Young family relocating - question about SW Austin (Circle C/Legend Oaks) (Barton Creek: houses, neighborhood)

[Trainwreck20]

Why don't you go and ask the Clayton principal how many kids are transfers.

Or just look it up....

Clayton:
http://archive.austinisd.org/schools.../227901184.pdf

That is the last year that I found the data in as convenient a format. Anyway, 41 inbound transfers, 36 outbound.

[AMJ27]

Originally Posted by llkltk

Transplant, I knew it. You do not know my political leanings. I have a ton of friends who live in CC and they are all Republicans. Anyway, the whole liberal city of Austin thinks CC'rs are conservative gun lovers, so despite what you tell yourself, you will always be classified as living in a conservative neighborhood.

Yeah, I'm a transplant. That's not news. Didn't you read my post before? I lived in the Chicagoland area until 2 years ago, remember? Circle C is full of transplants (which is another reason why I like it). I was saying that my neighbors, who consider themselves Democrats, were born and raised in Texas.

That's nice and all that you are friends with Circle C Republicans. I'm friends with many of them as well. I never said there weren't any, and I could care less what my neighborhood is "classified" as. I was merely, from the beginning, trying to point out that there are many of us, to my surprise after I moved here, that are liberal. For some reason, you have some issue with this observation of mine and don't want to allow me to express it.

[AMJ27]

Originally Posted by llkltk

You are another misinformed poster. Meridian kids went to Kiker and not Clayton. Why don't you go and ask the Clayton principal how many kids are transfers. There are a ton. That is why the East Austin schools have low enrollment. It's an AISD policy and they can attend wherever they want to as long as there is space. Clayton, Baldwin and Kiker are now closed to transfers, but there are many that are already there. Geez, people face the facts.

Sure...I'll call the Principal over at Clayton and bother her to find out how many transfers are currently at the school. She has nothing better to do than end a dispute on an internet message board. Why don't you call if you are so sure that the school is flooded with transfers to prove your point?

Or we could look at the numbers that Trainwreak provided from AISD showing that there were 41 transfers (out of school of 900) three years ago. I know I'm just a "misinformed" poster, but I would guess that if the school is closed to transfers that the number would likely not exceed 40 or so transfers out of 900 students. Am I missing something?

[jclimber99]

Originally Posted by Lunawink

Back to the OP - I have to second the person who suggested Travis Country West/Lantana, etc. - there are a bunch of nice subdivisions right off of Southwest Parkway that will make your commute super easy,

Commuting to SW Parkway is pretty easy from anywhere in S. Austin. I live off of Westgate and can get to William Cannon/290 in Oakhill in about 10 minutes via William Cannon. SW Parkway is just a another minute or two past that light on William Cannon (can bypass thru Vega as well), no need to ever get on Mopac.

Living in the Oakhill area would also be pretty convenient to get to SW Parkway. There's also Shady Hollow which isn't that far away either (but getting out thru Brodie Lane in the morning can be tedious).

Zilker area would put you close to the park and all the cool stuff along S. Lamar, but housing there is expensive.

Cheers,
-Jason

[JERiv]

My two cents based on my experience living in Circle C:

1) On "Austin vibe", regardless of how much I may like living here, or how great I think it is, it's still suburbia. So you won't see much of that unless you start going much closer to the city.

2) I've been here 3 years, and have no idea about the political leanings of my neighbors. Personally, my family is very progressive. But I doubt my neighbors know, though. And don't buy all of that "it's democrat/republican/liberal/conservative based on my experience" stuff, because it's all anecdotal. It's definitely less liberal than the city center, but at the same time, it's definitely less conservative than the outskirts/rural/rest of Texas. Most folk are happy following the "live and let live" rule.

3) I'd advise renting first. Get a feel for the areas you're interested in. Then go with the place that fits best. Took us a year to figure out Circle C was the place we were interested in.

Good luck in your search!

[Cecile Monnie]

Originally Posted by pfelds

My husband, toddler and I will be moving to Austin in a few weeks for my job which is located on Southwest Parkway. We are originally from NY but arriving to Austin via South Florida where we have lived for the past five years. We are looking to rent a home in either Legend Oaks and Circle C because of its proximity to my job, from what I hear commuting on the Mopac is a bit of a nightmare. We are looking to live in a place that still retains some of that "Austin vibe" and is diverse and liberal and has a healthy amount of young families. Do either of these places fit the bill? Will we feel out of place in either location being liberal Jews? We are also thinking about Hyde Park, but are finding rents to be pretty crazy and obviously we won't be getting as much for our money.

Any insight would be very much appreciated!

We are a very liberal Jewish family recently moved from NJ and living in Circle C. I grew up in Houston, so I vaguely recall the schools being open during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It was still a little of a culture shock returning here--being Jewish in Texas. However, I am impressed with the diversity of the neighborhood, at least the one in which I am living (zoned to Clayton). We do not quite have the Austin vibe, but we are not very far from it. The people here are extremely friendly and connections are easily made (Jewish or otherwise). If you want a Jewish connection on any level, you will find it.

[jd411]

Circle C wouldn't be that bad of a commute to SW Parkway. Now, if you changed jobs and had to commute up to North Austin, that would be tough.

Circle C is a desirable suburb in close proximity to downtown (~12 miles). It doesn't have much Austin Vibe, but you are close enough to downtown to get that when you want it. The closest thing to an Austin vibe neighborhood where families might live is probably Hyde park, just north of downtown.

You have pretty much everything you need in SW Austin in terms of shopping/conveniences though. You also are pretty close to Bee Cave/Galleria, which is a nice area.

Slaughter Creek Park is in the middle of Circle C and its a really great park. When we lived in SW Austin, we went there often. Soccer fields, ~2 mile greenbelt trail, disc golf, playscape for kids, basketball court, etc.

[CptnRn]

I live in Legend Oaks and do not find it or Circle C to be extremely conservative. The area has a mix of all kinds. There are two Jewish families that I know of on my street. I consider myself liberal, but not an extremist. The area is moderate more then anything, the majority votes Democratic more often then they do Republican. But everybody gets along just fine. The traffic is rarely ever bad or heavy in Circle C or Legend Oaks.

What is so great about Legend Oaks & SW Austin

[clarksvillemom]

I'd also look at the Far West area. You can get down Mopac at certain hours quickly. At others, it's a parking lot.

[velardern]

I live in Legend Oaks and don't encounter really any traffic regardless of what time I leave...I'm in healthcare sales, so I leave at various hours. I usually head to Williiam Cannon to access 290 and it takes less than five minutes to get on the highway. You stated you would be working off Southwest Parkway, so you can take William Cannon to Southwest Parkway.

As far as the neighborhood...we're renting and we love it. It's a safe neighborhood with a great grocery store down the street and a new Whole Foods that opened on William Cannon. It's very family oriented with a lot of children in the neighborhood and stay at home moms. The same goes for Circle C. I think part of Legend Oaks attends Patton elementary which is exemplary rated. The AISD school system, while not rated great, does have some great schools. You just have to look at the school's for the area/house you're looking at.

One thing that I did look at prior to moving is where the sex offenders are. While I realize they can be anywhere, I have yet to find one in our neighborhood. You should be able to access this info by googling Texas state and sex offenders.

I wouldn't worry too much about religion or political status. Everyone on this side of town is extremely friendly. We lived on this side of town in 2008 and chose to move back to the area because of the family feel.

Good luck house hunting!