The REAL 10 Best Neighborhoods in Austin, Part II
One of the top two posts in this series
Earlier this week, I altered the direction of Austin neighborhood discourse forever with Part I of this series, and now I’m here to finish what I started with Part II. Enjoy!
Circle C: Contrary to a popular belief that I’ve painstakingly reinforced since day one on Twitter with scant evidence, this well-known but oft-punchlined suburb isn’t just middling weed, B-minus swinger parties, and tipsy wine moms. It’s actually pretty goddamn solid. With very good schools (including but not limited to Kiker, Gorzycki, and Bowie), sprawling parks, a healthy mix of restaurants and bars, and affordable housing costs relative to anything five miles north, The C’s got it going on. Just don’t drop my name if you crash a swinger party. (Median Home Price: $765,900).
Shady Hollow: Circle C’s older, more mature cousin (born in 1972), this place has a lot going for it, not the least of which is the word Shady in its name. It feels both established and new, with a solid range of housing price points, good schools, and an improving slate of bars and restaurants nearby. And, actually, a lot of shade, with an emphasis on mature trees in many of its neighborhoods (although the newer ones closer to Highway 45 have substantially less character and fewer trees). Bailey Middle School/Bowie High is a really solid feeder lineup for a good portion of the subdivision, and area amenities include several parks, a very nice pool, and gnarly traffic backups on Brodie several times a day. The last one isn’t a positive for normal people, but, hey, I think it lends character. (Median Home Price: $661,592.)
Hyde Park: Okay, all y’all who were concerned I was ignoring Central Austin in this installment can chill the F out. Although there seems to be a Hyde Park in every city, Austin’s is pretty cool and is fairly close to everything without ever feeling like it, bringing students, professionals, long-time residents, hipsters, and young families together in relative harmony. It’s Austin’s oldest suburb, but the architecture is diverse and varied in a way that makes it feel like an anti-suburb. Hyde Park’s dining/retail options are impressive and a bit quirky, and the AISD feeder system is also good, with Lamar/McCallum being the primary middle/high route (but with some families choosing Kealing/Austin High/LASA). (Median Home Price: $695,000.)
Great Hills: Although the name sounds A.I.-generated, this far NW Austin neighborhood tucked delicately in between 360 and 183 is a (relatively) hidden gem, albeit one that’s on the high end of this list’s prices. With a woodsy, suburban feel that’s anchored by a golf course (Great Hills Country Club), Great Hills still features diverse architecture, and the views and feel here are outstanding. Bonus (?): You’re never more than 10 minutes away from seeing deer. But it’s still only a stone’s throw to vibrant shopping/retail/recreational offerings, including the criminally underrated Arboretum and (a bit further) Austin FC’s Q2 stadium. The schools here are outstanding, straddling Austin ISD (Murchison Middle/Anderson High and, inexplicably, Round Rock ISD (Westwood High (one very famous alum)/Grisham Middle). (Median Home Price: $988,000.)
Montopolis: I’ll close with a bit of a wild card for the list. This up and coming SE Austin neighborhood may not be well known yet, but it has some good vibes, and is certainly the most affordable option on this list by a healthy margin, so it doesn’t come without downside. This includes crime, planes overhead at almost all hours, and (for now) some marginally ranked AISD school offerings, but this appears to be a solid bet to keep rising and the fact that its attracting so many folks from different backgrounds (and doing housing things that other Austin areas aren’t) looks like a good sign for its future. While it won’t be for everyone and shares some of the same gentrification issues as East Austin (which was on Part I of this list) there’s a lot to like about it. (Median Home Price: $400,000.)
Yes, I know I’ve left some very good hoods off of this list. Please hook me up with your favorites in the comments.
Where all my Circle C people at? This was the most exciting thing to happen to y'all since that Swinger Party at Ted and Stacy's.
Walnut Creek deserves a shoutout. It’s a planned community that encompasses Gracywoods, Quail Hollow and North Star. It’s covered in trees, the Walnut Creek Greenbelt runs through it and it has a great mix of single family homes, condos and apartments. There are some neat restaurants and the Northridge campus of ACC is right in the middle. It’s split between Pflugerville and Austin ISD’s but the AISD side is the cheapest place you can buy a house and be zoned to Anderson High