SW Austin vs RR/Cedar Park? (Round Rock, Brushy Creek: real estate, houses, neighborhoods)

[ladylonghorn2]

I've been trying to keep my home search to Austin proper because I didn't want to be out in the burbs where it'll be harder to meet people and there is less chance of being able to walk or bike to things our family likes to do.

Although focusing most of my search on central Austin, I did also look at Southwest Austin for its good schools. It seems that the houses are all really big and newish and plush, what I would typically consider suburban Round Rock/Cedar Park style houses.

My question is: how are Circle C and neighboring SW subdivisions different to live in, from say, Brushy Creek or other similar NW suburban subdivisions?

Is one more liberal or conservative than another? What's the vibe like? If I want to avoid the strip mall / shopping center / chain store / olive garden vibe of the suburbs, am I better off in one or the other or neither?

[llkltk]

SW Austin is more undisturbed than RR/Cedar Park. We don't have a lot of big box strip centers like RR and Cedar Park. It is closer to the city, not sure where you will be working. Everything that goes in down here is pretty nice, for instance we are getting an Alamo Drafthouse right outside of Circle C which is a cool movie theater in Austin.

If you come and visit you will see the difference. More open space down here in SW Austin. Houses are similar to those in RR/Cedar Park.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by llkltk

SW Austin is more undisturbed than RR/Cedar Park. We don't have a lot of big box strip centers like RR and Cedar Park.

There are lots of big box strip centers on William Cannon and 290!

[llkltk]

Still doesn't compare to RR/Cedar Park. The ones west of Mopac are tastefully done and we do have a Chuy's.

[TexasHorseLady]

There's also the shopping centers on Brodie just off 290, that definitely count as big box strip centers. (I remember when that was all farmland and bee hives.) Plus 290/Mopac, north and southeast and southwest corners. Plus a few other areas I can imagine.

Frankly, I think both areas have nice neighborhoods that are very similar, when you get right down to it and have driven around both quite a bit and discover them (as I do as a part of my business), and both areas have big box areas. Neither is really "central Austin" in feel, if that's what you're looking for, but both do have areas where you can walk to amenities and parks and such.

[ladylonghorn2]

Which area would you say is more diverse (politically, demographically, age wise). I'd like to live somewhere with a mix of people with varying backgrounds..

[Trainwreck20]

That is very hard to say, exactly. I am sure you could find some data that might indicate which area is more diverse, but I am not sure if it would be out of date or even really accurate when you compare it to what you will actually see in a particular neighborhood.

Austin (and surrounding area) has very few 'enclaves', so the diversity can appear diluted. But I can try to answer the questions in a more broad sense (easiest first):

Age - The suburb areas like CC and RR grew predominately to support young families, although, of course, that does not exclude older people; however, you can pretty much gauge the age of the population by the age of the houses in the area. If the houses are 15 years old or less, you will see a younger population. If the house are older, you will see more empty nesters, retirees, etc. Age-wise, there is little difference, I suspect, between N and SW.

Demographically - Most of central Texas is Caucasian, especially when you consider that hispanic is considered caucasian . C-D has the data on here somewhere, but hispanic and anglo make up a huge portion of the population, and more and more people will not even notice that as a demographic separation. Indian and Asian make up a noticeable population in both area, largely associated with the hi-tech sector. AA is a much smaller group in these two areas.

Politcally - I don't know from experience, but the 'reputation' has RR more conservative. I suspect that reputation may be out of date, but who knows? I know that I live in a 'conservative' suburb in SW Austin, and it was (based solely on the political signs) pretty much split between Rep. and Dem. I really can't think of any area where I lived that politcal affiliation has been an issue. There are one or two houses that appear to be 'militant' Rep. or Dem., but those are the same houses where no one knows those people - they just aren't much fun to hang out in the driveway with.

I know that doesn't really help much, but I can't say that there is a huge 'generic' difference. You can find a neighborhood in RR that looks like SW Austin, and vice versa. Historically, SW Austin cost a little more and you get a slightly shorter commute into DT, while RR cost a little less and you had a longer commute to DT. Of course, that doesn't mean diddly if you don't commute to DT .

[ladylonghorn2]

Thanks TrainWreck. I know it's hard to come to generalizations, especially when the areas have so many people. I'm just trying to get a sense of "vibe" if you will...

Will both areas be on light rail? I think we'll be working downtown.

[Trainwreck20]

Neither will be on light rail, at least for a while. I would guess that RR would get LR sooner, since the traffic is a little worse and the population density is probably higher, but that could be many years coming.

[austin-steve]

My question is: how are Circle C and neighboring SW subdivisions different to live in, from say, Brushy Creek or other similar NW suburban subdivisions?

I think there are more similarities than differences in these areas, in terms of the type of people, involved parents in the schools, demographics, amenities, etc. Brushy Creek has some really nice parkland, trails, etc. as does SW Austin.

Main differences:
1) The same house, built by the same builder, will be cheaper in the NW regions of Austin/Round Rock than in Circle C. I often walk into identical floorplans and there is a $30K to $50K gap in price for essentially the same home.

2) Location is generally considered better in SW Austin because of proximity to downtown and the airport and a shorter commute. If you rarely need the airport and never go downtown, plus you work up north, Brushy Creek would obviously beat out SW Austin, and we see that happen regularly for certain buyers.

3) Circle C has a lot of nice retail, shopping and restaurants nearby. It's more condensed to the Escarpment/Slaughter/Brodie area which results I think in a higher likelihood that you run into people you know. We grocery shop at the superb HEB there, and eat at Flips (Satalite Cafe) and Waterloo Ice House frequently. I also use the Starbucks as a meeting place. It's more often than not that each time I'm in one of these places I run into people I know and say hi. I like it when that happens as it makes me feel like I live in a smaller community than I really do.

There may be similar "watering holes" in the NW areas, but my general sense is that they're more spread out and not as geographically focused as in SW Austin.

The new middle school will undoubtedly instantly become the top rated, top performing middle school in Austin ISD. A new SW High School will follow in a few years and, unless they do some weird gerrymandering on the school boundaries, will also take it's place in the same conversations as Westlake and Westwood as a top area High School.

Development in SW Austin is very expensive and limited, so I tend to think the area holds more promise in terms of predictable real estate values. The NW areas of Austin are still largy fast growing, especially Leander, and with fast growth comes less predictability with regard to traffic and the general eventual look and feel of an area.

Steve