Austin family oriented neighborhoods (Cedar Park, Anderson Mill: for sale, houses, best schools)

[albagal]

Hi,
I have been thinking of considering Austin, TX as a possible relocation place from Denver, CO. I have two children, ages 5 and 11, and would like to know if there are neighborhoods that are more family oriented, safe, attaractive parks, good schools and other amenities, but not too pricey. Researching on the Internet I found out that the Zip code 78746 has the best elementary and high school ratings, yet the price of homes sold there is a few times higher than what I can afford. I currently live in Highlands Ranch, with Douglas Co. schools ranking very high in the state, and our home of over 2300 sq. ft. was bought three years ago for $300,000. Any Austin areas that would be comparable? Thanks.

[atlanta hope]

We're in around the same price range. We're looking at Shady Hollow in the SW and also Balcones/Anderson Mill in the NW. Baranoff Elementary and Spicewood Elementary rank high.

You might like Circle C in the SW -- and there are a few other hoods around it and the schools are good.

[albagal]

What about high schools? Do these neighborhoods offer similar ratings? How far are they from UT campus? Are these older neighborhoods or can I find some newer homes for sale there too? Thanks for the quick response and look forward to some more info.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by albagal

Hi,
I have been thinking of considering Austin, TX as a possible relocation place from Denver, CO. I have two children, ages 5 and 11, and would like to know if there are neighborhoods that are more family oriented, safe, attaractive parks, good schools and other amenities, but not too pricey. Researching on the Internet I found out that the Zip code 78746 has the best elementary and high school ratings, yet the price of homes sold there is a few times higher than what I can afford. I currently live in Highlands Ranch, with Douglas Co. schools ranking very high in the state, and our home of over 2300 sq. ft. was bought three years ago for $300,000. Any Austin areas that would be comparable? Thanks.

Your strategy of starting with the school search is a good one. Find any school with a Recognized or Exemplary ratings and withing the attendance boundaries of those schools you'll find the neighborhoods in which those kids live, which will in most cases be family oriented with lots of stay at home moms, and an active community awareness, good parks/playgrounds, etc.

Steve

[Trainwreck20]

Atlanta Hope has targeted the two most mentioned areas for 'closer in', good schools, reasonably priced neighborhoods. But Steve is right, there is a fairly natural 'segergation' of young families to specific areas, and they put time and effort into the schools, which make them better, which in turn draws more young families. By 'young' family, I mean people that can't afford a house in Eanes ISD, for the most part . If you can, it is a very good school.

SW has a good mix of older and newer homes, and as a very broad generalization, are probably are selling for ~$120/ft, so a $300k house would be ~2,500 sq ft. Of course, that can vary quite a bit.

The NW area I am not as familar with, but the I am sure the mix of newer and older houses is similar. Not sure on the prices. Personally, having lived north and south, I prefer the commute in from the South.

[albagal]

What schools are in the Eanes ISD? What price range are homes of 2000 sq.ft+? Is it still Austin? Thanks.

[Trainwreck20]

Eanes is located in the city of Westlake, so most of the school district is in Westlake, although I am sure some of it extends into Austin, as well. The HS is Westlake HS, I am not sure what the names of the lower schools are. School districts are often drawn without regard to other politcal boundaries (counties, cities, etc.). Very few homes in this school district are <$300k, or at least that is my understanding. A realtor would know more about the area, but I think a 2000 sq ft home would easily run $400k plus, and average higher than that. There are always exceptions, but if it costs less than that, there is a reason. This is probably the most sought after district in central Texas, but I am not sure that it is worth the cost to live there.

Edit:
Just did a quick AustinHomeSearch search (House, 2000 sqft+, Eanes ISD, <$400k), and there are two house listed there under 300k, but one is unfinished. There are 6 or 7 that are under 400k.
As a point of comparison, I ran the same search (w/o Eanes) in 78749 (SW Austin) and hit 47 house <$300k and 16 between 300k and 400k. Most of these houses will feed into recognized or exemplary schools.

[Rae']

Cedar Park was named one of the top 10 places for a family by Family Circle in 2007.
Forest Oaks is the neighborhood I am working in and it is very family oriented. It has bike trails, walking trails, playgrounds, 2 swim centers, a basketball court, etc. The schools are Leander ISD, which are very good, as well as very close to the neighborhood. I'm not sure what part of Austin you guys are wanting to be near, but there is very convenient access from Forest Oaks to the highways and toll roads. The homes under $300K are between 2000 and 3000 square feet.

[llkltk]

Try zip code 78739. It includes some of the best schools in Austin.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by llkltk

Try zip code 78739. It includes some of the best schools in Austin.

Is that the Circle C area?