Central Austin

Allandale

Bordered by Mopac, Burnet, Anderson Lane, and North Loop, Allandale is a affordable community not too far from downtown Austin. The neighborhood consists mostly of single family homes ranging from 1000 to 2300 square feet on larger lots. The prices range from $175,000 to $575,000.

Allandale is known for having a very active neighborhood association. In addition to a Fourth of July Parade, they sponsors an annual "Candy Cane Lane" at holiday time, and a Shoal Creek Cleanup event. Allandale was just recently redistricted, and is bounded by Anderson Lane on the north, by Shoal Creek at 45th Street (from MoPac to the Shoal Creek waterway, and following the waterway to Hancock Drive) to the south, with Burnet Road as its eastern boundary and MoPac as the western boundary.

The nearby Shoal Creek Greenbelt and the Beverly S. Scheffield Northwest District Park offer plenty of green space and the District Park has picnic and barbecue areas, a baseball diamond, a pool, and a playground in addition to green spaces. The greenbelt offers hiking and biking trails that lead you to nearby communities along meandering paths.

Bryker Woods

Bryker woods is known for it´s mature trees and older, charming homes. Many people like the confinement of the neighborhood as there is little through traffic. However, some parts of the neighborhood -- such as on 29th Street -- are seeing more traffic as motorists attempt to find shortcuts between MOPAC Boulevard and Interstate 35 to downtown.

Bryker Woods is bordered by Westover on the south, 35th on the north, Shoal Creek on the east and MOPAC Boulevard on the west. It was developed between the 1930s and 1950s, mostly with bungalows and a few larger homes surrounded by large, shady trees. Buyers are mainly young professionals -- with and without children. Many work in various medical facilities in and around Seton Medical Center which is nearby. The University of Texas and downtown offices are minutes away. Grocery stores and small retail establishments are close-by along 35th/38th streets and Lamar Boulevard.

Because of the emphasis on families, the neighborhood boasts a very active PTA at Bryker Woods Elementary as well as an active neighborhood association. Half of the elementary school-age children attend Bryker Woods Elementary and the other half attend Casis Elementary. Of the students taking the Texas Education Agency's Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test in 1995-96 at Bryker Woods, 91 percent passed all portions. At Casis, 90 percent passed all portions.

Respective junior and high schools are Martin Junior High or O'Henry Middle and Austin High School.

When not studying, children play in the many nearby parks such as Seider's Springs Park, Bailey Park, and Shoal Creek Park.

Crestview

Crestview is a centrally located neighborhood, featuring elegant, gracefully aged homes built along shaded, tree-lined blocks.

Generally recognized as an ideal environment for families, Crestview is bordered by Anderson Lane to the north, Justin Lane to the south, North Lamar Boulevard to the east and Burnet Road to the west. It is located north of the city's urban core.

Typical homes in the area range from 1,100 to 1,200 square feet, and most homes are pier and beam construction, Most Crestview homes are 2 bedroom, 1 bath, or 3 bedroom, 1 bath. About three-quarters of homes in the neighborhood have been converted from standard air conditioning window unites to CA/CH systems.

Brentwood Elementary is just across Justin Lane from Crestview in the Brentwood neighborhood and features a small city pool, ball fields and a playground. Beverly Sheffield Park also is nearby. A much larger public facility, this park offers a public pool, playgrounds, tennis courts, barbecue areas and basketball court.

Residents of the neighborhood enjoy an active neighborhood association that hosts several different annual events. Harris says a several notable events include an ice cream social held in July, and National Night Out events in August.

These nights are part of a program that encourage one person on each block to host a get-together on their front lawn the first Tuesday in August, for neighbors to get to know one another.

Children in the neighborhood attend Brentwood Elementary School, Lamar Middle School, and McCallum High School. Utilities are provided by the city.

Downtown

A vibrant mecca of commerce and culture, the downtown cityscape has grown significantly in the past five years to include a variety of living quarters that put residents within walking distance of dining, entertainment, recreation and retail destinations.

While residential quarters run the gamut from small efficiency apartments to posh lofts, a typical downtown residence is a condominium measuring 1,200 to 1,400 square feet with two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, living room and a great view.

Hyde Park

A relatively small neighborhood, with tree-lined streets and historic houses left and right, Hyde Park is known for its hodgepodge of residences. It is bordered by 48th Street to the north and 38th Street to the south, Guadalupe Street to the west and Duval Street to the east.

Hyde Park is one of the densest neighborhoods in the city's urban core, and it is also one of the earliest established. According to the neighborhood association's Web site, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Land and Town Co. founded Hyde Park in 1891.

