average price - Central Austin?

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by senormatt

Any of the zip codes that have a zero as the 2nd to last # are definitely central and original Austin.

They may very well be central, but they aren't the only ones and not particularly the oldest ones. Hyde Park is 78751 and dates from 1891. Rosedale is 78746 and dates from the early 1900s, with its big infill beginning in the early 30s. Although it is of an early vintage, 78702 is completely east of 35 --- and many people here refuse to consider anything on that side of the interstate as central.

Again, this is the folly of using zip codes to define a neighborhood, area or its demographics. It's impossible to use a zip code as a nice little box.

[sanmiguel]

Seems like there are a lot of different opinions here as what constitutes "central Austin". I have always thought of the boundaries as 45th on the north, Riverside on the south, MoPac on the west and I35 on the east.

[capcat]

So, otmgfp, can you clarify what area you're thinking of and curious about the prices of? Anywhere inside of a commute into the city, I'd say the prices could range from 250,000/300,000ish to millions of dollars for a home. PPSQF, I couldn't say.

[Exiled Texan]

Central Austin in a good versus not so good school district vary in price considerably.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

someone show a map of the area that is Central Austin with a circle on it please.

By the way I can understand why someone would love to live there.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by Exiled Texan

Central Austin in a good versus not so good school district vary in price considerably.

Do you mean attendance zone? It is all AISD, there are parts of Austin that go to RRISD but to me Great Hills etc are not part of central Austin! Westwood High is a very good school though.

But yes, Barton Hills and the Zilker area do have an advantage as they are zoned to Austin High, while the areas across Lamar go to Travis. And some parts of 1A and 1B get dinged because they go to McCallum High instead of Austin or Anderson but it is all relative, for my creative, unathletic kids, I think McCallum would be a much better fit than Anderson!

Who knew a simple question would generate all this response! But "central Austin" is a diffuse area with a wide variety of housing stock and housing age and widely different locations, there is no standard size, age, or condition of the housing stock, very much the opposite of a suburb or master-planned development.

ca

[Nor Cal Wahine]

Originally Posted by oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots

someone show a map of the area that is Central Austin with a circle on it please.

This was the map I went by when I made my first post, which I promptly got grief for ... lol.

http://www.austinhomelistings.com/im...-austin-co.gif

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by Nor Cal Wahine

This was the map I went by when I made my first post, which I promptly got grief for ... lol.

Sorry about that! I take central austin seriously!! LOL

As to why someone would live there . . . proximity to downtown, proximity to the University, close to State offices, the Capitol, closeness to Zilker Park, Deep Eddy, Barton Springs, the Long Center, etc.

In the olden days when this was a university and state government town, the area between Oltorf and 51st street pretty much WAS Austin! When the area around Far West was developed in the 1960s and 1970s that was "way out" and Round Rock and Georgetown were small, distinct places of their own. So many of the business and institutions that are familiar to Austin are within that small (relatively speaking) central Austin area.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by Nor Cal Wahine

This was the map I went by when I made my first post, which I promptly got grief for ... lol.

http://www.austinhomelistings.com/im...-austin-co.gif

The map is "wrong", IMHO, as it excludes areas west of Mopac, south of downtown, and east of IH 35. Of course this is open to opinion, but when we help people looking for places to live "central" they generally are looking for a) proximity to downdown and b) a certain style/type of architecture and feel, as found in older dwellings (though that has shifted somewhat to include newer/rehab construction and condos). Also, as decades roll by, the term "Central" grows and spreads outward.

With regard to prices, here is a quick rundown based on year 2009 sales of single family homes (not condos except 78701):

78701 - Downtown = $283 psf (Condos Only)
78702 - East/Central Austin = $166
78703 - West/Central = $273 per sqft average sold price
78704 - South/Central = $248 psf
78705 - UT Campus area = $247 psf
78722 - East/French Place = $204 psf

78751 - North Campus/Hyde Park = $232 psf
78752 - Highland Mall area = $160 psf
78756 - North/Central, Rosedale = $232 psf
78757 - North Central/Allendale/Crestview = $186 psf

If someone aksed me what is the "most" central area, I'd say the north half of 78704. That is the heart of Austin's culture. Others might say UT or downtown, and I won't dicker, but my vote would be 78704, hands down.

Steve

[Nor Cal Wahine]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Sorry about that! I take central austin seriously!! LOL

No worries. My hubby grew up in a house in Allandale. He's 51 now, and remembers the time before Mopac existed. Although they spend most of their time at their farm near Fredericksburg now, his folks STILL own that same house in Allandale. Hubby went to Anderson HS and UT and his father still teaches at UT. They take their beloved town pretty seriously, too.