Dallas County may be turning Democratic, but it's about to gain two prominent Republican residents: The Bushes are moving back to town.

First lady Laura Bush confirmed Thursday that she and her husband will return to the area when they leave the White House in January.

"I guess I can announce it in front of the press," Mrs. Bush said at a National Park Foundation event at Williams Preparatory School in Dallas. "President Bush and I will be moving back to Dallas, which is where we lived" before Mr. Bush was elected governor in 1994, she said.

"After 14 years away, we're excited about having this chance to live here again," the first lady said.

It's long been thought likely that the Bushes would come back to the area after his presidency, but Thursday's statement was the most definitive yet that the couple would live in Dallas, where Mr. Bush's presidential library will be built at Southern Methodist University. White House communications director Kevin Sullivan said the couple will split their time between Dallas and their ranch in Crawford.

Left unanswered, though, was whether the Bushes would be in Dallas itself or the Park Cities. Mrs. Bush took no questions, and the White House declined to elaborate.

A spokeswoman for the first lady said the couple had purchased no property yet in North Texas.

But residents of upscale neighborhoods around Dallas have long heard rumors about quiet land purchases and Secret Service agents scouting lots for security considerations.

A vacant one-acre lot on Euclid Avenue in Highland Park, near Turtle Creek and the Dallas Country Club, has drawn intense speculation.

Valued at $5.2 million by county tax appraisers, it has been undeveloped for months, an unusual stretch for a lot in such a prime location. County records show the lot belongs to Dallas businessman Guinn D. Crousen. He could not be reached for comment.

But at a White House event in January, Mr. Bush was heard calling Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert "my new mayor."

Mrs. Bush was in Dallas to help introduce First Bloom, a national program designed to expose urban children to nature. Area students will plant bluebonnets and other Texas flowers. She also received a leadership award.

Mrs. Bush also talked at a Bush library meeting at SMU Thursday. She and library officials spoke generally about plans for the library and fundraising strategies but nothing specific was outlined, said Highland Park Town Administrator George Patterson. Mr. Bush's library foundation is expected to raise about $250 million to build a library, museum and public policy institute.

Thursday night, Mrs. Bush accepted the 2008 Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award, presented by Methodist Health System Foundation. The award recognizes people whose "demonstrated commitment and excellence in community leadership emulates the achievements" of the former Dallas mayor.

Eric Aasen reported from Dallas; Todd J. Gillman reported from Washington. Staff writers Ian McCann and Alan Peppard contributed to this report.