Nice areas to live in SW Austin? (Round Rock, Cedar Park: to rent, how much)

[CAtoTX]

My husband, daughter (13 months) and I are moving to Austin in April/May 2008 and are looking for a nice place to live (ie low/little crime, family friendly, good school district, not too urban and a decent commute to downtown). Cedar Park, Leander and Round Rock seem to be on most people's short list, but SW Austin also sounds like it's worth consideration. Any suggestions for where to look in SWA for housing?

Thank you!!

[Raskolnikov]

Circle C, the Villages of Western Oaks (and all the variations on that name), Legend Oaks to start.

If you don't mind living even further southwest, look at Meridian and Alta Mira (Circle C).. brand new, and under construction.

[Raskolnikov]

Also, I would definitely recommend all of Southwest Austin, particularly the neighborhoods I listed, over Leander and Round Rock.. The schools in the southwest are all good, some are great, and the scenery is better. It feels less like it could be anywhere in the U.S. and more like the hill country, in my opinion.

[hound 109]

How much are you looking to spend & what is your desired home size?

Where is the commute to?

SW Austin is nice, but so is NW Austin & West Austin.

[llkltk]

Meridian is not really further south than Circle C. I'd say it's actually more exclusive since it only will have about 800 homes as opposed to Circle C which has around 3000 homes. The homes range from 290k to eventually the millions. It will have a 10 acre lake. It's really nice and only 5 miles from the fabulous new HEB and only about 1 mile from Circle C. It's not far south at all, only 14 miles from the city.

[CAtoTX]

We're looking to rent for 3-6 months, then buy (if the house in New Orleans sells!!). House price range: $250K-350K.

Thanks for the help - we appreciate the info!

[mimimomx3]

Don't forget Travis Country. It's very family friendly and a pretty quick trip to downtown. Nice landscaping and amenities.

[Raskolnikov]

for 250-350 I'd look at Legend Oaks, Western Oaks, and a lot of the sections within Circle C. Travis Country is going to generally be out of that price range, for a decent sized (2000 + squre feet) house..

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

Circle C, the Villages of Western Oaks (and all the variations on that name), Legend Oaks to start.

If you don't mind living even further southwest, look at Meridian and Alta Mira (Circle C).. brand new, and under construction.

I agree with this. There is ample selection even below $300K in these areas, but if you can go to $250K, you'll have even more to pick from.

Steve

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

for 250-350 I'd look at Legend Oaks, Western Oaks, and a lot of the sections within Circle C. Travis Country is going to generally be out of that price range, for a decent sized (2000 + squre feet) house..

I just did an austinhomearch.com on zip code 78735, Travis Country, and came up with about 10 houses under $300K in the 2,000 SF range. A friend bought there a few weeks ago in an older section for $350, a very nice 2 story house with mature landscaping.