Northeast Austin

Harris Branch

Harris Branch used to be a best-kept-secret sort of neighborhood, but Austin's growth has made it hard to miss. A prime location between U.S. 290 to the south and Parmer Lane to the north makes Harris Branch accessible to many fast-growing areas including Manor and Pflugerville.

Children in kindergarten through fifth grade attend Bluebonnet Trail elementary in the community. Older children attend Manor Middle School and Manor High School. The high school is fairly new and Geller says it has a great theater arts department.

Community facilities include a Junior Olympic-size swimming pool; fitness center; tennis and one-on-one basketball courts. There are walking and jogging paths through the community and it's dotted with small lakes and large ponds. One of the ponds is at the entrance on U.S. 290. Many homes are built around the ponds or small lakes.

Homeowners pay annual dues of $316 annually. That covers fees for the recreational facilities.

Geller says Harris Branch is a master-planned community or a planned-unit development. That means it is designed to accommodate retail sites, single-family homes, apartments, schools, churches and libraries. Applied Materials' high-tech manufacturing facility is within Harris Branch.

It consists of six different residential sections at this time. The first two sections are Lakewood north and south. The other four sections are Meadowview, Thistle Hill, Bellhaven and Speyside.

Prices for existing homes range from the low $120s to the low $200s. Geller says it is very affordable. Sizes range from 1,530 square feet up to more than 4,000 square feet.

Bluebonnet Electric Co-op provides electricity; The City of Austin provides water and sewerage for Harris Branch. Gas is provided by Texas Gas Service. An architecturally appealing City of Austin fire station is in the neighborhood. Emergency Medical Services has a station there as well.

Tax rates per $100 valuation are: City of Austin - $.4928; Travis County - $.4918; Manor ISD - $1.7291; and Austin Community College - $.0771.

Harris Branch is located north of HWY 290, south of Parmer Lane, east of Giles Lane, and west of Parmer Lane.

Manor

Manor is a pastoral city that was mostly farmland and has become increasingly popular over the years to where it is now considered a bedroom community to the city of Austin. Located on Highway 290, 12 miles Northeast of Austin in northeastern Travis County, the Manor of today is popular with young families and professionals. The community has it´´s own school district, Manor Independent School District, which serves the educational needs of more than 3000 students.

The commute to Austin is also easier than other communities. There are few 18 wheelers using Hwy 290, so most people coming into Austin from Manor are people making their drive to work. Another advantage to living in Manor is that while the community is still in Travis County, the property taxes are less than in Austin.