Cedar Oaks is a Peaceful Paradise, Complete With Peacocks 

Oak Cliff is quite simply the hippest place to live today. With the tremendous success of the Bishop Arts area, multiple conservation, and historic districts, it was only a matter of time before a new generation began to discover the lesser-known but equally desirable neighborhoods in Oak Cliff like Cedar Oaks and Beckley Club Estates. Both are south of the Dallas Zoo, right next to each other and full of the cutest homes imaginable.

The hot find we have for you today is a 1953 Midcentury Ranch right in the middle of these neighborhoods, on an enormous heavily wooded lot complete with … wait for it … peacocks!

Seven years ago, John Paul Hossley saw a photo that Dave Perry-Miller Realtor Emily Ruth Cannon posted on Facebook. He was instantly intrigued.

“The backyard is tiered with a pool and huge trees,” Hossley said. “It looked like it was in Beverly Hills.”

The couple raced over. Within a day, they’d put in a contract on this 1,774-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom Cedar Oaks Midcentury Ranch that sits on just under an acre with more trees than you can count.

Despite a rainbow of paint colors inside and some questionable carpeting, the Hossleys saw incredible potential. They fell in love with the approach to the house and knew the backyard, overgrown with nandinas, was going to be incredible. The deal-sealer had to be when Cannon pointed out Rosita the peacock sitting on her nest.

A month into getting the house ready they were hanging out at the saltwater pool with friends before moving in when they looked up to see several peacocks on their roof, obviously welcoming them to the neighborhood.

“It really is a peacock sanctuary,” Hossley said.  

There are a couple of stories about how the peacocks came to call Cedar Oaks and Beckley Club Estates home. One is that they escaped from the zoo, but the more believable story is that an owner in the 1960s and ‘70s owned exotic birds, and when they moved, they released them into the neighborhood. 

The Hossleys have loved their Cedar Oaks Midcentury Ranch for seven years. They have done every update you can imagine, making it truly move-in ready.

Keep in mind, Cedar Oaks is just a four-minute drive from downtown Dallas. With the first phase of Southern Gateway Park set to open in 2026, connecting East and West Oak Cliff, investing in a home here is a smart move.

Cannon has this Cedar Oaks Midcentury Ranch at 313 Edgemont Ave. listed for $615,000. She’s hosting a can’t-miss open house on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 1 to 3 p.m., with a DJ from Spinster Records spinning vinyl by the pool.