Which are the nicer suburbs?

[Raskolnikov]

Barton Hills, in this day and age, would be considered south-central Austin (a little to the west). I think when people say Southwest Austin they generally mean Western Oaks, Circle C, Meridian, Shady Hollow, Sendera, and all the other suburban areas south of William Cannon, like Mopac and Davis, Mopac and Slaughter, Mopac and Lacrosse, 1826 (Alta Mira, Meridian, etc.)

It's really a great area, very family-friendly. Very green. They built out the area with a ton of green space, lots of parks, trees, etc.. So it doesn't feel very cookie-cutter in most areas. Also, it is not too expensive. Barton Hills is definitely expensive but the other areas I mentioned have high end areas and more afforable areas too. The closer into town you live the more expensive it is, generally.

[TexasHorseLady]

Georgetown (am I reading correctly that it can take 1 hour to travel 15 miles into Austin from here?????)

You're reading some people saying so. However, just because of such discussions, I timed myself the other day when I drove from my house about 3 miles northeast of Jarrell to two blocks south of Stassney (south Austin) on Manchaca the other day. It took me exactly 51 minutes from my front door to there. And that wasn't even taking the back ways I know, just regular roads. Yes, at rush hour it can be a pain from anywhere to get to Central Austin.

However, if you're thinking Waldorf (and I do believe there's only the one, unless they snuck one in when I wasn't looking and I think I've been looking), you'll want to live closer to where it is (I know, we pulled our daughter out of there when we moved so far north), and it's in Oak Hill (southwest of Austin). So, Dripping Springs, maybe Wimberley, some parts of South Austin (though not the newer subdivisions - they won't have the quaintness you indicated in your OP that you want).

Oh, and we lived in Barton Hills when our daughter attended Waldorf, and it took me 20 minutes to drive her there (against morning traffic, so it was a breeze) and home in the afternoon.

[Raziel]

Originally Posted by Minier

"Nicer" as in ....

1 - family friendly, but not ALL about kids

2 - good schools

2 - sense of community (people socialize, not just cooped in their house).

3 - have good commute into Austin

4 - have easy access to outdoor activities (biking, hiking, etc)

5 - are quaint and interesting in and of themselves (not just "bedroom communities")

6 - are between 250k - 400k for 4-5 bedroom home (so far we work from home so need 1-2 offices, plus 3 bedrooms - which add up to 4-5 "bedrooms")

I live in the Onion Creek community (South Austin) nestled just East of the I-35 and I think you will find the majority of your needs can be met. It's just my wife and I so I'm not completely certain about schools although, the area High School (Akins) is new and beautiful with some positive reviews. We carpool and commute everyday. We work at a couple of software companies in North Austin so we're pretty familiar with the travel routine and that's a good 35-45 min in traffic it's although we also go to Austin proper all the time for dining and music and in my opinion it's a nice straight shot into the city. There is not real easy way at this time in Austin but, where we live you have more options to choose from than some other Westside communites where there is only one way in and one way out to the city. I feel that traffic in the morning going from South to North on I-35 is better than from North or West to Austin (IMHO) I think Onion Creek is prettier than Circle C and less sterile than Steiner Ranch..again just my opinion. Onion Creek has lots of mature trees (Oaks) etc and a pretty golf course area although I'm not a golfer we have a friendly relaxed vibe. The property taxes are not crazy and like many communites you have association dues required but, these also pay for a mobile security guard that patrols and watches out for your home. The homes are older (built in the 70's-90's) but, well kept and definitely worth checking out.

[atlanta hope]

Our criteria are similar to yours and we're focusing on Shady Hollow, Villages at Western Oaks, Travis Country and a few places near Circle C. All the schools are really good in those areas and property taxes aren't as bad as living intown. Have you seen the property taxes yet for Austin?

Our fav so far is Shady Hollow cause it has the bigger lots with mature trees. Of course I say that and I haven't seen TC or VAWO in person yet.

[ddlong]

My husband, daughter and I are moving to Bastrop, which is about 30 minutes from Austin. My husband moved in January and we will join him after closing on our current home in May. We love the area in and around Bastrop and everyone is very friendly. Can't wait till the move!