Opinions on Lakeway/Lake Travis area? (live, car, ticket)

[orionid]

Another question is ... where do people work when they live near Lake Travis? Do they go out to the center of industry (which appears to be 290?), or are there jobs nearby? Is the commute horrible?
I'm specifically looking for something in the green industry; project management or something like that.

Thanks!

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by orionid

Does anyone have more info about Alta Vista? ANYTHING would help.

We drove through there and noticed the streets were very narrow and without sidewalks; is this normal? Nice homes on good sized lots (some anyway), but how is the neighborhood? People? Home quality? It's close to the HS and MS right?

I have spent very little time in Alta Vista. It is directly across 620 from the HS and LTMS. It is congested in the morning and in the afternoon when the kids get out of school. Great breakfast tacos at the Texaco station!

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by orionid

Another question is ... where do people work when they live near Lake Travis? Do they go out to the center of industry (which appears to be 290?), or are there jobs nearby? Is the commute horrible?
I'm specifically looking for something in the green industry; project management or something like that.

Thanks!

I don't think 290 is the center of industry. I don't actually think there is such a place in Austin.

I work near the Arboretum, about 26 miles from my home. The commute isn't wonderful, but it also isn't horrible. I like living where I live so much that the commute is worth it.

[FalconheadWest]

People work all over just like any other place in the area. A good portion of people over here also work from home, like me. My husband also works from home and his customers are scattered all over from Dell in Round Rock to Freescale near 290 to many others.

Many of the parents of the kids my daughter goes to preschool with also work from home. It's a great convenience as you only have to leave for appts outside the home every so often.

[Loon Lake]

We are considering moving to Lake Travis in the next year or so. My husband is originally from Austin and went to Westlake high school. We currently have a 2.5 year old and a 7 month old and I am really looking to get some information about the area. We would be moving from The Woodlands and I wanted to know if anyone had any information about the different neighborhoods. Which neighborhoods tend to be the most family friends? Do some neighborhoods have more young families than others? Is Lake Travis a close nit community, are kids playing and parents hanging out together in the streets? We also like custom homes and are just trying to figure out which area would be the best fit for our family. i would really really appreciate any information about the elementary school and the neighborhoods! Thank you

[hoffdano]

The various areas or communities in the general Lake Travis area vary widely in feel and personality.

I'd say Lakepointe is very family friendly. From the beginning it was a bit more affordable and had its own elementary school.

Then you have highly HOA controlled McMansion areas like Rough Hollow....and gated communities like the Uplands and the Hills of Lakeway.

Lakeway is somewhere in the middle. Started out decades ago as a vacation and retirement area but now loaded with families. The City substitutes for an HOA but it is less intrusive and not corrupted by contracts with propane suppliers.

I live in Spicewood, a bit off the beaten path. More room, quieter, less controlled, and lower taxes (no city of Austin taxes).

One consistent element in general is good schools throughout. The elementary schools vary a bit - mostly from the demographics of the families whose kids attend them. But good schools across the board.

[bossh0g]

Originally Posted by love roses

It's the busiest and craziest lake in Austin (especially on holidays), and only when the levels are very low or very high (bacteria issues or inaccessability to ramps) do they close it down. It was at record lows this year due to the drought but is a little higher right now.

Don't know about the other things, although Lake Travis ISD is one of the few highest rated school districts in the area.

it still beats belton lake

[G Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Lakeway is somewhere in the middle. Started out decades ago as a vacation and retirement area but now loaded with families. The City substitutes for an HOA but it is less intrusive and not corrupted by contracts with propane suppliers.

I lived in Lakeway for just 9 months, then moved to Circle C. Circle C is an HOA community, but I find it less oppressive than Lakeway, I think mostly because in Lakeway there were police everywhere, just waiting for you to go 1 MPH over the speed limit. They were so overbearing on this, it made us feel like the police were constantly watching. This is significant, as in many places, you have to drive quite a way within Lakeway to get out to the highway. I never got a ticket, by the way. Lakeway is nice in lots of ways, but I would just not characterize the City as less intrusive than an HOA. I think Hoffdano is right that some areas (like Rough Hollow) are super controlled, and that there is not propane corruption.

[hoffdano]

I lived in Lakeway for 12 years. Yes the police are present. They are famous for that - but I still drive through it regularly and don't have a problem with tickets. I think the police have backed off some of the enforcement.

The architecture review board (or whatever it is called) can be intrusive, but homes in Lakeway don't look as controlled or uniform as they do in the upscale HOA areas. Lakeway has an active volunteer community and they do a lot.

Of course it was too controlled for me - that's why I moved. But I want to puke every time I drive through Rough Hollow and the bald hills they create before building McMansions.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

I lived in Lakeway for 12 years. Yes the police are present. They are famous for that - but I still drive through it regularly and don't have a problem with tickets. I think the police have backed off some of the enforcement.

I have had a conversation on this very subject with Todd Radford, Lakeway Chief of Police. He said Lakeway police will not ticket anyone under five miles over the speed limit. May have been that way in the past. Isn't now.