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Old 11-14-2012, 05:00 PM
 
3,836 posts, read 5,736,042 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by campbetc View Post
I love having people around. I wouldn't want apartment living, but when we get into DC now I love just seeing people walking around. I love live music. I love to dance. I want to take my kids to festivals and parks and get out there and BE with people. It's not about being a hipster or hanging out in bars.

I feel like we'd have more options for compromise in maybe the West Lake Hills area (we aren't wealthy but I think we'll have a pretty decent house budget), but it doesn't seem like a do-able commute for my husband. He does like to go in early, though. Is there anywhere south/west of Lake Austin that wouldn't be an awful commute?
To Cedar Park? No. Nothing reasonable. You are going opposite most traffic through, so it wouldn't be nearly as bad as having to commute the other way.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:01 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by campbetc View Post
I love having people around. I wouldn't want apartment living, but when we get into DC now I love just seeing people walking around. I love live music. I love to dance. I want to take my kids to festivals and parks and get out there and BE with people. It's not about being a hipster or hanging out in bars.

I feel like we'd have more options for compromise in maybe the West Lake Hills area (we aren't wealthy but I think we'll have a pretty decent house budget), but it doesn't seem like a do-able commute for my husband. He does like to go in early, though. Is there anywhere south/west of Lake Austin that wouldn't be an awful commute?
There's a little pocket along SW parkway, north of 71, West of Mopac that might fit what you're looking for. It's about a 30 minute drive to Cedar Park from there (depending on what part of Cedar Park), it is the opposite direction of traffic in the morning, but not in the afternoon/night (I've never been able to figure this part out). So he'd be looking around 45-60 minutes coming home.

You can slide north to the NW Hills area, cut his commute time WAY down and still get what you're looking for. There are some areas around there that are definitely walkable, and it's a quick hop to the popular "fun" spots DT.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:08 PM
 
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Originally Posted by riaelise View Post
Ugh, urban living is overrated. Just got back from New York City, where I've lived for 28 of my years. Some of those years were actually in Manhattan. And I can tell you, while pretty and all, I don't want to return. Give me my soulless, suburban sprawl any day over people on top of me, alongside me, in my space. Give me my useless extra rooms. I don't want to live in small four room residences any longer. I'm not some older person trying to be hip.
What is "hip" about wanting shops, parks, cafes, restaurants, work all within a walk or short commute? This isn't a new concept of living, it's a very very old one. One that we as humans lived with our entire existence up until the post war period where we lost our collective minds and listened to traffic engineers tell us how to build communities.

New urbanism isn't new or hip, it's old and traditional, not in some retro-cool way but in a way that was tested by a millennial of human civilization in all parts of the world. There is a universality that is amazingly common throughout the world.

Poll your friends - ask then which cities they love to visit the most. I bet you the responses are more like San Francisco, New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Santa Fe and not Houston, Tulsa, Phoenix, Oklahoma City.

And when people come to visit Austin it sure isn't to see Cedar Park, Leander, Buda, Kyle and Hutto. It's to see 2nd Street and warehouse district, Soco, Sola. People love to go and be in great spaces surrounded by a mix of people with interesting things to explore and do. Single use planning, sprawl, big box stores, and highways are the antithesis of community.

Last edited by Komeht; 11-14-2012 at 06:01 PM..
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:18 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EzPeterson View Post
There's a little pocket along SW parkway, north of 71, West of Mopac that might fit what you're looking for. It's about a 30 minute drive to Cedar Park from there (depending on what part of Cedar Park), it is the opposite direction of traffic in the morning, but not in the afternoon/night (I've never been able to figure this part out). So he'd be looking around 45-60 minutes coming home.

You can slide north to the NW Hills area, cut his commute time WAY down and still get what you're looking for. There are some areas around there that are definitely walkable, and it's a quick hop to the popular "fun" spots DT.
NW Hills is best bet for a compromise. Reasonable distance to central Austin, not a horrible commute to Cedar Park...
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:21 PM
 
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Just south of the river the best walkable neighborhoods would be Travis Heights, Bouldin and then Zilker.
Hyde Park/North Loop area North Central.

