Northwest Austin

Canyon Creek

Canyon Creek is in Northwest Travis County off RM 620 and Boulder Lane. It is known for having quiet streets and larger lots with a lot of mature trees. The natural setting is enhanced by the community's proximity to the Balcones Canyonland Preserve. The preserve serves as the eastern boundary wrapping it from southwest side up to the northeast side. The neighborhood is accessed from RM 620, which is its primary boundary on the west side. Anderson Mill Road is to the north of the neighborhood.

Canyon Creek's location makes it ideal for employees of companies such as 3M, which is right around the corner on RM 2222 and Dell, which is accessible from RM 620. State employees, sheriff's deputies, school teachers and doctors all live in Canyon Creek. These are nuclear families with two adults with two to two and half children. More than 50 percent of them are college educated. It's a young community with an average age somewhere between 35 and 50.

Canyon Creek sits in the 78726 zip code. According to 2003 research by Claritas, the population for that zip code is 6,806 people, the median age is 35.7, median household income is $107,815 and children live in 47 percent of the households. Prices for homes in the neighborhood range from $215,000 to more than $500,000.

Liberty Hill

Driving from the Congress Avenue Bridge to the edge of Liberty Hill takes about 40 minutes on a holiday. That's 33 miles and a world away from downtown Austin.

Sitting a few miles from the western edge of Williamson County, Liberty Hill has gained plenty of attention from Central Texas residents seeking a small-town atmosphere in the increasingly urban Austin area. Liberty Hill is a small town with a long history. People have been living in the town for well over 100 years. However, the town was only incorporated a few years ago. Today there is a mayor and city council. The school district is a huge selling point for Liberty Hill. The test scores are consistently good and the class sizes are relatively small.

Numerous small businesses are clustered along the Liberty Hill stretch of Texas 29. This is some of the town's more valuable real estate. While there are plenty of businesses on the highway, there aren't many big name retailers. This can be attributed to the fact that Liberty Hill's sewer system is still a few years away from creation. Many franchises won't open stores unless a septic system is available.

Despite a busy presence on the four-lane Texas 29, the town's quiet-side lies just off the shoulder of the highway. The center of the old town of Liberty Hill features quaint buildings made of native stone some of which are probably a hundred years old. A railroad track runs through Liberty Hill. These tracks carry the Austin Steam Train Association's sightseeing train. There's a trackside restaurant near downtown that had a good breakfast crowd on a recent morning.

Many of the people moving to Liberty Hill today want a home that sits on an acre or more. The Sundance Estates and Sundance Ranch neighborhoods feature homes with brick or stone exteriors and traditional designs on large lots. Reytex Homes, Mercedes Homes and several custom builders build new homes in the neighborhoods. The Sundance neighborhoods are on the north side of Texas 29 while the older part of Liberty Hill is on the south side of Texas 29. This part of town is surrounded by small homes of varying ages and designs.

Because homes in Liberty Hill can range from small and manufactured to spacious and site-built, the range is great. Because homes in Liberty Hill can range from small and manufactured to spacious and site-built, the range is great.

Some of the smaller houses and manufactured houses start at $50,000 or $60,000 and go up to $100,000. If it's site-built, prices start around $100,000 and go up to $500,000. The majority of homes sold are between $150,000 and $250,000. The majority of homes that are sold in Liberty Hill range from 1,700 square feet to 2,700 square feet.

Foundation Park is near the Liberty Hill Junior High School and features baseball fields, walking, jogging tracks and a playscape. There are basketball courts and soccer fields near Sundance Ranch. None of the subdivisions have community pools. Liberty Hill has a public library.

For outdoor enthusiasts, the Highland Lakes are nearby. Marble Falls is 25 to 30 minutes away and Burnet is 10 to 20 miles away. Lake Georgetown is less than 15 minutes away.

Area students attend Liberty Hill Elementary, Liberty Hill Intermediate, Liberty Hill Middle School and Liberty Hill High School.

Marble Falls

The very name evokes iconographic images of the Texas Hill Country. Founded in 1887 by General Adam R. Johnson, Marble Falls is named for a twenty-foot fall over marble ledges high above the Colorado River. Of its many assets, the town's location stands out as its biggest draw. Residents enjoy the serenity of the Hill Country in a small town setting (the current population stands at 6,480), and the advantages inherent to having two large cities nearby. (Austin is a short forty-seven miles to the east, San Antonio lies 85 miles to the south.) Further, Marble Falls is rooted in the heart of the Highland Lakes, the largest chain of lakes in Texas. Miles of waterways and area rock formations didn't just suggest the name, they continue to define the very nature and character of the place.

