality of staff interactions.
Treat a community tour the way you'd treat a thorough home inspection. You're evaluating your future home and the people who'll be supporting you there.
What to Ask During a Visit
Ask about the staff-to-resident ratio, especially in assisted living and memory care wings. Get a detailed breakdown of what the monthly fee covers and what triggers extra charges - transportation, laundry, specific meal plans. The add-ons add up.
Evaluating the Management
Look into the operating history of the parent company. Check state licensing records for recent citations or complaints. And talk to current residents and their families - they'll give you a more accurate picture of daily life than any marketing tour will.
Scheduling Your Tours
Visit your top choices at different times of day. A mid-morning tour shows the facility during peak activity. An evening visit gives you a sense of the dining experience and nighttime staffing levels. Both matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any age-restricted 55+ retirement communities located directly within Highland Park, TX?
No. Highland Park is a small, affluent municipality with very limited dedicated senior housing inside its borders. Most of the premier 55+ communities and CCRCs serving the area are located just outside the town limits in adjacent Dallas neighborhoods like Oak Lawn and Turtle Creek.
What are the typical monthly fees and buy-in costs for luxury retirement communities in the Highland Park area?
Monthly rents for nearby 55+ apartments range from about $3,150 to $6,215, while general senior apartments average roughly $1,839. For CCRCs in the surrounding Dallas area, entrance fees typically run from $100,000 to over $500,000, with monthly fees between $2,500 and $6,000.
What are the top continuing care retirement community (CCRC) alternatives near Highland Park if I want to stay in the Park Cities?
Highland Springs and C.C. Young are two well-known CCRCs located in Dallas near the Highland Park area. Both campuses offer a full continuum of care - from independent living to skilled nursing - for residents who want to remain close to the Park Cities.
What are the most popular low-maintenance property types for retirees downsizing within Highland Park?
Retirees looking to stay in the immediate area typically downsize into luxury high-rise and mid-rise apartments or condominiums. Dedicated single-family 55+ subdivisions are not part of the local housing inventory.
