By Glenn Calabrese
My nearly century-old home sits in a neighborhood that embraces one of the many Cretaceous-era limestone bluffs surrounding the Trinity River that comprised some of Fort Worth’s early geological boundaries.
A traveler in the 1870s could have approached this area via Daggett’s ferry, crossing the river to access the appropriately named settlement of Riverside. By 1925, Fort Worth newspapers were crowing about a new development eight minutes from downtown that was, “PAVED ALL THE WAY.”
Today, our home is still the same distance from downtown. It sits on a 1.3-acre plot in Oakhurst, a historic neighborhood now filled with mature, tall trees of all kinds — pecans and Chinese pistaches, of course, along with the ever-present hackberry for those with no sense or taste.
But mostly, there are oaks: live oak, pin oak, bur oak, red oak and post oak. Hence the name, Oakhurst. It’s one of Fort Worth’s first planned developments and celebrated its centennial anniversary just last year.
I’m now an old, retired emergency physician (a JAFERD, for those of you interested in silly acronyms). I got old here. This house has been my haven from those 44 years of stress from a career in the ER.
My wife, Freda, and I have lived here since December of 1989. In those years, we’ve raised two perfect daughters and hosted five wedding celebrations, 36 Thanksgivings, several fundraisers and garden conservancy tours, one memorial service and, just recently, a double engagement party for those two perfect daughters.
The truth is, I feel like I live in a park. I think that’s pretty much how my neighbors feel about their homes, too. Treasured yards and secret gardens abound. The development’s original marketing slogan promised: “Oakhurst, Where Everything Grows.”
What’s proved true for the landscape has proven true for the community as well.
Lifelong friendships, trust and a sense of place grows here, too. It’s not nirvana, believe me, but I know for a fact that I can walk into the neighborhood and borrow a lawnmower from just about any door I knock on.
More importantly, a sense of community and pride grew roots in Oakhurst. As noted in local historian and Oakhurst resident Libby Willis’ “Images of America” series, the people of Oakhurst know they live in a special place. An eclectic place with charm, personality and history. A place with neighbors dropping by with spiced pecans, wild text chains, sidewalk conversations, Bunco, garden clubs, dinner parties, park adventures and tons of walkers with and without dogs. It’s a vibrant community that practically begs you to be a part of it.
Millie is one of Glenn and Freda Calabrese’s dogs who live in Oakhurst in Fort Worth on Dec. 18, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Our neighborhood watch was begun by our prescient Oakhurst Neighborhood Association in the early ’80s and joined the Fort Worth Police Department’s Citizens On Patrol when it started.
I think Oakhurst has one of the hardest-working neighborhood associations in the city, still providing residents a printed newsletter to every household (regardless if you’re a member), as well as opportunities for every type of community involvement. ONA sponsors multiple social events for both young and old and has been a strong advocate for the neighborhood. Our leaders have been a powerful voice within the city.
Fred Anglin, architect and Oakhurst resident, says the homes are old enough to be built well. You’ve probably heard the saying about old houses: You don’t own them, they own you. We are the trustees, or the lighthouse keepers, for the next caretakers. Keep it healthy, vital and growing. Treat it like a member of your family — well enough and long enough so that, hopefully, the next caretakers will feel the same way. It becomes part of their family’s story, and you try to tell its story so they will love it as you have.
The location, the ridge, and the hilltop will stay. It is the people who move on. As Jon Lovitz’s character says in “A League of Their Own”: “See, how it works is the train moves, not the station.”
We all have to move on eventually. Nothing stays the same forever. But for a little while longer I’m going to be grateful for where I live. It is a wooded, hilltop sanctuary, currently aglow with flaming orange red oaks and golden pistaches. In the late afternoon, the setting sun illuminates this jut of land at the top of the ravine, overlooking the downtown skyline.
This place stays here. A parklike house in Oakhurst, waiting for the next chapter.
Oakhurst
Total population:
Female: | Male:
Age
0-9: 10%
10-19: 13%
20-29: 21%
30-39: 19%
40-49: 11%
50-59: 11%
60-69: 11%
70-79: 4%
Education
No degree: 26%
High school: 17%
Some college: 23%
Bachelor’s degree: 22%
Post-graduate: 12%
Race
Hispanic: 51% | White: 43% | Black: 3% |Asian: 3%
Click on the link to view the schools’ Texas Education Agency ratings:
Source: Census Reporter
Glenn Calabrese is a retired emergency room doctor. He and his wife, Freda, have lived in Oakhurst for 36 years.
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/20/where-i-live-oakhurst-trees-charm-take-root-throughout-fort-worth-history/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=331555&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/20/where-i-live-oakhurst-trees-charm-take-root-throughout-fort-worth-history/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/fortworthreport.org/p.js”></script>