Exclusive enclave

Affluent Fort Worth neighbor cashes in among country’s richest communities

This home at 22 Valley Ridge Road, Westover Hills, is on the market for about $3.6 million.

Photo courtesy of Williams Trew

The quiet, mansion-dotted enclave of Westover Hills is one of the most well-to-do towns in the country, a new study confirms. The affluent Fort Worth neighbor ranks No. 5 among the wealthiest suburbs in the United States.

RenoFi, a marketplace for home renovation loans, studied data for more than 600 suburbs of 50 major U.S. cities to come up with its list.

The data shows Westover Hills has a median household income of $228,750. The four suburbs that rank above it boast a median household income of at least $250,000, with the Kansas City suburb of Mission Hills, Kansas, claiming the top spot.

Two other Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs also make the top 10:

No. 8 University Park, with median household income of $214,477.
No. 10 Highland Park, with median household income of $207,019.

RenoFi’s study shows the median household income in Westover Hills rose 26.1 percent from 2017 to 2018, putting it at No. 5 for growth among the more than 600 suburbs examined.

The town also saw its median home price climb 21.1 percent during that period, earning it 10th place in that category.

Westover Hills is an exclusive 455-acre enclave with a population of less than 600. On his website, Fort Worth real estate broker Tim Young describes Westover Hills as “ground zero” for Fort Worth oil and cattle families in the 1930s and ’40s.

“More like the Hollywood Hills than a typical Fort Worth neighborhood,” Young says, “the place has a very definite feel of old money that was once very brash and young.”

It’s among the country’s “Million Dollar Cities,” as described in January by real estate platform Zillow. The town achieved this distinction thanks to a typical home value of $1,677,514 in November. Not surprisingly, University Park ($1,468,731) and Highland Park ($1,695,262) join Westover Hills in that club, along with Westlake ($1,752,752).

RenoFi collected data about Westover Hills, University Park, and Highland Park as part of a study of the most livable suburbs in the U.S. While those three communities rank highly for wealth, they failed to break into RenoFi’s list of the top U.S. suburbs. The ranking also took into account factors such as property tax rate, unemployment rate, and crime rate.

“One of the most important parts of finding the perfect home is the neighborhood,” Justin Goldman, co-founder and CEO of RenoFi, says in a release. “In this report, we’ve looked at some of the major contributing factors to what makes a good neighborhood.”

Taking RenoFi’s crown for the most livable suburb is the Atlanta suburb of Druid Hills. It’s followed by the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Falls Church and Pimmit Hills, both in Virginia; Melrose, Massachusetts, near Boston; and Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, near Detroit.

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FWPD News

Fort Worth's longtime police chief Neil Noakes will retire in 2025

FWPD

FWPD chief Neil Noakes

After more than 25 years of dedicated service to the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Police Department, Police Chief Neil Noakes will retire from law enforcement, effective May 2025.

Chief Noakes has been with the FW Police Department since 2000 and was appointed Chief of Police in 2021 by City Manager David Cooke.

In a statement, Noakes says that he's retiring to focus on his family.

"My emotions are mixed because I have been with the FWPD for half my life and have truly enjoyed my career," Noakes says. "Being part of our FWPD family has been an incredible honor and a privilege. I work with amazing people who strive to make a positive difference every day. I have also enjoyed working with an incredibly supportive Mayor, Council, and City Manager’s Office."

"My decision comes down to family," he says. "I have a supportive and loving wife and children who have sacrificed so much and supported me and the Fort Worth Police Department. I became a grandfather in July, and I have a second grandchild on the way. It’s time for me to focus on my family."

Chief Noakes has held various ranks and served in multiple areas of the department, including Patrol, DWI, Motors, and Internal Affairs.

Before being named Chief of Police, Noakes served as Deputy Chief, overseeing the South Command. He earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Tarleton State University and his master's degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Texas Christian University (TCU). Additionally, he is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute’s 137th Administrative Officers Course and TCU’s inaugural Leadership, Executive, and Administrative Development Program (L.E.A.D. #1).

His accomplishments include establishing a new Wellness Unit and his involvement in youth engagement programs such as Operation Progress, Read2Win, All Pro Dad, and the City of Fort Worth’s Education Initiative.

In a statement Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke praises Chief Noakes for his focus on community problem-solving and reducing crime, even despite Fort Worth’s population growth over the last decade.

“You’ve got to love the job to be good at being a police chief and he’s an extraordinary police chief," Cooke says. "If you hear him talk about the officers and the staff that work at the police department you get this beautiful understanding of what it’s like to be a police family. He leads the police department with that type of ethic and family feeling."

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker says she has "nothing but respect" for Noakes' decision to retire and put family first.

"I’m so grateful to Neil, his wife, and his family for the more than 25 years of service, sacrifice, and leadership that he has provided to Fort Worth, Parker says. "He has led the Fort Worth Police Department through some of the most difficult times our city has faced with humility, transparency, and compassion for the community as his top priority. He is truly leaving this department better than he found it."

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