Train noise in Round Rock? (Austin, Georgetown: environment, house hunting, apartment)

[Mrs. Nascar]

We really, really want to rent a home in Georgetown, but can't find anything to meet our criteria (price, yard, condition).

Which leaves me searching in nearby Round Rock. I have seen a few homes that are close to the railroad tracks, and I need to know, how close is too close? How active is the track?

Several years ago we lived in Castle Rock, Colorado and the train tracks cut the town in half. While there were several trains that went through town during the day, the tracks were really, really busy at night. I am wondering if the same is true for the RR track?

If I rent a house with nothing but open space between me and the track will we be able to sleep at night?

Thanks so much!

[jwb123]

I am about maybe 2-3 ish miles from the track, and I can still hear it during the day and at night. It doesn't wake me when I am sleeping though. I love it. It's loud enough to make it seem like you are living in a rural area, and get my train loving 3 yr old excited - without seeming like it's barreling through my neighborhood.

I would think that, as with many things, you would grow accustomed to it and it would just become part of your environment - so that the sound wouldn't seem odd to you, or out of the ordinary....

[Mrs. Nascar]

So the house I saw literally backs up to the track - just 1/2 a mile of open space inbetween. I'm thinking too noisy, yes?? Sounds like it is a fairly active track.

[jwb123]

Well, it is very active...

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Nascar

So the house I saw literally backs up to the track - just 1/2 a mile of open space inbetween. I'm thinking too noisy, yes?? Sounds like it is a fairly active track.

So time to complain yet again...

When we moved from CA, we originally bought in Round Rock. We bought (and sold our house) in one weekend, during our house hunting trip. Everything about the house was what we were looking for until.......


The first or second night after moving in about 3AM I am a awoken by something, what is it, I have heard it before elsewhere, but never this loud. It was a train whistle! To make a long story short, what would be a "Disclosure" in CA is not in TX.

There were tracks about 4/5 of a mile away that we were not driven near. When I say driven, I was doing the driving, however our agent was giving me turn by turn directions (that's one expensive "GPS"). Of course any good agent is going to bring us in through the landscaped and manicured entrance for effect, but unfortunately the tracks were the other side of the neighborhood.

The worst times were on foggy nights becasue by law, a train going through a populated area with many crossings has to basically lay on the horn for about 90 seconds at a time, and also complete a minimum number before each crossing. We were within earshot of three crossings.

Anyways, the neighborhood we were in was Sonoma, next to Lake Forest and Forest Creek. So if that is where you are looking, yes they are active, and yes they are loud enough to disturb a light sleeper.

My wife would only wake up after about the 4th time of me asking can you hear that f$%#$% train whistle. Actually, I only did that once, she made it clear she did not want to join in my fun with the train whistle!

[jwb123]

Well, I am in Forest Creek - and like I said, I am not woken up by it - but I hear it during the day. I don't even hear it in the evening if all the kids are awake, the tv is on, stuff is going in in the house... just when it's quiet. We like it...

Sonoma and Lake Forest stretches down to Brushy Creek - Forest Creek doesn't... so if you are looking near the creek - that may be the problem area.

[newrrmom]

I get insomnia and I definitely heard the trains and they would wake me up, I lived a couple miles N. of them for a few months. Some nights they really lay on the horn, like the other post described.

[Catherinelady]

Its a nice sound (the train). I love it.

[twange]

I love the sound myself as well. I used to live in an apartment that was a block away from a track, on a main road with buses, and a flight path from the airport. When I first moved there, it was totally maddening. Then I simply got used to the sound. And it was so close that my windows would slightly rattle When I moved to another house, I found that I missed hearing all the noise and couldn't sleep! Here in South Austin we have a train about 3/4 mile away. Our first night here, we heard it and it immediately made us think of our old town back in Ohio, which was sort of comforting

Of course we're not right next the thing, thank Gawd!

Different people have various thresholds of noise/sound tolerance. I've always loved drone-like sounds and so things like that don't bother me. A repetitive rattle or squeak in my car? I'm ready to tear my eyes out!

[timfountain]

Originally Posted by Catherinelady

Its a nice sound (the train). I love it.

Are you deaf, 'cause that's the only way you'd enjoy that bloody noise all night!?!?
I live in Forest Ridge and in the Winter (no leaves on the trees and wind from the North) the noise constantly wakes me up. There really should be legislation to limit the noise from trains, it is a major source of noise pollution and totally unnecessary in this modern age of automation. I feel very sorry for the people who live closer to the track, near 79. It's not only the whistle, but the incredible deep droning of the engines. It's cute the first 3 times, after that IMHO it gets old real quick.