Looking to move to Austin from the Houston area (Round Rock: apartments, rental homes)

[misty2010]

I am looking to move to the Austin area, my brother currently lives in the Cedar Park area and they love it. I have been looking in that area and also in the 78726 area code, does anyone have any suggestions as to which is a better area? Or any other good areas on the North- Northwest side of town. I want somewhere safe (low crime), with good schools, I have 3 school age kids. I also wanted to know how diverse it is in these areas because my kids are mixed (white & black) and I don't want them to run into any problems in school.

Any suggestions will be appreciated

[Mrs.JT]

Cedar Park sounds like it would be a good fit for you. It's become fairly diverse, so your children shouldn't have a problem.

The 78726 zip code looks pretty nice. I wasn't familiar with that area, but I looked it up, and it looks like it's fairly close to the lake off of 620. That should be a really nice area, but I'm not sure if you'll see a whole lot of diversity.

If you don't mind my asking, what's your price range? There are some areas of Round Rock that you might be interested in - Walsh Ranch, Hidden Glen, Lake Forest and Forest Creek.

[misty2010]

I'm looking to rent either a house or apartment in the $1000-$1100 range

[eepstein]

Many Austin suburbs look similar to Houston suburbs. Katy, Leander and Cedar Park are virtually identical. Flat, treeless, and lots of tract homes 5 feet from each other! Both are low on crime and have decent schools.
If you MUST move to the Austin suburbs, I would personally find someplace along 620 west of 183 and Anderson Mill. Steiner Ranch has some real high end people living there. You will find some of those famous "tall austin bushes" that resemble short trees. Lakeway area is also a decent place to be, but that 2222 commute might drive you nuts!! I did it for 2 years back when I first moved here and I lived in an apartment on 620.

Of course, I would also have to recommend Avery Ranch. Although fairly flat, the homes are very diverse in areas and its great for familes. The whole area is virtually free of hicks and rednecks. (accept for a few isolated areas west of Parmer and AR road) As long as you don't venture into west RR where AR road becomes Oconner, you should be fine.

Originally Posted by misty2010

I am looking to move to the Austin area, my brother currently lives in the Cedar Park area and they love it. I have been looking in that area and also in the 78726 area code, does anyone have any suggestions as to which is a better area? Or any other good areas on the North- Northwest side of town. I want somewhere safe (low crime), with good schools, I have 3 school age kids. I also wanted to know how diverse it is in these areas because my kids are mixed (white & black) and I don't want them to run into any problems in school.

Any suggestions will be appreciated

[misty2010]

thanks for the great advice, I am going to check into some of those areas!

[Mrs.JT]

The price range you're looking at might pose a few obstacles. Do you want to be close to your brother? If not, you might want to look into Pflugerville. There is plenty of diversity in Pflugerville, and depending upon what zone you live in, the schools in the district are pretty good. I would look into Falcon Pointe, Black Hawk, Villages of Hidden Lake, Avalon and Highland Park. You might be able to find a house to rent at your price point.

Good luck and welcome to Austin!

[mark311]

Yes, if you want a house in that price range and you want to stay close to Cedar Park, then you should probably look at Leander. It's further away from Austin, but still very close to Cedar Park. However, I wouldn't consider Cedar Park or Leander diverse.

[hound 109]

Given your desire for "good schools", diversity & you wanting to rent a home (or apartment) for 1K give or take.....I'd look at neighborhoods & / or nice apartments that feed into McNeil HS (or maybe Round Rock High School)

It's a RRISD HS (after Westwood, their top two HS's).....& both are culturally diverse. (Look at Greatschools.net for exact ethnic make up & test scores). After you map out these high schools (from the RRISD web site), you can dial down to MS & Elementaries....& from there locate exact neighborhoods (or apt. complexes).

This area is just south (& possibly a bit east) & probably 5-10 min. from Cedar Park & far more diverse than CP (imo). I'd bet there are hundreds of APTs & dozens of rental homes in that area.

Basically put a pin at the corner of Parmer & Anderson Mill Road & draw a 5 -7 mile circle around it.

Good luck.