Neighborhoods in Austin (surrounding) (Round Rock, Lakeway: home, safe area, new construction)

[docrondc]

Hello:

Looking to relocate from southern california and would love some advice on Austin neighborhoods.

We have a 3 year old and are looking for lot of outdoor activities - lakes, hiking, mountain biking, safe neighborhoods and good schools.

Have heard about circle c ranch, steiner ranch, round rock and manor. Would greatly appreciate some advice as to differences between the above mentioned areas and/or advice on which neighborhoods (areas) that we should investigate for our criteria.

Thanks much,
Ron

[ericbramlett]

What are you looking for in a neighborhood?

----edit----

Just read the part about outdoor activities. Look to the west side of town - hills, lakes, trails, etc...

[gigi927]

What's your housing budget and are public schools going to be important?

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by docrondc

Hello:

Looking to relocate from southern california and would love some advice on Austin neighborhoods.

We have a 3 year old and are looking for lot of outdoor activities - lakes, hiking, mountain biking, safe neighborhoods and good schools.

Have heard about circle c ranch, steiner ranch, round rock and manor. Would greatly appreciate some advice as to differences between the above mentioned areas and/or advice on which neighborhoods (areas) that we should investigate for our criteria.

Thanks much,
Ron

Having come from So. Cal. ourselves, I will give my biased opinion that Steiner is the closest match to what we had in Rancho Santa Margarita. We lived right next to Melinda Heights Elem., but we moved before our girls ever had a chance to walk to school.

Here in Steiner, both my girls have a 5 minute walk to an exemplary school. We have a trailhead right across our street that let's us go for some very nice hikes. We can do long ones (i.e. 1-1 1/2 hours, or short ones). The trails really are a nice amenity.

The lake is across the street, and it takes about 12 minutes to get to Windy Point, our favorite park on the lake. Or, we can drive the other way, and go the private park right on Lake Austin. During the summer, my wife takes the girls to Lake Travis almost every day. I hate to see their tans because we all know what happens in older age, but with their "toehead" hair color, and light brown tone, it reminds me of what daily trips to Huntington Beach did for me.

In terms of mountain biking, some of the trails are pretty technical, and I say this after having spent about 3 years riding in Whiting Ranch several times a week. Full suspension and disc brakes are key here, and practice getting out of those clipless pedals!

In terms of safety, I don't even think about safety, so I guess that means it is a safe area. I do recall seeing a flyer for a reward for recovery of some mountain bikes, but again, don't leave a garage door open in pretty much anywhere these days.

There is a new community center, and 50' and 60' lots are going in with many good lots still available, in the newest section. The new community center is so nice, we have considered leaving our oversized 70' lot to be close to it, but we have such a nice walk to the school, that is more of a priority, especially since the middle school is also only 5 minutes away.

Finally, we didn't move to Steiner straight away. We settled in Round Rock first, in a nice area with nice people, and a Recognized Elem. and Middle School, but it was flat, flat, flat. We feel "at home" here in Steiner, but we are taking advantage of the lower living costs, which some find hard to believe when you are talking about a $450K+ house, but to us, it was a third the cost of CA.

So when you come out on your scouting trip, I really recommend a visit to the 2006 Master Planned Community Award recipient, Steiner Ranch.

[docrondc]

Yes, schools are very important to us. We have a 3 year old. We are looking budget-wise at 250 - 500K.

Most important to us is the outdoor activities - being near a lake, trees, parks, hiking, etc..

Thanks for your help!

Ron

[Biscuits]

If I had 'California money' and were looking to move to the Austin area, I would rate Spanish Oaks far ahead of Steiner Ranch.

If the obsession with "master planned community" is not required, I would try to get much closer to town (i.e. West Lake Hills & Old West Austin).

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by Biscuits

If I had 'California money' and were looking to move to the Austin area, I would rate Spanish Oaks far ahead of Steiner Ranch.

If the obsession with "master planned community" is not required, I would try to get much closer to town (i.e. West Lake Hills & Old West Austin).

Here is a link to the site plan for Spanish Oaks: http://www.discoverylandco.com/images/spanishoaks/spanishoaks_siteplan.pdf (broken link)


Not bad at all. I will say that the specific questions asked by the OP are all answered by a home in Steiner, so I would counter that Spanish Oaks is a good area to look at, but to say "far ahead" is very subjective.

[GreenPlastic]

Yeah, Spanish Oaks is very nice but that would negate the cost savings you would get.

[gigi927]

I think in your budget, you can look at many different communities in addition to Steiner Ranch and/or Spanish Oaks. You could look out as far as Lakeway if commute wasn't an issue, and if new construction isn't a requirement, I'd add River Place, Jester Estates, Grandview Hills and maybe NW Hills/Great Hills into your search. All are very nice communities with good access to Lake Travis, closer in to downtown and in hilly parts of town.

If you're looking at Circle C you could also go farther south and check out communities like Belterra or Highpointe.

best of luck with your search!

[pvaustin]

Originally Posted by docrondc

Yes, schools are very important to us. We have a 3 year old. We are looking budget-wise at 250 - 500K.

Most important to us is the outdoor activities - being near a lake, trees, parks, hiking, etc..

Thanks for your help!

Ron

$250-$500K is a very broad range. You can cover many neighbourhoods with that. May be you should mention more specifics that you are looking for and people out here will definitely give you better ideas.