According to the Marble Falls Chamber of Commerce, "it was here that the famed pink granite of the State Capitol Building was quarried, a donation from progressive area citizens in exchange for a rail connection with Austin." Today, the rock of the region continues to fascinate. Enchanted Rock State Park (where you can climb the second-largest granite dome in the United States), and Longhorn Cavern State Park, as rich in geological formations as the Texas folklore associated with them, are both just a short drive away, while Granite Mountain looms over the western edge of town.

Lake-lover? You'll feel right at home here. Centrally located amongst the Highland Lakes of Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis and Austin, just about every conceivable water sport can be enjoyed without having to head out of town. Golfer? There are seven all-year courses within a twenty-mile radius, including "fifty-four holes of Robert Trent Jones' finest work at Horseshoe Bay." Tennis facilities, swimming pools and horseback trails only begin to round out the picture. There's the Marble Falls Rodeo Association, the Hill Country Community Theater, several area vineyards, including Fall Creek, Flat Creek and Lost Creek, a first-run theater, restaurants that include the "world-famous" Bluebonnet Café, and an historic downtown shopping district along Main Street featuring more restaurants, antique and gift shops.

Marble Falls students are educated within the family of public schools run by the Marble Falls Independent School District. Easy to remember, the schools are Marble Falls Primary School, Marble Falls Elementary, Marble Falls Middle School, and Marble Falls High School. Private schools include Faith Academy of Marble Falls and St. Peter's Lutheran School. Higher education is taught at Texas Tech University Hill Country, Highland Lakes.

The City of Marble Falls provides water and wastewater services to the Marble Falls community. Residential and commercial customers also receive curbside garbage pickup services that the City of Marble Falls contracts out to BFI Waste. Utility accounts cover all City services and are presented to customers in one convenient bill.

Home prices range from the $70s to the $100s, unless you're looking for lakeside living for which you'll have to pay extra. For example, residences in the gated community of Meadowlakes on Lake Marble Falls begin at $110,000 but can go as high as $700,000 for waterfront sites, while luxury homes in Horseshoe Bay along Lake LBJ start at $200,000. Home styles range from 1920s-built cottages and ranch houses to contemporary dwellings built from the '70s up to present day.

Spicewood Springs/Balcones/Anderson Mill

Homebuyers who want an Austin metro home that expresses their individualism and provides easy access to excellent schoold, recreation, shopping, amd employers should look no further than Spicewwood Springs, Balcones, and Anderson Mill in northwest Austin. These neighborhoods have older trees and great canyon views, all within the 620 loop. Homes in these areas are all within the same median price range going from $185,000 to $400,000. All three neighborhoods have had different builders offering customization so homebuyers don´t have to settle for "tract homes." There are not a lot of homes that look alike. All three neighborhoods have active, involved neighborhood associations.

These neighborhoods are very connected to the high tech industry, going back to the days of when Texas Instruments was the big company out here, and are very attractive people who are entry to upper level management and connected to the tech world in some way, shape, or form. And, because so many people have relocated here for work for these tech employers with a global presence, it´s an are that enjoys rich cultural diversity. There are two school districts that serve the neighborhoods ? kids either go to schools in the Austin Independent School District or the Round Rock Independent School District ? and schools in both districts have earned high marks for the quality of education they provide.

Access to downtown, employers, and shopping is easy for area residents. There are several roads and highways that are available. There´s not any place in town that takes more than 20 minutes travel time, even in the worst traffic, if you know the area and know the streets to take. You´re also close to some of the best shopping centers in Austin - the Arboretum and the Gateway.

Avery Ranch

Located just 20 minutes northwest of Austin, the Avery Ranch Golf Course offers a variety of amenities, including a 15 acre driving range with chipping, putting, and bunker practice areas. But, Avery Ranch is more than just a golfing community, with distinctive features for every type of family or interest. Different neighborhoods with different pricing within Avery Ranch make the community affordable.

It´s a 1800 acre master planned community with entry level homes beginning in the $180,000´s as well as custom built homes. Avery Ranch is popular with young professionals, families, and empty-nesters who like the fact that it´s a master planned community with a strong Homeowners Association. It´s location next to Parmer Lane makes it an easy commute to shopping areas and Austin´s major employers, such as Texas Instruments, Time Warner, Dell, Abbot Laboratories, Dell, Motorola, Samsung, IBM, 3M, and National Instruments.

The community of Avery Ranch has been planned in such a way that the oak tree lined streets meander through the neighborhood, and trails connect to an abundance of places for families to walk, swim, or play. Avery Ranch is connected by miles of paths and trails that will take residents anywhere on the Ranch. Upon completion, the Regional Hike and Bike Trail will span 180 acres with access points throughout Cedar Park and Round Rock, allowing children to bike to school or to their friends homes without ever having to cross a major street.

