Moving within Austin (Anderson Mill, Lakeway, Quinlan: cliquey, mattress, house)

[whitefillet]

We currently live in ranch at brushy creek(feel cramped with small backyards and close proximity to neighbors) and are planning to move to a house with a view and a pool. With the new Apple campus opening on parmer I have a feeling its gonna get worse and parmer is going to be a nightmare.We looked at doing a custom build at Apache Shores but I dont think that fits our budget. The max we are willing to go is 600k. With that budget finding a home around Avery ranch/R@bc with a pool is difficult.We really liked a house in Steiner that fits all our criteria. My husband works at domain(mostly wfh) and I work at the Arboretum. I have heard a lot about the traffic situation on 620.When we say bad, how bad are we talking ?We are floored by the views and amenities(pool) this house in Steiner offers. We have a elementary aged kid so schools that are well rated are top priority which Steiner offers and are within the community which is a big plus.Should we go for Steiner ranch with a pool and views with avg sq ft price is $157 versus $220 sq ft around avery/r@bc and compromise on views and a pool? I know it's a personal choice and preference, but it's still very confusing. Need opinions. Tia!

[Austin97]

Not confusing at all. You talk about parmer possibly becoming a nightmare, 620/2222 is already a nightmare.

The difference in price 100% reflects the location.

[texasgirl1]

Where would you have to commute for work? The 620/2222 intersection is terrible from 6:30 am - 8:30 am. It takes most 35-45 min to go 5-7 miles to the high school......but then again, where in Austin is traffic not bad?

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by texasgirl1

Where would you have to commute for work? The 620/2222 intersection is terrible from 6:30 am - 8:30 am. It takes most 35-45 min to go 5-7 miles to the high school......but then again, where in Austin is traffic not bad?

most of the local roads are fine. If you have multiple roads to get someplace you dont get hit by accidents.

My commute has been 5-15 minutes for the last 20 years so luckily I have never experienced austin traffic.

[whitefillet]

My husband works at domain but mostly works from home and I work at the Arboretum but timings for me are flexible.
Other than traffic, is there anything else folks dont like about Steiner?

[Skipito]

My info may be outdated, as it was mid 00's when I lived there, but here's what I experienced. I lived in Steiner from 07-09 and R@BC from 11-16. Not all are negatives or things people don't like.

- A little bit "Stepford", although probably not that much different than R@BC - albeit you won't have the % of South Asian in Steiner that you do in R@BC. Kids were fairly pressed to do the "keeping up with the Jones'" thing. It's still a suburban monoculture, with a slight bit more racial diversity in Steiner. VERY cliquey.

- Traffic was MURDER. If you're like me and routinely forget to pick something up on an errand run, you'll rip your hair out at the thought of bumping down N Quinlan again and dealing with the 2222/620 intersection. It's way worse than anything on Parmer.

- Not a whole lot to do nearby. Couple of restaurants, a few mattress stores and some basic service businesses, but you're basically trapped on a bit of an island.

- Very kid-friendly. Tons of pocket parks and the negative of the "island effect" is also a positive in that there's not as many random people around. I had no issues letting my 7 year old go to the park at the end of the street with her neighbor kid friends. Expect a full house summer days if you have that pool...

- Lake proximity is not as convenient as you think, at least for Lake Travis. For Lake Austin, they've got their own boat ramp and dock. I have a boat, so this was kind of a big deal to me.

- HEB at 620/2222 sucks. It's worth the extra drive to go to the Anderson Mill/620 one.

- Getting to and from ABIA is an absolute nightmare, unless you're taking 6:30 AM flights out, but coming back home you'll be hosed.

- The views during your traffic-filled commutes are much nicer.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by whitefillet

My husband works at domain but mostly works from home and I work at the Arboretum but timings for me are flexible.
Other than traffic, is there anything else folks dont like about Steiner?

Only 2 exits out puts them at risk during a wildfire. There is a large wildfire risk out there.

My favorite stuff is in central austin and I would never live in steiner for that reason. How often will you eat at restaurants on the east side? Most cool new things will get built centrally. In my view if you live out in steiner you can literally live in any masterplanned community in the country.

Most of our friends also have slowly migrated central so all our friends are now central

Steiner culture is heavily materialistic.

[DMChicago]

Originally Posted by Skipito

- HEB at 620/2222 sucks. It's worth the extra drive to go to the Anderson Mill/620 one.

While I don't agree that the Four Points HEB "Sucks", have you tried the lakeway one? Closer than Anderson Mill, no?

[Skipito]

Originally Posted by DMChicago

While I don't agree that the Four Points HEB "Sucks", have you tried the lakeway one? Closer than Anderson Mill, no?

Like I said, it could be outdated. We are talking over a decade ago, so I don't know if they've remodeled the 4 corners one.

I think the Anderson Mill one is closer, or at least always felt closer because I wasn't trying to avoid getting pulled over for doing 47 in a 45 in Lakeway.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by whitefillet

We currently live in ranch at brushy creek(feel cramped with small backyards and close proximity to neighbors) and are planning to move to a house with a view and a pool. With the new Apple campus opening on parmer I have a feeling its gonna get worse and parmer is going to be a nightmare.We looked at doing a custom build at Apache Shores but I dont think that fits our budget. The max we are willing to go is 600k. With that budget finding a home around Avery ranch/R@bc with a pool is difficult.We really liked a house in Steiner that fits all our criteria. My husband works at domain(mostly wfh) and I work at the Arboretum. I have heard a lot about the traffic situation on 620.When we say bad, how bad are we talking ?We are floored by the views and amenities(pool) this house in Steiner offers. We have a elementary aged kid so schools that are well rated are top priority which Steiner offers and are within the community which is a big plus.Should we go for Steiner ranch with a pool and views with avg sq ft price is $157 versus $220 sq ft around avery/r@bc and compromise on views and a pool? I know it's a personal choice and preference, but it's still very confusing. Need opinions. Tia!

I live in Steiner. The traffic is worse than you can ever imagine. It routinely takes me 45 minutes to go about three miles (from the entrance of Steiner to 2222/McNeil). Once you get past the high school, it's not too bad. But the 620/2222 intersection is absolutely ridiculous.