How does South Central Austin differ from South West Austin? (Spring: lofts, condos)

[gimme it]

Does each area have an overall vibe, and are the demographics that much different? Does one area have nicer nabes and more trees? Thanks

[jenkirk]

The topography is very similar. SW Austin tends to have better schooling, so you will see more families and higher property prices. This then leads to a lower crime rates and so on. What are you looking for?

[Raskolnikov]

I'd say echo what the last poster said. SW Austin is generally more family oriented. People who live in South Austin (I'm speaking very broadly here) tend to be adults who don't have kids. There are poorer areas, junkier yards, higher crime, some of the neighborhoods are more run down. However it also has mixed in that Austin artsy element and some areas of South Austin are really nice. People who move there want to live close into town, get the "South Congress Avenue" vibe, etc. It's very eclectic. Some areas are really bad, some areas are really swanky in an urban way. A lot of the houses were built in the 1970s. The more recent stuff is very "urban" like lofts and condos.

Barton Hills is considered south Austin, though, and it's an exception to all that. It's got eclectic people but it's a more established, nicer neighborhood with children. Much more expensive though than the stuff further south.

SW Austin has 1980s-current new homes.

[car957]

Raskol

You clarified very broadly a couple of limited bad pockets in South Austin. I live in far South Austin I can assure you we have little crime, no one parks their cars in the yard or maintains property in a poor condition. And I've never been married and have no children, pay my taxes, and am a good steward to the community. Be careful when painting in such broad strokes.

Gimme it:

You probably want to avoid the area East of I-35, especially near Stassney. Dove Springs is pretty poorly maintained. West of I-35, their is a pretty poorly maintained pocket of houses near CannonLeague and E. William Cannon.

I can assure you the rest of South Austin is doing fine. If your looking for newer developments, a number of new single family neighborhoods are being built on Manchaca Rd, south of Slaughter as well as some new development on Brodie Ln., just North of Slaughter.

[gimme it]

We are a married couple with a school aged child. We like established, tree-lined leafy neighborhoods that would be described as family oriented. We don't care for brand new neighborhoods. Schools are critically important, but we also like the idea of being not that far from a walkable downtown with it's bookstores, outdoor cafes, etc. I also love having access to nice parks.

[Raskolnikov]

Gimme It--- from what you described, I'd suggest in this order:

- Barton Hills
- Travis Country
- Westlake (anything in the EANES ISD)
- Western Oaks
- Legend Oaks
- Circle C (although, they are more of a 'brand new neighborhood' but there are a lot of areas with nice big trees and houses built in the late 80s / early 90s)
- Shady Oaks

Someone else could fill you in on more South Central. I didn't mean to paint too broad of a brush. I just think generally the Southwest is more family oriented and fewer renters. South Austin is great though and I'd probably live there if I didn't have kids going to school.

[gimme it]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

Gimme It--- from what you described, I'd suggest in this order:

- Barton Hills
- Travis Country
- Westlake (anything in the EANES ISD)
- Western Oaks
- Legend Oaks
- Circle C (although, they are more of a 'brand new neighborhood' but there are a lot of areas with nice big trees and houses built in the late 80s / early 90s)
- Shady Oaks

Someone else could fill you in on more South Central. I didn't mean to paint too broad of a brush. I just think generally the Southwest is more family oriented and fewer renters. South Austin is great though and I'd probably live there if I didn't have kids going to school.

Thanks, Raskolnikov! (Crime and Punishment is one of my all time favorites). What do you think about Tanglewood West, Shady Hollow and Austin Lake Estates? We are hoping to find a house for under $300k. Do the neighborhoods you mentioned fall into that price range?

[Raskolnikov]

Barton Hills- most houses are over 300K
Travis Country - most are over 300K (the reason is both these neighborhoods are close in to downtown)
Westlake - Might be able to find something small/ older for 300K
Western Oaks - 190-325K
Legend Oaks - 280K-370K
Circle C - 280K-600K
Shady Oaks- 180K-300K

I don't really know much about anything that is west of Mopac, like those neighborhoods you described. I do have friends in Shady Hollow and it's great. And very affordable. Actually the further south you go, the more you get for your money. But again the trade off is being distant from town, traffic, gas, etc. Still, schools are great in all the neighborhoods both you and I have listed.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

These threads describing neighborhoods in and around Austin are getting unbelievable. The people with less money are described as no-good criminals while the same set of people with more money are labeled as quote - eclectic - unquote. This is really whacked.


I've been on this board for only a few months now and I can tell you after reading hundreds of threads like this one I even started to think the same way. I started thinking that anything east of 35 should be avoided at all cost. I was wrong and it was a wake up call. However, now the opposite is happening. I'm starting to really dislike the areas where they think their poo doesn't stink. Talk to a septic guy, they can fill you in. I think some of the neighborhoods reek instead of vibe.

[doctorjef]

Shady Hollow is a nice, affordable place to live. My partner and I lived there for 10 years until late 1997. We did get very tired of it being so far from town, however. Further, the traffic to get into town is a lot worse than it was 20 years ago (needless to say).

I'm not sure what "Tanglewood West" is exactly, but Tanglewood as I know it is a really crap neighborhood (the area around Slaughter, just west of Manchaca Rd).

We ultimately moved to Barton Hills, the last place we lived in Austin. I really liked it there. Excellent for walking, which I like, and so close to various necessities and to central Austin. It is disproportionately expensive, however -- you pay for the location. The kid population is kind of spotty in my observation. I wouldn't say that Barton Hills is really thick with children, although that's a plus from my perspective.