Under the guiding hands of Monroe Martin Shipe, Hyde Park originally featured large residences geared towards the affluent. Sluggish land sales later pushed Hyde Park to become a neighborhood for the middle and working classes.

Gradually, majestic homes gave way to smaller, more modest houses, resulting in the graceful blend of apartment complexes, small bungalows, large residences and office buildings you see today.

Homes sold last year ranged from the mid $200s to the high $400s. Homes varied from 1,000 square feet to 2,000 square feet.

Due to the wide variety of dwellings available, apartments and homes are often leased. Apartments last year began at rents of $400 per month, and 3,000-square-foot houses at $2800 per month.

Children in Hyde Park attend Lee Elementary School, Kealing Junior High School, and McCallum High School in the Austin Independent School District. While electricity, water and trash are provided by the City of Austin Electric Company, cable is provided by Time Warner.

Old Enfield

The neighborhood, also known as Old West Austin, is bordered by West 24th Street on the north and Enfield Road on the south. Lamar Boulevard serves as the east border and MoPac Boulevard is the west border. The neighborhood is conveniently located five minutes from downtown and is accessible to major thoroughfares MoPac, Lamar Boulevard, and Enfield Road.

Old Enfield is home to many of the oldest colonial style homes in Austin, including the historic Pease Mansion, built by Governors Mansion architect Abner Cook. The landmark now privately owned and undergoing restoration serves as a neighborhood centerpiece, and it is one of the few properties left in the city built before the Civil War.

All of Old Enfield was part of a 320-acre land grant given to C.S. Parish in 1841 by the Republic of Texas during the presidency of Mirabeau Lamar. The land went through a series of owners and was subdivided in 1910 by the Enfield Realty and Home Building Co.

The neighborhood's charms have attracted University of Texas students as well as local celebrities. Former Mayor Kirk Watson, former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes, and actor Luke Wilson have all called Old Enfield home. The neighborhood is a favorite at Christmas time, when the columned porches and majestic balconies are decorated magnificently.

Old Enfield easily blends its smaller two bedroom, one bathroom cottages with the larger, six to eight bedroom mansions, which are architecturally diverse. Giant trees and Pease Park assist the soothing aesthetic of the neighborhood. Many of the houses were built between 1910 and 1950, and homes start in the $200,000s and have sold for more than $500,000.

Rosedale

Charming and old-fashioned while embracing and adapting to the inevitable changes that the times bring, Rosedale is a stand-out neighborhood symbolic of the "old Austin" meeting the "new Austin" as it finds itself incorporating new elements to its neighborhood mélange.

"Rosedale certainly is a strange combination of old and traditional and new and funky," says Mark Brucks, co-president of the Rosedale Neighborhood Association. Brucks says the neighborhood's rise in popularity has attracted new residents emblematic of the "new Austin," but the neighborhood still has many homeowners that have stayed in the neighborhood for decades.

The starting price for a home in Rosedale is in the high $200,000's, says realtor Socar Chatmon-Thomas of REMAX Austin Skyline, and can be described as "charming cottages" or "quaint bungalows." Homes average about $200 per square foot, with the median price in the mid $300,000 range. Many of the new residents moving into Rosedale are typically of the upwardly mobile set. "With Rosedale's north central location, it's perfect for many young professionals who want to be close in to Austin, but still want that cozy, homey feeling. Rosedale has quite a few homes that are 2-1, which is the perfect 'starter home' size for a single person or a couple." Older homes were just built smaller then, agrees Karen McLinden, secretary-treasurer of the Rosedale Neighborhood Association, and Rosedale is no exception. Some residents have made additions and adjustments to their homes over the years to accommodate growing family needs. "If you just walk through the neighborhood, you'll see the typical Rosedale bungalow from the front, and you'll see this two story addition at the rear of the house." McLinden says that when many Rosedale residents decide to expand their homes, they do so in the back of the home because many home lots have the room to do so in the backyard but not enough to go side to side.

Rosedale is located in north central Austin, and its 1,200 homes are bounded by 38th Street to the south, Shoal Creek to the west, North Loop / Hancock Drive to the north, and Lamar Boulevard to the east. The area receives City of Austin utilities, and is part of the Austin Independent School District. Students in south Rosedale attend Austin High School, O. Henry Middle School and Bryker Woods Elementary School. Students in the north Rosedale neighborhood attend McCallum High School, Lamar Middle School and Highland Park Elementary School. If there were a heart of Rosedale, it would have to be Ramsey Park. With its swimming pool, playground and now its new landscaping provided as part of a project by a neighborhood Eagle Scout, Ramsey Park has been literally at the center of the neighborhood and its activities for years.

