Round Rock - What do you think?????? (Houston, Austin: fit in, home)

[traceyr13]

I'm also rolling my eyes/laughing at the sentiments expressed by some about RR. I'm a seriously liberal, Unitarian Universalist, tree hugging, tattoo'd, politically outspoken mom of 3...who is living just fine in Round Rock.

Does Round Rock have more cookie cutter neighborhoods and big box retail stores than the city proper? Sure. But that doesn't mean that we are all mindless drones living out here - good grief! I choose Round Rock for the good schools, safe neighborhoods, and lower cost of living. If money was no object, would I live in a "hipper" neighborhood in the city, within walking distance to grocery stores and little restaurants, and send my 3 kids to private school? In all honesty, yes.

But money IS an object, and we prefer to put away money so our kids can go anywhere in the country for college one day...so we live in Round Rock. It's a great option for families.

[centralaustinite]

Yes, I won't claim to be rational about my feelings towards Williamson county and Round Rock! But they are based in my experiences twenty years ago (before Dell) when Round Rock was a tiny burg -- and as a poor, non-Texan, liberal leaning grad student at UT, "that hippie school" I had some of my very few negative encounters with Texans there. There and at the Oasis (and it largely soured me on Lake Travis and I have never set foot in the Oasis again). And believe me, I wasn't a tattooed or dreadlocked student. I was just "not from around here."

So now, I bled orange, have given birth to three native Texans and have turned down job opportunities that would take me from central Texas (and was heckled on Venice beach for being a Texan -- wearing burnt orange at the time) and generally love Texas. But I'm still wary of Round Rock and Williamson county. Although I suppose that it is punishment enough that it is becoming Anywhere USA.

[love roses]

I also want to thank Schoenfraun and rose red and now Jenbar and even rrmom. Obviously people who say that haven't spent any length of time there. Driving past it on 35 doesn't count. Round Rock actually has some interesting history. And judging from the many babysling carrying, tattooed and pierced moms in our moms group, not stepford by a stretch. I see my fair share of yuppie types, goths, punks and hip hoppers of varied ages around here. I guess what texastea said would be appropriate, saying all I did above. People say it's cookie cutter, but what would you call Steiner Ranch, River Place and Circle C? Those weren't bedroom communities with history going back to 1800, except maybe to the cows, coyotes and deer who roamed them before a developer built a few houses. Downtown Austin didn't reach that far at the time (still doesn't really).

Round Rock has it's share of festivals and it has a farmers market. Williamson County has an orchestra and there are playhouses in the area and a few theater groups. It has really good schools and people not trying to prove how cool they are by living there. Yes, there are some cookie cutter type homes, but they also exist ALL OVER the entire Austin metro. Close to downtown RR there are some very cute old and older homes. A few of those are on the historic register complete w/plaques (SP?) by the front door. It's got its own ghost stories, it's own famous outlaw, it's going to be on the public transportation (rail) line, as will Hutto and possibly Taylor. There are plenty of varied sports activities to keep the kids busy. There's a YMCA, Gymns, shopping...either by local business or chain and people who are involved in the community and want it to keep its small town feel. There's one area slightly back from downtown RR that has a low income housing project, but in my experience from living in an up and coming area and in a bigger city, it's by no means a truly "bad" area in the terms I'm familiar with. You are close to the Dell Diamond, a small water park, Old Settlers Park and other local parks, fishing, and a few public pools. There are also a few smallish lakes out this way, Granger and Bastrop. Hutto is about to undertake building a lake and putting trails and such around it. You will be able to canoe or kayak on it and fish. There's a waterskiing training lake in Frame Switch. For your dogs, there is triple crown academy and a few other good training facilities/boarding if you go on vacation. Also, Eastern Williamson County is putting together a very large biking/walking trail system that will start in Hutto, reach RR and I think connect with some in N. Austin. Colorado has trail systems like this and I think they are using models there as a guide. There is much more going on out here in "suburbia" than some may think. What I'm posting is just the tip of the iceburg.

I forgot to mention the 2 new hospitals, several new schools and colleges...among them ACC RR, A&M including a nursing school, and SouthWest putting some type of medical school out there.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by love roses

People say it's cookie cutter, but what would you call Steiner Ranch, River Place and Circle C? .

Yep, I wouldn't live in any of those subdivisions for cash money either!

I know many fine and gracious Texans from RR and Georgetown but I still get the shivers just thinking about some of my encounters in those places circa 1988!

[love roses]

Maybe in 1988...but there was little but farmland between there and Austin back then. What were you doing out there that gave you the shivers....not cow tipping I hope? J/K

[jwb123]

centralaustinite, I don't know how to respond to your comments. It seems crazy to me that because you had some "bad experiences" 20 years ago, you would totally discount a place that is likely vastly different....

My sister moved here to PF/RR 8 years ago (she was in c. austin since 1992) - and by all accounts there was "nothing" out here... so I don't know what could have been going on out here that could have been so bad?

[AustinGuy]

Let's not forget that some of the neighborhoods now deemed "cool" and "central" were nothing but cookie cutter, outlying suburbs about 30 years ago.

[Sushi4321]

As a native Austinite (there are a few of us left) I just laugh when I see the Keep Austin Weird stickers. The weird is pretty much long gone.... Austin is just another town with lots of pretentious people trying to make another buck.

I apologize for hijacking the RR thread.

[schoenfraun]

Originally Posted by Sushi4321

As a native Austinite (there are a few of us left) I just laugh when I see the Keep Austin Weird stickers. The weird is pretty much long gone.... Austin is just another town with lots of pretentious people trying to make another buck.

This thought has occurred to me, too.

I've mentioned this on other threads, and I don't mean to sound like a broken record...nor indicate that this is a barometer of cool, but: SST Records, the 1980s record label of Black Flag, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr., has relocated from California to Taylor, where I now live. Its owner, Greg Ginn, said he wanted to be near Austin, but live in a small town with a quiet vibe, and he picked Taylor; he owns a large building downtown with the SST logo on the side of it. (Jad Fair, another indie musician, picked Manor, and the Chronicle did a cover story on him a few months ago.) My husband and I felt that way when we first went there, too... Nice people, quiet, and beautiful homes at affordable prices. My neighbors are a diverse group of people in terms of age, ethnicity, political party lines, and sexual orientation.

My coworkers in Austin don't seem to think too much of Williamson County and initially tried to dissuade us from purchasing our home in Taylor. But now that they've been there to hang out a bit, they take it all back....

I say it's up to you to make what you want or need out of the place you live. Get to know your neighbors, get involved in your community. You'll see that people are different, with many commonalities, everywhere you land.

[amie1225]

Hello,

My husband and I currently live in Anchorage AK, and we recently traveled to the Austin area, and fell in love with Round Rock. We have a 4 year old, so I was really liking all the good things I was reading about the school district. However, I am having a hard time finding how to go about getting a job. We currently both work for a financial institution, my husband is a Financial Analyst and I am a Branch Manager, but am going to school to be able to change careers, would like to be in Marketing. Any suggestions on where to start with the job search? We would be moving on our own, no friends or family, no job relocation. Has anyone else experienced this and was the move easy or difficult?

Thanks everyone!