Wells Branch Area? (Austin, Round Rock, Spring: apartment complex, rental homes, condo)

[ElisabethLP]

Our family will be relocating to Austin sometime in the summer. I am looking for apartment complexes in good school districts. I found an apartment complex in Wells Branch (which has the Round Rock school district), but have not heard much about this neighborhood.

We have two small boys and are looking to rent for a year or two and then purchase. We are transferring from San Diego.

Is this a good area for families? Safe? Or what would be a better area that is still not too expensive?

Thanks!

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by ElisabethLP

Our family will be relocating to Austin sometime in the summer. I am looking for apartment complexes in good school districts. I found an apartment complex in Wells Branch (which has the Round Rock school district), but have not heard much about this neighborhood.

We have two small boys and are looking to rent for a year or two and then purchase. We are transferring from San Diego.

Is this a good area for families? Safe? Or what would be a better area that is still not too expensive?

Thanks!

My opinion is you want to rent in a complex that is at the high end of your $ limit. I hate to sound terrible, but when it comes to kids, make sure they are on the highest rung on the income ladder YOU can accomplish. My dad said it best when he told me you want to get your own kids in a peer group at the highest possible level. My goal is for my children to have a peer group that pressures all in the group to excel academically and in sports. I am on my way to accomplishing that in the neighborhood we live in, and there are many areas around Austin that will accomplish this as well.

May not be a direct answer, but food for thought. Or, to answer directly, Wells Branch is a nice are, and RRISD is a good district. There are areas even better though, but will be higher rent.

[ElisabethLP]

Thank you for your reply. I am trying to find more information about Asutin. What are the areas you speak of? I know that Eanes school district is supposedly the best, but I am unsure if there is any rental apartment present there. Round Rock, I heard, was second to Eanes, but I am unsure. I was researching test scores for each district and it appeared as such:
1. Eanes
2. Lake Travis
3. Round Rock
4. Pflugerville
5. Austin

Is that accurate?

We need something somewhat close to downtown.

[Trainwreck20]

I had a co-worker who researched extensively (and I trust his wisdon) who was trying to decide between Dripping Springs and Lake Travis (since he could not afford Eanes). He ended up in Dripping, and I agree that it ought to be high on your list somewhere.

As for rental property in Eanes, there is some, for the exact reasons that you might be looking there. I suspect that you will pay more for a not as nice apartment (or condo/duplex/townhome) than you would elsewhere, but they are there. Eanes is definitely closest to downtown.

Also, listing 'Austin' all together can be misleading. There are some excellent schools and there are some bad schools, all in AISD. Personally, I feel the 'chain' of schools in NW Austin to be good (includes Davis, Canyon, and Summit elementaries), and the chain of schools in SW Austin to be excellent (Davis being one elementary, but there is another I can't think of the name right now).

[gigi927]

There are tons of apartments in the 620/2222 corridor. River Lodge is on 2222 and would be 20 minutes to downtown; it would also be zoned for the brand new elementary school being built in neighboring River Place. The school is opening this fall. It's Leander ISD; this part of Leander ISD is rated exemplary.

On the 620 are more apartment complexes than I can even mention here. some would be at the new Grandview Hills elementary in LISD; others closer to Lakeline Mall might be in RRISD. If you need a list of them feel free to shoot me a PM and I can give you some of the names I remember off the top of my head. You'd have a bit farther drive into downtown, but still not bad.

There are also a bunch of apartment complexes off 360, headed toward the Arboretum. Not sure what district they are in, but I would guess Austin ISD?

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by ElisabethLP

Thank you for your reply. I am trying to find more information about Asutin. What are the areas you speak of? I know that Eanes school district is supposedly the best, but I am unsure if there is any rental apartment present there. Round Rock, I heard, was second to Eanes, but I am unsure. I was researching test scores for each district and it appeared as such:
1. Eanes
2. Lake Travis
3. Round Rock
4. Pflugerville
5. Austin

Is that accurate?

We need something somewhat close to downtown.

A friend of mine rented an apartment in the eanes district to get his kids into school there. I thought it was shady, but it worked. He did it for a year, then moved. Because they were already in the school, the school let them stay even though they no longer lived in the district.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by gigi927

.

There are also a bunch of apartment complexes off 360, headed toward the Arboretum. Not sure what district they are in, but I would guess Austin ISD?

Yeah thats right. As you go north on 183, they switch to RRISD starting around mcneil. Although some areas around oak knoll are RRISD too.

[jco]

Wells Branch is actually split in two. Half of the area is actually in Pflugerville district, and the other half in RR. We were going to buy a house there, and our realtor called and called for us, and both districts claimed the house, and then neither did. It was very confusing.

[Salgal1113]

Just to expand on jco's post. . . Pflugerville and Round Rock do both run through Wells Branch. I don't know about the RR schools in that area, but the Pflugerville schools in that neighborhood are typically some of the lesser performing schools.

You can go online at Pflugerville (and probably Round Rock) and find a link to their transportation system online; if you put in the address where you are renting, it will tell you the schools you are zoned for.

[Nellieand3]

I live in Pflugerville ISD and love it, but would not live near Wells Branch. Pflugerville has apartments and rental homes more towards the center of town. The schools near Wells Branch are not the best.