To see a timeline about the Interlochen neighborhood, please click here.
ARLINGTON, Texas— Housing is an ongoing conversation, and because of cost, it can be an easy one or a hard one.
But what about a merrier one?
In northwest Arlington, a suburban neighborhood called Interlochen is well-known for its annual—and extravagant—holiday displays, a tradition that stretches back more than 40 years.
The Lights at Interlochen features festive decorations put up by more than 200 homeowners in this iconic neighborhood. For 2024, the Arlington Police said the public may drive through the neighborhood from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. every night through Dec. 25. While admission is free, the Arlington Police Department urged visitors to get in line before 9 p.m. and to expect taking at least an hour to travel the full route through the neighborhood.
Living in a neighborhood like Interlochen isn’t cheap. Homes.com says buyers can expect a three-bedroom, three-bathroom split level to sell for about $360,000. Looking for something bigger? A five-bedroom, four-bathroom Millennium Mansion home will cost up to $750,000.
Mary Ann Heugatter, a Realtor with Ebby Halliday Realtors and an Interlochen resident, told Homes.com, “The market always remains strong in Interlochen because it’s a desirable, known neighborhood throughout Arlington.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 45.8% of homes in Arlington in 2023 were valued at between $300,000 and $499,999.
Renting a home in Interlochen is possible, but options are limited and come at a cost. According to Homes.com, 48% of the neighborhood are renters.
As of December 2024, Homes.com had a listing for a 3,178-square-foot white home that has four bedrooms and 3.5 baths with rent starting at $4,100 per month.
That rental cost of the Interlochen home is significantly higher than other rentals in Arlington. According to the Census Bureau, median gross rent in Arlington is $1,495 while the median gross rent for the state of Texas stands at $1,413.
Interlochen’s allure extends beyond the Christmas lights displays. The neighborhood sits around a 12-acre lake and is just five miles from downtown Arlington.
“It is just a great place to live,” Heugatter told Homes.com. “Living on the lake provides many homes with tranquil views, and with the active homeowner’s association, there is a huge community feel.”
Apart from the holiday extravaganza, Homes.com says the neighborhood also puts on a boat parade along the lake each Independence Day, as well as smaller gatherings like women’s groups and community dinners held throughout the year.
The Interlochen neighborhood children are zoned to the Arlington Independent School District. Most of the neighborhood children attend Pope Elementary, Shackelford Junior High and Lamar High School.
The Arlington Independent School District received an accountability rating of a “B” for the 2021- 2022 school year according to The Texas Tribune.
The school district also has a four-year graduation rate of 87.7% which compares to the statewide rate of 90%.
Deciding where to live is hard, but neighborhoods like Interclochen make those decisions a bit merrier.
Arlington 150 is an occasional series to mark Arlington’s sesquicentennial and is produced as part of a collaboration between the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries Special Collections and UTA journalism students. This series was made possible in part by a generous Teaching in the Archives grant from UTA Libraries.
