what about SW Austin? (Dallas, Round Rock: apartment, crime, new home)

[3floyds]

Hi everyone,
I've been reading a lot of posts regarding where to move and nearly all say Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, and even way up in Georgetown. From these posts, North of Austin seems to be THE ONLY place to move for families, however, most people also state that they don't want to live too far from the city. From the sounds of it, the commute from up there seems pretty bad.

I was wondering why no one recommends SW Austin (Mopac and Slaughter Ln area) which is much closer to downtown and also has a good high school (Bowie). I don't live in Austin at the moment but I'm considering it and I thought it seemed like a pretty nice area when I visited.

What are people's thoughts on this topic? It also seems to be a nice growing area. I was also wondering what the general demographic of this area is? Is it too low of an income area or is it unsafe for most people?

Just curious

[neddy]

From what I was told that a huge bottleneck occurs at the bridges and it takes forever. I was there on Saturday and we sat there going very slowly at 130pm trying to cross one of the bridges...other than that don't know

[gjt3rd]

"Is it too low of an income area or is it unsafe for most people? "

Southwest Austin West of Slaughter Lane in Bowie High School district is better than okay. You do don't hear about it because that area used to be "out in the country" just a few years back. It is a working class area with some retired folk to bought homes back when Slaughter Lane was a dirt road. Talk to your neighbors before you buy. Contracts are filed fast.

Southwest Austin is Austin's best kept secret.

The biggest problem when asking where to live in Austin is that although the city is often defined as laid back and liberal, it is neither. All that liberal stuff is surface only. Underneath, Austin is highly polorized along racial and economic lines. Furthermore, very poor families will pile up together into one apartment or house and pay large rents. People who know this try to move into areas so pricy that such conditions do not occur. Crime knows no limits of income. I care more about who my neighbors are and how they relate to me than their ethnicity. Austin is a very diverse place. This is the only city I have lived in where the opinions on where you live actually controls whether to get a job and whether you get a promotion on a job. If people on your job are steering you away from SouthWest Austin, think about what they are really telling you. I found out that when I moved to one part of the Austin area, not one person would come visit me though the same people used to visit me regularly in another part of Austin. Do they want you to go shopping with them, play golf, or other sports? Do they want you nearby to work weekends? Often in Austin people steer newcommers to housing based on economics, not race alone. Southwest Austin below and very near Slaughter Lane has an old gas pipeline running through it that is controversial. Be careful because some bought brand new homes with the old pipeline in their backyard affecting the resale value of their homes.

[austin-steve]

I live in Oak Hill and love it. It does bottleneck during drivetimes, but no worse than any other part of Austin.

Appreciation in the SW areas has been very strong and homes sell very fast, especially in neighborhoods that feed into Bowie High. (Circle C, Western Oaks, Legend Oaks, Cherry Creek, Sendera to name a few). The neighborhoods are established and stable, and the schools are good relative to other schools in AISD.

I'm very biased toward South and SW Austin though. There no doubt some great areas in North Austin, but to me, South Austin is the real deal.

Steve

[achtungpv]

I live SW, Buda address, though closer to Austin than Buda proper. It's great. 3/4 acre lot, 2800 sq ft single story, 2 neighborhood pools, actual mature trees...for a similar price of what you get a tract home on a postage stamp lot in RR or CP. All the time people who live up north say "you live in Buda!?! That's SO FAR!". Really? I'm 14 miles from downtown. In rush hour traffic it's 25 minutes. How's that 45+ minute commute from South Dallas?

[Trainwreck20]

I am a big fan of SW Austin (as is austin-steve ). If you search the board for SW Austin, you will find quite a few posts. Probably the key difference between SW Austin and the areas you listed is the price. The housing in RR/PV/Gtown will have less expensive options available, although they prices will also go up into the same prices range as SW Austin. SW Austin prices tend to 'bottom out' somewhat higher than N Austin.

Southwest Austin below and very near Slaughter Lane has an old gas pipeline running through it that is controversial. Be careful because some bought brand new homes with the old pipeline in their backyard affecting the resale value of their homes.

Although this was a considered a highly 'news worthy' item a year or two ago, I think you would be hard pressed to show that it affects home value. The homes that back up to the gasoline pipeline get the advantage of not sharing a back fence with a neighbor - no barking dogs and no one that can look into your backyard from their porch. I think that essentially cancels out any devaluation based on perceived 'danger'. We live a very close to the pipeline, and our neighbors (and ourselves) could care little that it is there. It is, in effect, a wide piece of grass running through the neighborhood.

The (somewhat valid) concern really was about any environmental threat to the aquifer from a leak, although some groups tried to play up the 'safety' issue to get more people up in arms. The safety issues are virtually nonexistent - this is a gasoline pipeline, not natural gas. The company that runs the pipeline made the section through the aquifer one of the most improved sections of pipeline in the country, and it is monitored frequently (by, no kidding, 'smart pigs').

As for your experiences with work, I have never experienced anything like that, but I guess it depends on where you work, or the type of work. I have lived all over Austin and at different jobs over the last 40 years, and have never, every had anyone comment (or react) negatively about me due to where I lived. The range of places went from quite seedy and rough to quite nice, so I am sure under certain situations, some people may have not wanted to come visit me in the rougher areas - however, they were not avoiding me, they were just trying not to get mugged.

[austin-steve]

Although this was a considered a highly 'news worthy' item a year or two ago, I think you would be hard pressed to show that it affects home value. The homes that back up to the gasoline pipeline get the advantage of not sharing a back fence with a neighbor - no barking dogs and no one that can look into your backyard from their porch. I think that essentially cancels out any devaluation based on perceived 'danger'.

I agree. The homes in Western Oaks and Circle C that back to the pipeline absolutely do not sell for a discount. Will there be a particular buyer who decides not to buy because of the pipeline? - yes. But that can be said about numerous other attributes which a home may possess, such as Master upstairs, low ceilings, etc.
Steve

[d.h.badger]

I lived in Northwest Austin for 5 years (Cedar Park) and moved to Southwest Austin (close to Dripping Springs) for the last 2 years. I absolutely love it down south! The traffic is nothing compared to what we dealt with in Cedar Park, and it just seems like everyone is a lot more laid back here. We also have a huge lot with lots of trees and deer, so that makes a big difference to us.

The only negative is if you want to shop at HEB or Home Depot, it's a good drive. In Cedar Park EVERYTHING was 5 minutes away. But that's the price you pay to get away from the hustle and bustle!

[austin-steve]

The only negative is if you want to shop at HEB or Home Depot, it's a good drive.

I think both of those are going to be in Dripping soon. I remember reading about it some time back.

and it just seems like everyone is a lot more laid back here.

Yes, I've always thought South Austin people are much more laid back, relaxed and "Austin like".
Steve