Avery Ranch is located within the award winning Leander and Round Rock Independent School Districts.

Lakeline Ranch

Families with a passion for the great outdoors will love living in Lakeline Ranch in Leander. Located off FM 1431, Lakeline Ranch is a new development that offers the convenience of a master planned community in an acclaimed school district with access to great outdoor recreation that can only be found in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

Lakeline Ranch is the best of both worlds for families on the go. It´s a great opportunity for the ?waterbabies´ - people who love the water and love to go to the lake. People who enjoy the outdoor life, who love to fish and boat, go camping, hike, or ride mountain bikes, will love living in Lakeline Ranch. You´re only 25 minutes from Marble Falls, with lots of camping sites in Inks Lake and Lake LBJ. You´re also close to Jonestown, with it´s great park and dock.

Lakeline Ranch is located in the Leander School District, which offers it´s students great educational opportunities that include college freshmen-level curriculum, and the National Merit Scholar Program. Children living in Lakeline Ranch attend Whitestone Elementary School, Running Brushy Middle School, and Leander High school.

Homes in Lakeline Ranch are priced between $170,000 and $250,000. The community offers it´s residents an amenity center equipped with volleyball courts Frisbee golf activities, and even picnic tables and barbeque pits.

Leander

Located in the heart of Central Texas of Highway 183, Leander remains close to it´s roots even as it finds itself on the brink of a new future. The growth of Leander over the past few years has been phenomenal, as the Leander Independent School District has become the largest school district in Williamson County and the fastest growing school district in Texas. Surrounded by the natural beauty of lakes and rolling hills, Leander has a progressive government that has successfully managed the city´s rapid growth and encouraged new businesses to settle in the area.

Cedar Park

The town of Cedar Park, Texas is located on the northwestern edge of the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). This places Cedar Park adjacent to the Austin Technology Corridor. With this incredibly desirable location, Cedar Park is now the second fastest growing community in the entire state of Texas.

Just fifteen years ago, Cedar Park was a little bedroom community with just over nine thousand residents. Today, there are over 26,049 people living in Cedar Park. The average age of a resident here is thirty two years old. Residents here are overwhelmingly an educated group of people, and some reports even cite Cedar Park as having one of the most educated populations in the state. In fact, over eighty percent of locals here hold a college degree. Around half of residents hold a graduate degree or higher.

It is little surprise then that nearly half of the town's population is employed in a professional or managerial capacity. Following in a distant second, approximately seventeen percent of locals work in the service industry, while an additional fifteen percent of residents are employed in a sales capacity. The average household income in Cedar Park is well above the national average, coming in at around $67,527 per year.

Employment options are vast for Cedar Park residents. The town itself is gradually becoming a very important business hub for Central Texas. And residents here have easy access to the Austin metroplex. It is here that you will find the headquarters or significant bases of operations for such leading names as Dell Computer, the 3M Company, Selectron, SBC Communications, Texas Instruments, Motorola, and IBM.

Housing options in Cedar Park are a truly desirable mix of architectural and lot styles. The vast majority of homes in the area are single-family detached style houses. Most sit on large lots, with lushly manicured lawns, wide tree-lined avenues and pride of ownership evident at every turn.

Home ownership is the norm rather than the exception in Cedar Park. Here, approximately ninety three percent of residents choose to own rather than rent their homes. This gives Cedar Park the distinction of maintaining one of the highest home ownership rates in the nation and lends an additional layer of stability to the community. Home owners in the area have also benefited from steady appreciation of their homes' values over the years. As Cedar Park continues to be one of the most popular relocation destinations in Texas, this is a trend that shows no signs of slowing.

But even with healthy appreciation rates, home ownership remains within reach of nearly every resident. Recent real estate reports indicate that the average home purchase in Cedar Park is a three-bedroom model, with an average price of around $152,778. Potential home buyers will discover that the starting prices in Cedar Park are typically around the $100,000 mark. But more expansive executive style estates will stretch to well over $500,000 and beyond.

Residents here have a wealth of recreational and entertainment options to take advantage of in Cedar Park and the surrounding areas. The city of Austin enjoys the moniker of the "Live Music Capital of the World" and offers a nightly array of every imaginable style of music. The city also offers a variety of restaurants, cafes, artistic and cultural offerings.

Outdoorsmen find a haven in Cedar Park, as it is generally considered to be the gateway to the Texas Hills. This means that incredible natural beauty can be found in any direction. The Highland Lakes area offers several bodies of water that stem from the Colorado River. These include Auditorium Shores, Lake Buchanan, Town Lake, and the region's most popular recreation destination, Lake Travis.www.twincreeks.com