Relocating to Central Austin, TX - Need opinions on neighborhoods

[Buckeye5b]

Originally Posted by ManaMist72

Hello!

A quick overview - we have been looking to move out of state for over a year now, and explored many areas out of State including Boulder, CO, parts of the East Coast, and we finally settled on moving to Austin, TX.

We almost settled on Boulder, but on our 2nd trip, we were just not as bought into it as we originally hoped. We felt that Austin had way more in terms of activities & would be more suitable as a long-term move, and when we visited Austin about a month ago, it sealed the deal for us.

Fast forward to now, we have looked at various neighborhoods, and due to our choice in schools, we have narrowed down our search to Central Austin.

Some neighborhoods recommended to us by friends who grew up in Austin are: Hyde Park, Allendale, Tarrytown etc.

So we are basically wanting an area that has great walkability to restaurants, cafes, and the grocery store, well maintained homes that are kept up (for the most part) by neighbors, friendly and down to earth neighbors who aren't keeping up with the Jones's types, lots of kids, families etc. and parks nearby would be a bonus!

Tarrytown seemed to be at the top of our list from the short time we spent looking at various listings in Central Austin. Loved the tree-lined streets, homes seem very well maintained, yet the neighborhoods have a nice organic feel with varying styled homes, and also seems very family oriented.

Hyde Park was a neighborhood that never had a chance to look through, but I've heard good things about that area too. Only concern is are there any frat houses or a lot of college kids living in that area? We prefer family oriented vs a neighborhood with a lot of college kids and potential late night parties on weekends.

Allendale we know nothing about, so I thought I would throw that one in there!

Any help or advice is very much appreciated. I did a quick google search, and read up on some of the neighborhoods mentioned above, and that data has helped as well, but I wanted to get a bit more info if possible to see the varied responses, as well as any up to date info on those areas as of this year.

Thanks so much to everyone for the help!

I would research other areas in the country to live, it is not cheap to live there and taxes keep going up.

[Dynamoo]

Is the school south of the river?

How about the neighborhoods in 78704? (Barton Hills, Zilker, Bouldin, Travis Heights)

[DashRiprock]

Not sure we can help you without knowing more specifically where this school is. That's actually a pretty key factor for us to take into account when we're giving advice, especially when you can't or won't clarify what you mean by "central Austin".

I have to assume it's not a public school since your potential neighborhoods range from Tarrytown to Allandale, and you don't want Westlake/Eanes ISD which is superior to AISD in almost every way. And it's hard to imagine a commute from Westlake to "central" Austin being "too far", but again, I don't know what you mean by "central Austin". If it's St. Mary's, that's one thing. If it's Kirby Hall or St. Andrews or Hyde Park Baptist, that's another.

I think you're going to have a tough time finding anything in Hyde Park or Rosedale that's 2500 sq. ft. That's even a stretch for Allandale, I would think. And depending on where this school is, I might well rather commute there from Westlake than Allandale.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by DashRiprock

I think you're going to have a tough time finding anything in Hyde Park or Rosedale that's 2500 sq. ft. That's even a stretch for Allandale, I would think. And depending on where this school is, I might well rather commute there from Westlake than Allandale.

I disagree, so much infill new construction and remodeling in all three places, finding 2500 sq feet with their budget shouldn't be a problem in Rosedale, Hyde Park, or Allandale. Homes in all these areas move fast however.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

I disagree, so much infill new construction and remodeling in all three places, finding 2500 sq feet with their budget shouldn't be a problem in Rosedale, Hyde Park, or Allandale. Homes in all these areas move fast however.

Agreed. Anyone who believes that simply doesn't live in these areas. (With a bit of an exception in Hyde Park, since the historic overlay now places a lot of restrictions on new remodeling and expansion.)

[Aquitaine]

You might also check out Mueller but I suspect it's not as good a fit as Tarrytown. Your dollar will go a lot further as we're 2 miles east of 35 but it checks some of your other boxes (walkable stuff) and it's a new development. Easy commute to parts of Central Austin.

I wouldn't push it given the other requirements but I have seen people looking in your areas check out Mueller and fall in love with it. Very different vibe than the "old Austin" neighborhoods though.

[ManaMist72]

Regarding Allandale, Rosedale, and Hyde Park, we personally had no problem finding homes within our budget. Many were move in ready, but we did not make any offers on those. I scanned several homes for sale that were well within our budget, but it's also because our sq footage requirement is on the lower end. We don't need a massive home.

Thank you everyone for the insight!

I should have kept the school out as it really wasn't a necessary factor in the topic, & was a distraction to the main purpose of the topic, which was, suggestions on any other areas close to Central Austin including neighborhoods I mentioned.

I know that commute time is very relative. 25 mins is nothing for people coming from L.A or the East Coast, but it can be a grind for people that aren't used to traffic. We are used to traffic, VERY accustomed to it, but prefer to avoid it. Westlake hills would have been a grind after awhile, even though traffic in Austin literally pales in comparison to where we are coming from.

We choose Central Austin because we loved the area, and the main areas we were focused on were Tarrytown, Hyde Park, Rosedale, and Allandale. Apologies for causing confusion on that.

Thank you for the help everyone, we really appreciate the insight!

[Danbo1957]

Tarrytown, Hyde Park, Rosedale, and Allandale are all old established areas. Look at Northwest Hills as well, do not miss this area, as I think that it's what you are looking for: west of Mopac, east of Loop 360, south of Research Blvd., and north of FM 2222; zip codes 78731 and 78759.

[AustinTraveler]

I agree with looking in 78731 as well. Homes tend to be larger and the area is hilly and beautiful. Before we ultimately decided to leave Austin (Rosedale) altogether, we considered the NW Hills area.