Brucks credits Rosedale's older citizens as giving the neighborhood a sense of place in Austin's history. "There's an added sense of uniqueness that we really like. We have so many long-time residents here in this neighborhood, and they possess so much neighborhood lore. Florence and Forrest Preece, for example, might be our longest-lived residents. They know who built many of these old homes and who lived in them. They provided invaluable information when Michael and Karen Collins decided to renovate and restore the Moore-Hancock Farmstead at 4811 Sinclair Avenue."

Moving away from the historic restoration of the Moore-Hancock Farmstead, other residents have been doing their best to maintain the spirit of "Keep Austin Weird" - or at least unique. From the "castle home" at 44th Street and Ramsey to celebrated author-gardener-cook Lucinda Hutson's delectably and eclectically styled home, a drive around Rosedale confirms that Rosedale is indeed a mix of traditional styling meets free-thinking bohemia.

Ramsey Park

Another charming aspect of Rosedale is that like many other older Austin communities, it is considered a "walking neighborhood." New developments along Burnet Road are carefully monitored, as the Rosedale Neighborhood Association tries to maintain the integrity of their community.

"One of the things the neighborhood likes is to have businesses and places to walk to - that's one of the things we try to preserve," says Brucks. "When there's a new business being developed, there's the question of 'cut-through' traffic in the neighborhood, and we try to keep traffic moving along the major arteries and off the neighborhood streets."

McLinden agrees with Brucks that vigilance is necessary to maintain Rosedale's integrity. "One of the struggles for any close-in neighborhood is protecting your edges, and when you have a neighborhood like we do there's always a risk that people will buy a home property and then try to get a variance to tear it down and put up an office or a parking lot," says McLinden. We have neighbors who for years have fought anything that will ruin the integrity of this neighborhood. One of our themes is to make a nice place to come home to stay that way, and we intend to make sure that it stays that way."

Tarrytown

Tarrytown, considered by many to be Old West Austin, is bordered by West 35th Street on the north and Enfield Road on the south. MoPac Boulevard is considered the east border, and Tarrytown is bordered on the west by beautiful Lake Austin.

Many of the homes are cottages from the 1920s, and Tarrytown blends Southern style homes along with more modern designs. The homes vary in size in the neighborhood with its smaller cottages and many larger homes, although many of the smaller homes are being torn down for new larger houses. Nearly all are owner-occupied.

Among the many amenities of Tarrytown are Deep Eddy Pool, Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Mayfield Park, Reed Park, Triangle Park, and Lions Municipal Golf Course, where pro golfer Ben Crenshaw plays when he's in town. After your 18 holes, you can head down to the Hula Hut, a local favorite restaurant, and sip margaritas on Lake Austin. Other celebrities such as Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey, as well as Governor Rick Perry and President George W. Bush have all called Tarrytown home.

Tarrytown is considered the most expensive real estate in Austin, with houses ranging from $300,000 to $3,000,000, but the amenities, location, schools, and charm make Tarrytown a strong candidate for any homebuyer.

UT Area

Mike McHone has lived in the UT area for 35 years, but he says it only feels like one. "You can never grow old here because there are always 50,000 young faces around you." But this area, which centers around one of Austin's oldest and most prestigious institutions, the University of Texas, in not just a stomping ground for multitudes of college students. With homes ranging from quaint one-bedroom bungalows to large estate mansions hiding behind imposing gates, tons of activities and amenities, and a rich heritage which can still be seen in some home's architecture, the UT area has something for everyone.

The UT area is made up of a number of small neighborhoods, just minutes north of another one of Austin's prestigious institutions, the State Capitol. This community is defined by IH-35 to the east, Lamar Blvd. and Shoal Creek to the west, Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. to the south and 38th St. moving up toward Duval St. and 45th St. to the north.

"Within a five mile radius, you have anything you could ever want," said McHone, realtor and Vice President of the University Area Partners. The UT area is close to major shopping with large shopping amenities such as Central Market and the Hancock Center, as well as smaller, funky, independently owned businesses located primarily along Guadalupe Street. Cultural events are also at residents' fingertips with university facilities open to the public such as Bass Concert Hall, the Harry Ransom Center, and the LBJ Library.

As for outdoors activities, the possibilities are endless. The UT area is home to numerous parks including Pease Park, Wooten Park, Adams Park, Hemphill Park, Hancock Park and the Shoal Creek Hike and Bike. There is even a nine-hole golf course located near the Hancock Center. Additionally, most neighborhoods in the area offer community pools. Along with the dizzying number of activities and amenities located in the area, a equally dizzying number of housing possibilities exist. Scattered throughout with student apartments, this area is home to efficient condominiums, modest 1950's ranch style homes, elegant estate homes, tiny cottages, and anything in between. Many of the homes in this area are older, which according to Evelyn Herczeg, realtor at Prudential Owen Realty, gives them even more appeal to buyers. "Many buyers would rather have a vintage house with one-of-a-kind features that were crafted by hand."

