This episode is a little different. Instead of sitting down with a guest, we step back and tell the story of Oak Cliff itself.
We trace how this part of the city came to be, from early settlement on the bluffs above the Trinity, to utopian experiments, speculative development, independence, annexation, and the long arc that followed. Along the way, we look at how geography, distance, and deliberate choices shaped Oak Cliff into a place that has always felt connected to Dallas, yet separate from it.
This isn’t a comprehensive history, and it’s not nostalgia. It’s an overview of how Oak Cliff became Oak Cliff and why that beginning still echoes in the neighborhoods, tensions, and sense of identity that exist today.

Michael and Lauren Boss are the founders of BOCO, a neighborhood music school in Oak Cliff. In this episode, they share how they started with a single student next to the Kessler Theater and grew into a school serving kids, adults, and families across the community.We hear about their approach to teaching music, curating what students learn, and giving them the chance to perform on real stages. From youth bands to adult programs, the conversation explores how BOCO combines education, performance, and neighborhood culture into a single, thriving space.

We’re looking back on the conversations that resonated most with our listeners. In this special episode, our team counts down the Top 10 most-watched episodes of 2025 - each one representing a story that left a mark on Oak Cliff and on us.

From neighborhood organizers and artists to historians, filmmakers, and community builders, this episode revisits the moments that sparked curiosity, emotion, and connection. Along the way, you’ll hear short clips from each episode introduced by our team, reflecting on why these stories mattered.

This isn’t just a highlight reel. It’s a snapshot of a year spent listening closely, asking better questions, and sharing the voices that make Oak Cliff what it is. Thank you for being part of it. We can’t wait to keep going in 2026.

Jordan Jeanty is a filmmaker and founder of Jeanty Studios whose wedding films are rooted in intention, faith, and care for the people he serves. In this episode, Jordan joins Doug and Grant to share his path from shooting on an iPhone to building a recognized wedding film studio, and why purpose and service guide every project he takes on.

They talk about the responsibility of documenting life’s most meaningful moments, the emotional weight of wedding filmmaking, and how community, mentorship, and hospitality have shaped Jordan’s approach to both work and relationships. Along the way, Jordan reflects on storytelling that lasts, destination weddings, and the small, intentional practices that keep people at the center.

Patty Evans didn’t grow up playing baseball. Years later, after running a hyper-competitive men’s league team and walking through a season of personal loss, he found himself drawn to a version of the game built on community, not standings. That idea became Oak Cliff Sandlot. Patty talks about the early days of handing out cut-and-paste flyers, the first pickup game that unexpectedly drew 40 strangers, and how a simple invitation to “bring a glove, bring a friend, play baseball,” has grown into one of Oak Cliff’s most beloved neighborhood fixtures. We get into what it takes to protect a culture as it scales, the quiet discipline of keeping things unstructured, and why Oak Cliff Sandlot has become a place for adults to show up, belong, and play without pretense.

Matt James, Chief Animal Officer at Colossal Biosciences and an Oak Cliff neighbor, joins The Hidden City to unpack one of the most ambitious ideas in modern conservation: making extinction a thing of the past. We talk about how Colossal uses genetic engineering, AI, and assisted reproduction to revive keystone species like the woolly mammoth and dire wolf — and why rewilding has the power to restore entire ecosystems. Matt shares what functional de-extinction really means, the ethical questions that come with it, and how these breakthrough technologies are already helping protect at-risk species today. We also trade notes on our favorite walkable Oak Cliff spots and what makes this neighborhood feel like home.

Doug and Grant take The Hidden City out of the studio and onto the 10th tee box at Stevens Park Golf Course for a one-of-a-kind live episode, recorded during the Rosemont Dads' Club Oak Cliff Invitational. Between tee shots and a steady stream of neighbors wandering up to the mics, they talk with longtime Oak Cliffers, Rosemont Elementary administrators, local business owners, and a rotating cast of characters who’ve helped shape the neighborhood for decades. From on-air key lime pie reviews and heckling golfers to a few chaotic rounds of our game “Golf Course or Apartment Complex,” this episode captures Oak Cliff exactly as it is: funny, warm, unpredictable, and full of people who love where they live.

Krista Nightengale, Executive Director of Better Block, joins the Hidden City for a wide-ranging conversation about the messy, creative, and community-driven work of tactical urbanism. From her early days covering Dallas neighborhoods as a journalist to helping launch the Coalition for a New Dallas and stepping into Better Block’s full-time team in 2016, Krista shares how temporary installations have sparked lasting change in cities around the world.

We talk about why Better Block works—120-day timelines, “what-if” testing, color as a crime-prevention tool, and the collaborative chaos of building public space with neighbors, kids, skeptics, and sometimes even unexpected advocates. Krista reflects on projects from Oak Cliff to Australia to South Dallas’s MLK Food Park, and how small interventions can shift mindsets, restore trust, and show communities what’s possible on their own blocks.