Steiner Ranch or Round Rock - Working near Domain Northside (Cedar Park: fit in, houses)

[Beachy26]

Hello! I was offered a new job and need help deciding on the housing area. The job is right next to the Domain Northside area. We are looking into homes with the following criteria:

#1: Great schools (Elementary through HS)
#2: Home should be 2700+ sq ft, 4-5 bd, with a budget of under $450k (the newer the home the better, although new construction is not a requirement)
#3: Commute time (ideally under 20 min)
#4: Goes with #1 but we want to be in a family oriented area. Our kids are both in elementary school.

From looking at the maps and doing online research, it seems that Round Rock or Steiner Ranch would be good areas. Can anyone comment on the commute that I would fast trying to get to/from work from both of these areas, and would you recommend one over another? Or any others that I'm not thinking of?

Thank you!!

[RoamingTX]

Unless that steiner house comes with a helicopter, you’re not making it in 20 minutes. Heck, 40 might be a stretch.

Youve got: Avery Ranch, large portions of Round Rock and some chunks of Cedar Park that meet your crieria.

[Austin97]

personally I would try to live south of the domain. Living in round rock or steiner will make your next job a nightmare commute. If you can find something off oak knoll, or in the balcones subdivision, those are reasonable commutes to downtown if you change jobs in the future. The prices for your size house might be out of your range though.


Wells branch schools and the area north of parmer between i35 and mopac arent as good as I would want but they are decent and will likely improve as the prices in those areas pop.

Those would give you a really short commute and will give you access to AISD magnets like kealing, mcallum, LASA etc which are *the* best schools in the area.

If you are willing to go a little smaller, northwest hills south of the domain in the 78759 sometimes has houses in your price range. Then you will be really close in and can commute to any job anywhere in town.

[cBach]

Round Rock is easily accessible to the Domain because MoPac joins up with SH45. From SH45 it's a straight shot to the southern portion of RR.

So, if you stay around where the Dell campus is, you have a really easy commute. It's a tollway so it never really gets that clogged.

There is NO easy commute from Steiner Ranch to the Domain. You'll be looking at 45 minutes or more, 360 is choked fully in the morning and evening and you will regret that decision.

[CarnivalGal]

I live in Steiner and love it, but the others are right. No way you are going to get to the Domain during rush hour in 20 minutes. Heck, it takes me longer than that just to get to 2222, which is only about 2 miles.

[Austin-HomeGirl]

Off the top of my head, I would suggest Avery Ranch, Northwood, Buttercup Creek, Brushy Creek, Millwood, Anderson Mill W, Los Indios, Canyon Creek. I agree with the others, Steiner Ranch would be a long drive

[ashbeeigh]

What about the area immediately around the Domain? North Burnet?

[srick123]

Domain is 12 mins from Avery Ranch. It has excellent schools. If you want newer construction, might be tough to fit in your budget. Some of the resale homes in Pearson place @ Avery ranch might fit in your needs but you have to be on the lookout for those good deals.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

What about the area immediately around the Domain? North Burnet?

north burnet and quail creek are still gentrifying and the schools are terrible. I personally love that area and it has already doubled in value in 5 years. If op lived there he would likely need to consider private school.

The new MLS soccer stadium might go into the former industrial waste site, mckalla place. That will accelerate the change if it happens. That area already has the highest density of microbreweries in austin in all those warehouse looking areas. It is essentially a second warehouse district.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by srick123

Domain is 12 mins from Avery Ranch. It has excellent schools. If you want newer construction, might be tough to fit in your budget. Some of the resale homes in Pearson place @ Avery ranch might fit in your needs but you have to be on the lookout for those good deals.

And honestly, it's not an easy 12 miles during rush. Parmer to MoPac is nasty as is the stretch of the Mo from there to the Domain(during peak travel times). Even the five miles from Avery to Apple Riata campus can be truly yucky. Nothing like many of the commutes experienced by thousands every day; but it's no walk in the park except during off-peak times.