Living near Southern Methodist University is a pleasant experience. Southern Methodist University is located in University Park, a town located inside of Dallas. University Park is one of the Park Cities. The Park Cities consist of University Park and Highland Park. They have a combined population nearing 32,000. In addition, around 10,000 students attend SMU, but don\'t let that scare you. They spend most of their time at school. Near SMU are: Snyder Plaza shopping center, Mockingbird Station, and not too far off are Preston Center and North Park mall. Needless to say, there are plenty of places to shop and eat. Close by is also the luxurious Highland Park Village, with many upscale shops and eateries. SMU has 100 undergraduate programs and 75 minors. SMU, like North Park, also has a very central location in terms of Dallas, Texas. It’s right in between downtown and north Dallas. Close by, also, are Keith’s Comics, various other shopping centers (other than those listed above), Smoothie King, Campisi’s, and many other fine establishments. The Palomar, and Hotel Lumen are close by, but Dallas has plenty of other hotels: A Holiday Inn (or two), the Ritz Carlton, Hotel Zaza, La Quinta, the Magnolia, and many more. SMU is also home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library, opened in 2013. SMU is also in very close proximity to Greenville Avenue, full of many shops, restaurants, and Lower Greenville which has many bars and restaurants. Many local establishments offer various discounts for SMU students. SMU has a very well landscaped campus and there is plenty to see and do there. SMU football games generally bring a giant influx of people to the area and the whole of the Park Cities can get sort of congested. SMU has its own DART buses that run around the area. Near SMU is The Village, an apartment community with over 8,000 apartments and includes properties built within the last 20 years. SMU is very much engrained in the Park Cities society. A 10 to 15 minute drive from SMU is White Rock Lake, where there is a 10 mile track to run, bike, blade, or skate on. The track also goes to downtown Dallas. There is also the Katy Trail, much closer to SMU (walking distance), which runs basically from Highland Park to downtown Dallas. Clearly, there is plenty to do if you are a prospective student moving to Dallas, and there is no shortage of places to live.