Relocating from Wimberley to RR or Georgetown(?) (Austin, Round Rock: apartment, rent)

[Wimberley00]

I grew up in Wimberley and my husband is graduating from UT in 8 weeks and he will be accepting a job in Round Rock. We're not real familiar with the area and we're not sure where to start looking for houses. We have two children (and one on the way!) and so schools are very important to us. I know Round Rock has excellent schools but from what I've read Georgetown ISD is really good too. I get the feeling that Georgetown has more of the small town feel that we're used to but I also think RR may be better for a young family. I've also heard good things about Cedar Park and the Brushy Creek area. We're interested in homes in the 150-200k range and we'd love to not have to be in a cookie-cutter neighborhood. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

[TexasHorseLady]

Both Georgetown and Round Rock are great for young families. My personal feeling is that you're right about the small town feel of Georgetown, if that's important to you - while Round Rock has some "small town" areas (and the Brushy Creek area is one of those), it's grown to the point that you get more of a city feel from it. Cedar Park, I'd say entirely subjectively, is somewhere in between, depending on where you are.

What are your interests besides kids and work? That might help point you in the right direction.

[mark311]

It sounds like your price range might limit you a bit when choosing an area. What size house are you looking for in that price range? The larger the house, the more likely you might have to settle for cookie-cutter in that price range.

[Wimberley00]

In Wimberley we love taking our dogs and going to the river. We enjoy being outside and gardening or going for walks. Our Christian faith and conservative values are also very important. Also my mother may end up coming to live with us and it would be wonderful to find a home with a guest house or garage apartment. Obviously we'd have to spend a little more if that happens. We're just trying to get some ideas so we know where to start looking.

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, you might be able to find that in Georgetown, perhaps close to San Gabriel Park, in your price range. I'm in the middle of doing an MLS search for a client right now, but when I finish that, I'll do a quick search and see what turns up in that price range in both Georgetown and Round Rock that might suit and give you neighborhoods to look in.

[Wimberley00]

Wow thank you!

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, in Georgetown, 2000 square feet and over (I pulled that out of the air based on what you said), there's some older homes in Serenada in your price range. Definitely not cookie cutter. Some newer ones in Georgetown Village. A few in Berry Creek. San Gabriel Heights is an option.

That's just in GTW. (West of IH35.) There are quite a few in GTE, as well, in various neighborhoods.

Several of these have 1/3 to 1/2 acre, by the way. Mostly 4 to 5 bedrooms. Bottom line is, you should be able to find what you want in Georgetown.

Round Rock next!

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, there's several neighborhoods that might fit the bill in Round Rock, as well. The Woods, Round Rock West, there's plenty of neighborhoods to choose from there in your budget, as well.

[Austinitegirl]

I think Georgetown might be more of what you're looking for. I've lived in the RR area for over 10 years now and I have some very good friends who live in Georgetown (one is a teacher at Georgetown HS). Based on your price range, preferred housing & neighborhood qualifications and statement about your political and religious beliefs - I think Georgetown might be more your flavor. RR would suit you pretty well too (and the schools are excellent), but there are a lot of cookie cutter neighborhoods, parts of it can feel pretty corporate/urban, and the liberal color is starting to come out now that so many folks are being priced out of Austin proper.

Overall I'd say that Williamson County is pretty conservative (for my liberal taste), but my conservative religious friends are extremely happy in Georgetown. Everyone knows everyone else there, there are still a lot of wide open spaces, etc. At Georgetown HS musical concerts, they still sing May the Lord Bless You and Keep you at the end of every performance, much to the horror of me and my liberal husband, but it fits perfectly with the overall atmosphere and culture of Georgetown.

To give you an idea of the (ever-growing) political and ideological contrast between RR & Georgetown - my husband is a music teacher at a Round Rock school and he absolutely will not, under any circumstances, have a single song in his Winter Concert with the word "Christmas" in it. That garners the approval of many parents (and me). His best friend, directing music in a Georgetown School, sings May the Lord Bless You and Keep You at the end of all of his performances. So there you go.

There are some truly lovely neighborhoods close to Southwestern - such a pretty campus.

The other thing you may not like about RR is that the cost of living has been steadily increasing. My husband and I had a similar budget when we went house shopping about a year and a half ago. We wanted to live in RR because that's where we had been living and working for years, but we couldn't find anything we liked for that price range. So we found a lovely place off the beaten path (unfortunately in a cookie cutter neighborhood) in a new subdivision in Pflugerville. We couldn't afford RR.

Best of luck to you!

[cls88]

My question might be a bit out of topic. But I was wondering any of the cities (RR, Georgetown, or Pflugerville) has a good retirement community? We are going to retire in a few years (well, maybe like 10 years). I want to get ready by purchasing a house in a good quiet neighborhood that is convenient to resteraunts and groceries. We can rent it out until we retire. We currently have a house in Austin. But it’s too noisy for me. I would like to retire to a smaller community.