Overwhelmed about moving here! If you had these criteria where would you live? (San Antonio: houses, neighborhoods)

[slcmommyof5]

I'm so excited to be moving here, but there are way to many options and I've never been here. If you had this criteria where would you move within an hour of Austin?

1. Within an hour of Austin, but don't have to commute.
2. Great schools, but not too big
3. We have 5 kids...must be family friendly
4. We are LDS...need to be somewhere that is tolerant of other religions
5. Be near lakes, parks, trails etc
6. We don't care if it's somewhat rural as long as the people are educated there
7.Price range is 300K-650K
8. We want atleast a couple of acres, nice views
9. Ideally I would like to live in a small, charming town with antique shops, festivals and mom & pop restaurants

I hate the flat front brick houses, so I would need to be in a neighborhood where the houses are charming and have character. I love the mission/hacienda type houses.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[clarksvillemom]

that's a hard bargain. IF you said you wanted to live in central Austin and didn't care about the land/acreage, I would suggset my hood, Clarksville But maybe Dripping Springs, Lakeway, Buda, Hutto. All of these are going to require commuting into Austin though... but depending on traffic, not too bad.

[hoffdano]

The Spicewood area, just outside Austin, and near Lake Travis might work for most of your requirements.

Originally Posted by slcmommyof5

I'm so excited to be moving here, but there are way to many options and I've never been here. If you had this criteria where would you move within an hour of Austin?

1. Within an hour of Austin, but don't have to commute.

35-45 minutes to Austin most days and times. Just depends on where in Austin you want to go.

2. Great schools, but not too big

Lake Travis schools are very good. Only one high school, and it isn't giant.

3. We have 5 kids...must be family friendly

Most of Austin is very family friendly. Spicewood is no less or more so.

4. We are LDS...need to be somewhere that is tolerant of other religions

No one will care what your religion is unless you broadcast it and try to convert them. If you do that - you deserve whatever reaction you get.

5. Be near lakes, parks, trails etc

Right next to Lake Travis and all of its natural beauty and resources.

6. We don't care if it's somewhat rural as long as the people are educated there

Spicewood is semi-rural.

7.Price range is 300K-650K

Easy to do in Spicewood. Buy and lot and build a home that works for you.

8. We want atleast a couple of acres, nice views

Very do-able.

9. Ideally I would like to live in a small, charming town with antique shops, festivals and mom & pop restaurants

Spicewood is something of a false city. It really doesn't have a city - so it fails on this. But Bee Cave is close by, and has lots to do. There are home-grown restaurants in the area.

I hate the flat front brick houses, so I would need to be in a neighborhood where the houses are charming and have character. I love the mission/hacienda type houses.

I don't see many mission/hacienda homes in Austin - but if you want one, build one.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[love roses]

Georgetown. They just ran a piece in the Statesman about 3 (?) neighborhoods on the historic register/ or that have lots of homes on the register. I haven't seen any mission/hacienda style houses around Austin though. See more of those in South Texas.

[bgrn198]

Maby check out Wimberley

Welcome to Wimberley

[kelly katsus]

If I were in your shoes, I would want to be in Georgetown, Texas. City of Georgetown Texas, Georgetown Independent School District :: Georgetown, Texas. Take a look at these sites and see what you think.

[sliverbox]

7.Price range is 300K-650K

Just to make sure... you are aware that property taxes are high in TX and a 300k house is going to set you back around $6,000 a year while a $650,000 home is going to be $13,000. Many people aren't aware of the tax issue.

[orangetravelerJP]

I wonder if something in Dripping Springs or Driftwood would be your style.

[TexasHorseLady]

I second (third, fourth?) Georgetown. Has the downtown, has Old Town (for the kinds of houses you like), has local businesses, has some really nice local restaurants (and some particularly good ones within a short drive - say 15-20 minutes), has festivals (http://visit.georgetown.org/category/attractions/festivals-and-special-events/ - broken link) (plus all the ones in the surrounding area - you can't throw a rock in Central Texas without hitting a festival), has Lake Georgetown and the Goodwater Trail, has Southwestern University, has an LDS Ward, you can easily find something on a couple of acres or more in your price range.

You owe it to yourself to at least check it out.

[neddy]

The Cedar Park area has a ward (neighbors are LDS). They are always doing stuff with the church and a beautiful temple down in San Antonio. Went to see it after it got built,before it was closed to the public. Good luck.