However, houses in this area are limited and expensive. "Proximity of the few available houses to downtown and the university makes them very appealing to those who can afford to buy a house in this area," said Herczeg. "On average, single family houses in this area have about 2,271 square feet of living space, and so far in 2004, the 'average' house here will sell in about 60 days for $478,000, or about $210 per square foot of living space," said Herczeg. Condominiums (which are numerous in the area) are a popular alternative for those who want to live in the UT area, but are looking for something more modestly priced. According to Herczeg, the average UT area condominium sold in 2004 has about 1,557 square feet of living space and cost about $139,985.

Children living in the area attend Bryker Wood or Lee Elementary, O'Henry or Kealing Middle School and Austin or McCallum High. All of the above schools are within the Austin Independent School District, and some particularly stand out; Lee Elementary is a Blue Ribbon winning elementary school, Kealing is a magnet middle school, and Austin High is the school that President Bush's daughters attended.

The UT area has been a popular place for quite some time. "Some of the oldest neighborhoods in Austin exist here," said McHone. Veterans of the Texas Revolution were granted land in the area as a reward for battles fought. These tracts of land were then turned in sprawling plantations with large mansions and estates. In fact, remnants of that past still exist in the area today such as the Wooten Mansion (which has been transformed into a hotel) on MLK and the Neill Cochran House (now a museum) on San Gabriel. "This is a great place to observe older homes that still reflect architectural trends and tastes from the 20th century," said Herczeg. "Many of the homes built in the early 1900's have been well-preserved and some have historic significance."

So whether you're looking for a historic home near one of the area's verdant parks or a newer condominium just a short bike ride away from an art exhibit, the UT area probably has something for you. But hurry, they don't last long. This area is attractive to homebuyers as it's ever been.

Cat Mountain

One of Austin's most prestigious residential developments, Cat Mountain, is bordered by Cat Mountain Drive on the north, FM 2222 on the south, Mesa Drive on the east, and Westslope Drive / Twin Valley Drive on the west. Developed primarily in the late 1970s and early 80s, Cat Mountain has experienced a recent surge of interest and undergone something of a boom in new home starts. As a result, empty lots are few and far between. Many homes along Westslope / Twin Valley Drive provide homeowners stunning panoramic views of the Colorado River and the iconic 360 bridge. Other unique characteristics of the area include many zero lot line homes - typically the lowest priced homes in the neighborhood - and several multi-acre lots.

Cat Mountain's location allows homeowners close proximity to many professional and recreational destinations. For example, a quick 10-minute drive will get you into downtown Austin, or, going in another direction, The Arboretum for shopping, restaurants and an independent movie theater. Boating enthusiasts can launch their vessels a mere 5-minute drive away at the boat ramp along the river, and techies are a hop, skip and a jump from the high tech corridor. Further, thrill-seeking mountain bikers will find themselves right at home in the neighborhood as there are plentiful trails to explore. The Cat Mountain Home Owners Association serves the entire community and charges $42/month. The dues allow members access to the clubhouse, community pool, tennis courts, a basketball court, playground and picnic area, all of which are within walking distance of most homes. Residents also enjoy the heavily wooded natural beauty that defines the Texas hill country, including cohabitation with a large population of deer.

Homes range from the mid $200s to over $1,000,000 with the median price hovering around $450,000. The houses themselves vary in size from under 1,500 square feet to well over 5,000 square feet. Most homes are built with an average of two living areas, four bedrooms, and 2-car garages. Twenty-six percent of the homes come with a swimming pool. According to Kevin Scanlan, Cat Mountain homeowner and real estate agent, "Homeowners saw huge leaps in market value during Austin's tech boom in 1999-2000, but unlike many areas in the city, this neighborhood did not see a significant decrease in home valuations with the subsequent recession. In most cases, increases in value have been more common." Texas Gas Service is the main provider of gas, while the City of Austin takes care of electricity, water, and wastewater services. Austin Energy, a department of the City of Austin, provides the electricity and manages the customer service center for City of Austin utilities that includes billing as well as starting and stopping service.The homes in Cat Mountain are served by the Austin Independent School District. Students attend Highland Park or Doss Elementary Schools, Lamar or Murchison Middle Schools, and Anderson or McCallum High Schools. St. Theresa's Catholic School, a private religious and academic institution, provides education to pre-kindergarten through middle school students and is located in the neighborhood.