S/SW areas w/in 30 minute commute of 360 bridge (Austin: house, neighborhoods)

[dallasmom13]

My husband, infant son, and I are looking for a home in south or west Austin that will be w/in a 30 minute commute of the 360 bridge (around 7:30am/5pm). Budget $400k. Looking for sonethihg family friendly but still closer in to town. I realize Great Hills or similar area is much closer to 360 bridge but we prefer South Austin. How far south can we go without stretching the commute? Any neighborhood suggestions?

[atxcio]

If you prefer South Austin (I'm talking South, not Southwest like Circle C), then you might like Allandale in north central Austin. It has that older Austin feel with some of the cool in-town funkiness you'd get in places like SoCo. And it is a very easy commute, 2222 runs through Allandale and you just take it west to 360 and you'd end up right at the bridge, basically. There are traffic lights along the route, but the traffic is minor compared to the major N-S thoroughfares. Depending on where in Allandale you are it might be a 15 minute commute, but definitely less than 30. Pushing it a little farther east on 2222 (the name of the road changes as you go east) you could try Crestview.

South is tricky because the area south of the bridge on 360 becomes very pricy, so you have to go farther. I can't think of anywhere south that would be $400K and less than 30 minutes during rush hour. It's not so much the distance as the traffic on 360 or Mopac during rush hour -- so if the job is not regular hours then perhaps you can make it work.

[scm53]

I would look in the neighborhoods off SW Parkway like Travis Country West. You can easily get in a under ten year old home for that budget w/ great schools. The commute secret is to dodge 360 for the most part by going through Barton Creek to 2244 over Travis Cook Road. 360 is not great anywhere, but from 2244 N it isn't bad. I used to commute from Bee Cave to Duval and Mopac and consistently did it in 30 min both ways over 360 starting at 2244. No reason you can't do the same through Barton Creek.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by dallasmom13

My husband, infant son, and I are looking for a home in south or west Austin that will be w/in a 30 minute commute of the 360 bridge (around 7:30am/5pm). Budget $400k. Looking for sonethihg family friendly but still closer in to town. I realize Great Hills or similar area is much closer to 360 bridge but we prefer South Austin. How far south can we go without stretching the commute? Any neighborhood suggestions?

Great hills is similar to west austin. What is it that you like about south austin?

There are obviously areas like lakewood which are west, close and in your price range. I hardly ever recommend steiner, but steiner would be close in your case.

How big of a house are you looking for and what kind of amenities are you looking for close by?

[CarnivalGal]

Check out Lake Pointe.

[Raskolnikov]

Look at Lost Creek, in the Westlake area. Excellent schools, greenbelt access, and off 360. Also look at Travis Country. 400K would also buy you a great house in Southwest Austin which I think is the most family-friendly place to live in the entire city. (Excellent schools, restaurants, tons of green space, parks, trails). I'm talking about Circle C- Alta Mira, Meridian, Villages of Western Oaks/ Western Oaks, Legend Oaks... Back over in Westlake, there's Rollingwood which is gorgeous but probably beyond the price range.

[centralaustinite]

Just north of the bridge, but you could look in Jester! I think you can still get in there at $400K

[dallasmom13]

thanks for the help!

we want to be in south or southwest austin for a few reasons: we have extended family nearby, we like the vibe/laidback feel, and its closer to the airport (my husband travels 2-3 times a month). we like both travis country and travis country west, but can't decide if we should sacrifice a little on location in order to get a slightly better house, potential further south/southwest. we don't need a lot of space...looking for 2200-2700 sq feet, 3-beds, etc., but want some community amenities like a pool that our kid(s) can use.

how long would the commute be from circle c or even a little bit north of there, like legend oaks?

[Raskolnikov]

If you want amenities, a nice 2700 square foot house in a nice neighborhood, with kids, and an easy drive to the airport, look no further than Circle C, Western Oaks, (new) Villages of Western Oaks, etc. Take Mopac down to Slaughter Lane, exit Slaughter, go right (west) and just explore the whole area. New Alamo Drafthouse, tons of restaurants, a laid back feel, tons of hiking and parks, great grocery stores, and tons of kids. As far as how long the drive is, I'd say it depends on which part of Circle C you live in. If you lived "Deep" inside Circle C, it could add an extra 8 minutes just driving out of it to Mopac. If you live closer to the Alamo Drafthouse/ Slaughter Lane near the HEB, then maybe 25 minutes to the 360 bridge. Traffic is a crapshoot though.

Seriously, though, look at Lost Creek off 360. It's gorgeous. However, no amenties beyond a park and trails and maybe a pool.

I'm telling you, Circle C has all of that plus the greatest movie theater in the world (Alamo), restaurants, groceries, etc. etc. Just a little further out though.

[Raskolnikov]

One more thing - Southwest Austin in Circle C, Western Oaks, Legend Oaks, and Villages of Western Oaks are all very bikeable. I don't know if you guys ride bikes, but we shop at Whole Foods, go see movies at the Alamo, shop at HEB, breakfast at Kirby Lane, burgers at P Terry's, Torchy's Taco's... all from our bikes.