What are the “premier” suburbs of Austin? How would you classify each suburb? (construction, private school)

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

What is wrong with just rating the suburbs? The point of this forum is to get insight. Are you offended that posters are rating via tiers? Get over it.

Everyone has different criteria is the problem. If you were going to do a generic rating, you could just do it by $/sq ft. The areas with the higher $/sq ft will be more "premier" and just be done with it.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by axorb

I am fairly convinced "Great Hills" neighborhood and "oak hill/legend oaks" are the best <$1 million dollar areas in this city. Oak hill has a slight edge as it has 10/10 schools with houses <$600k while great hills (78759/78750) is touching 900k.

No offence to Steiner Ranch, Round Rock or Leander , excellent neighborhoods with great schools but they are just too out there with limited entertainment and night life options and the commute is horrendous once the traffic would be back to normal

Traffic is pretty bad in the Oak Hill area (around the Y especially) but they are about to construct the Oak Hill Tollway so maybe traffic will improve in 5 years.

[lake825]

out of the hill country places mentioned, which one is the liveliest for families in terms of stuff going on in the neighborhoods, at the pools and such? do people have to drive downtown if remote workers want to get out of the house? thanks!

[axorb]

Originally Posted by lake825

out of the hill country places mentioned, which one is the liveliest for families in terms of stuff going on in the neighborhoods, at the pools and such? do people have to drive downtown if remote workers want to get out of the house? thanks!

If money is not a concern then I would say Steiner Ranch, you are right by the lake and if you or your friend owns a boat its a lot of fun for kids and families. Riverplace would be a close second (only because schools in steiner are better rated) followed by neighborhoods near dripping springs.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by axorb

I agree, i am not bitter just disappointed. I have no remorse, just a hiccup in a long winding road that is called life. Round rock is an excellent place for some folks. But for some city life is better

Don't be disappointed. Since you're going to be living in your home for at least several years, try and enjoy it. Trust me, there are lots of things available to do in Round Rock, especially if you have a family. The City government IMO is one of the best and constantly thinking of improvements to the city. That type of leadership instills confidence.

If you need any guidance as to things to do, restaurants and such, I'd be more than happy to help you. I am a native New Yorker, so I definitely know city life. I was a city dweller for 28 years and NEVER WANT TO GO BACK to city living. That would explain part of my decision to move to a suburb. The other part was family - I wanted my kids to live in a quieter, slower paced environment and attend good schools. Lastly, I am enamored with the actual area in which I live...leafy and near trails and nature, reminds me of some of the suburban areas in New York. You need to like where you live.

Prices have increased all across the board - the entire metro area is becoming unaffordable. My mom was hunting for a home below 275k in RR and Pflugerville and was in a good neighborhood and encountered difficulty. She ended up having to move farther out than she would have wanted.

Of the places in your price range, the Cat Hollow house you chose was the better selection. Not because I am a Round Rock homer but because it zones to great schools and Brushy Creek is a great area. There are trails and 620 is only going to get more retail as the years go by. Cherish that wilderness, because in no time it will be paved for yet another new construction neighborhood :/ I tried my best to move as far as I could away from further development but it isn't to be....Your neighborhood has perfect access to Austin and is near the Metrorail, which can take you into downtown Austin for those nights where you want to party. You definitely will not lose money on that house...

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by axorb

And as for restaurants sure maybe i can get to salt lick bbq or moonshine or one or two breweries but thats about all there is in 10 mile radius ?

You need to get out more. There are dozens and dozens of restaurants in the suburbs that are just as good as those in downtown.

But you are correct with "different strokes for different folks".

[lake825]

Originally Posted by axorb

If money is not a concern then I would say Steiner Ranch, you are right by the lake and if you or your friend owns a boat its a lot of fun for kids and families. Riverplace would be a close second (only because schools in steiner are better rated) followed by neighborhoods near dripping springs.

sorry don't mean to take over this thread here - but not sure what the proper rules are - what if I will be driving to private school so don't need the schools, just want a social neighborhood with pool, close to water, with views, price not outrageous

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by lake825

sorry don't mean to take over this thread here - but not sure what the proper rules are - what if I will be driving to private school so don't need the schools, just want a social neighborhood with pool, close to water, with views, price not outrageous

start a new thread

budget, where is the school located? where is work located? Square footage, age etc..

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by lake825

sorry don't mean to take over this thread here - but not sure what the proper rules are - what if I will be driving to private school so don't need the schools, just want a social neighborhood with pool, close to water, with views, price not outrageous

Steiner fits that bill, but the driving to private school would be the only catch. Traffic here sucks (I live in Steiner). Like really sucks. Like I dare say worst in the city. That said, people do it. There are a lot of car pools to/from private schools, which eases the pain a little bit.

With that said, we have a private lake club, access to the lake, great views, 3 community centers with pools, 18 miles (I think) of hike and bike trails, dozens of playgrounds, tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts, every neighborhood sport you can imagine, clubs and classes like cycling, Tai Chi, yoga, etc, and really active neighborhood. There seems to always be something going on at one of the parks. Concert in the park, 5K races (which we make a celebration of with bounce houses, local food trailers, music, etc), Easter egg hunts (also an event with petting zoos, local food places, etc), you get the idea. A lot of these events are neighborhood sponsored, some aren't. And a lot of the individual neighborhoods, depending on where you live, are also really active. Pre-COVID, our cul-de-sac would host block parties all the time. And we're not the only ones. It seems like every neighborhood goes all out on Halloween and 4th of July with block parties. We drag our grill out to the curb, put on some music, have games out there, etc. Tons of people do this. We really do love that about this area.

But the traffic is no joke. No way I would make the commute to downtown or private school or anywhere during rush hour. The median home price here is about $550K, average home price is about $650K. But houses start at about $400K and can go up to $5 million. Houses here, especially ones on the lower end of the price scale, sell within days and right now, they are selling for pretty much full-price. Zip code is 78732 if you want to check out Realtor.com or AustinHomeSearch.com to get an idea of what's for sale and what you can get for the money.

[doobidge]

It's a pretty straight forward question that deserves a straight forward answer.

Top district: Eanes ISD
Almost every campus rated 9 or 10

Eanes is regarded as not only the best in Austin, but the best in the entire state:
Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

Look in zip codes 78746 and 78733 for homes in this district.





The second tier districts:
Lake Travis ISD,
Dripping Springs ISD,
Leander ISD. (all schools rated 6-10)

on the border of 2nd and 3rd tier: Round Rock ISD*

The third tier districts
Pflugerville ISD
Austin ISD*

Fourth tier districts
Manor ISD
Del Valle ISD


* has some GREAT schools (LASA, Westwood), but the overall district has some really bad schools (rated 3-5) dragging down the overall score