Honestly, if you can afford it, find a nice place in Travis Heights. You can walk to all the restaurants, shops, music etc. on South Congress. You can walk to Stacy Park. Walk down to the Town Lake Trail to jog, walk, rent a canoe with the kids. Walk across the Congress Avenue bridge and you have the Warehouse District with more shopping, food, nightlife, Violet Crown(really nice arthouse cinema). A few blocks up from there you have 6th street and Alamo Drafthouse. You're within a mile of an H-E-B grocery store and a couple miles from the Whole Foods, Book People, Waterloo off of Lamar. You're also really close to Zilker Park/Barton Springs and the Greenbelt.

Downside is adding time to your husbands commute. As far as the workshop goes, build one in the backyard.
Find a home you like with a nice yard.

I lived down south off of South First and also in the neighborhood between Hyde Park and the University and both are really great areas. I also lived in Cedar park with a friend for a few months and worked out that way. Cant tell you much about the schools but it seems to me that living in Travis Heights/Hyde Park type neighborhood would be a much more culturally rich environment for you and your kids.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:27 PM
 
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Somewhere off of Jollyville does seem like a good balance for your needs. We don't make it downtown often (once a month or so for an event or festival - hoping to head over to the E.A.S.T. this weekend) but we do make it down to Burnet/Anderson area more often than that - maybe once a week?

It's really not that far from NW Hills to downtown - without traffic you can do it in 15-20 minutes. This isn't DC! Even with traffic it's not more than 45 minutes if you know how to go. I also second the recommendation to consider people watching at the domain - it's a great spot for just walking around.

I don't know how old your kids are, but I find it's helpful to be realistic about how you spend your time. I mean it doesn't matter how much cool stuff is going on if you're not willing or able to get a sitter every time there's a show. Festivals with the family are great... so long as it's not conflicting with an extracurricular activity your kids are involved in... or in my case, usually, nap time. If I were in your shoes I would sit down and chart out how you would be realistically spending your time once you were here.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:27 PM
 
Location: Avery Ranch, Austin, TX
8,977 posts, read 17,459,383 times
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Well, we live in north-north Austin(Avery Ranch) and I make the trip 'in town' each Saturday morning for a bike ride from Mellow Johnny's(weather and knees permitting ). Otherwise, I would go only for special occasions. DW(interior disigner) 'un'fortunately has clients south of central; but she goes to a workout twice a week just south of the river(was based out of Pure Austin-Quarries...much more convenient). She is headed to a play at Zach Theater tonight, so three non-commuting trips for her this week(4, if you count the birthday party 'down south').

Your folks in "Brushy Creek" may or may not have an easy time of it, getting to 'town', depending on their actual start point. I can get to Mellow Johnny's(4th St) in 25 minutes on Sat. AM.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:47 PM
 
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My kids are 4 and 6.

Northwest Hills is the area I've sort of zeroed in on in all my research - I just was thrown for a loop today when my cousins started trying to talk me out of it because of the schools. Doss/Murchison/Anderson looked just fine to me.

Anyway, we're going out there for a scouting trip two weeks from today, so all I need to do is not let my anxiety get the best of me until then.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:55 PM
 
3,836 posts, read 5,736,042 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by campbetc View Post
My kids are 4 and 6.

Northwest Hills is the area I've sort of zeroed in on in all my research - I just was thrown for a loop today when my cousins started trying to talk me out of it because of the schools. Doss/Murchison/Anderson looked just fine to me.

Anyway, we're going out there for a scouting trip two weeks from today, so all I need to do is not let my anxiety get the best of me until then.
Your cousins are badly mistaken.
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Old 11-14-2012, 05:57 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,207,663 times
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Originally Posted by Komeht View Post
Your cousins are badly mistaken.
This. And Komeht and I almost never agree on anything, so take this seriously!
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