Does this neighborhood exist: 10 miles or less from downtown, safe, family friendly... (to rent, schools)

[CelesteDF]

Originally Posted by dweej

The proximity to downtown is *my* preference because I like to have access to everything that a city has to offer and would rather not have to drive 40 minutes to get there. When you have kids, the extra few minutes driving can be the difference between doing lots of cool stuff and just sitting around the house. <snip>And I'd like to be north or east of downtown (easier access to Houston and Austin)<snip> And a fixer is absolutely right up our alley. Granite countertops and stainless appliances wouldn't really sell me on a house, but walking distance to a great school really would.

I highly recommend the Tobin Hill neighborhood. Unlike Mahncke Park, you still have plenty of 3-2 options under $200K in pretty good shape that only need minor fixing up. The neighborhood is 5 minutes from downtown, 5 minutes from The Quarry, and walking distance to Hawthorne Elementary, a well-respected PK-8 public charter school.

Parts of Tobin Hill have been designated as a historic district, and the area is considered to be very "up and coming" due to the great housing stock and proximity to the Pearl Brewery & River North re-development areas. If you're looking at a map of the area, you could generally say that Tobin Hill is bounded by San Pedro to the west, Hwy 281 to the east, Woodlawn/Mistletoe to the north and I-35 to the south. That's a rough outline...

Good luck with your search... if you need a realtor referral, I worked with a great one who specializes in these close-in neighborhoods and knows about lots of properties before they even come on the market. I got my house before it was listed in MLS and it's a truly amazing place... can DM you the info.

[SanAntoQT]

Originally Posted by dweej

This is gorgeous to me. Would be waaaaaaaaaaay out of our price range if this same house were here, so I can't believe we might be able to have something like that someday. That's the kind of thing that makes me willing to leave my beloved city...

Thanks to everyone for all these posts and suggestions. Very much appreciated!

St. Pius X on Harry Wurzbach is the Catholic Church in that area . St. Pius has a school, as well.

[googie2525]

I'm with Northwood too - big lots, old trees, wide streets, basically in Alamo Heights really and a straight shoot to downtown via Broadway.

[Chaka]

You just described my neighborhood - Lavaca, walking distance to downtown.

Listings are higher than you want, but they're sitting on the market for a long time and those that have finally sold have sold for a lot less than asking, so it's worth a look.

[713 to 210]

Where is Lavaca?

[SanAntoQT]

Originally Posted by 713 to 210

Where is Lavaca?

Just south of downtown...southtown.

[quest51210]

monte vista, king william, deco district, etc...

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by 713 to 210

Where is Lavaca?

Broad boundaries are Durango to the north, I-37 to the East, St. Mary's to the West and Hwy 90 to the South. I say 'broad' because when most people refer to Lavaca they mean the area north of Florida/Carolina Sts. At this point, I think only the area north of Carolina is historic.

It's wear Victoria Courts used to be.

[fierce_flawless]

I love love love Tobin Hill. I see it being great, and love it "as is" for that matter. We couldn't quite afford it.... we were close, but no cigar, so we couldn't buy there. We did live there for a while (renting) and the other day I was over there, having breakfast tacos at El Milagrito on St. Mary's, wishing we lived there.

I know it has a good rep but we didn't like Hawthorne (or Travis elementary either, on Main) as far as elementary schools "over there", FWIW. I've never let school issues keep me from living wherever I want though. Too many charter schools to choose from and I'm willing to drive to deal with that issue, so it's worked out fine for us.

[TXRose]

Try the Oak Meadow neighborhood. Its about 20 - 25 minutes from downtown, depending on lights/traffic. Walking distance to the elementary school - Oak Meadow Elem right on the boundary of the neighborhood. MS is Jackson. HS is Churchill.

Also, the Castle Park and Oak Glen Park neighborhoods on the west side of blanco about 1/2 mile outside Loop 410. Near Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Part of the area is Castle Hills Elem. MS is Eisenhower. HS is Churchill.

I guess the public library for both areas would be either Cody near Wurzbach & Vance Jackson or the Brook Hollow library off Heimer.