Comparable areas in Austin as Keller, Southlake, etc? (Dallas, Fort Worth: houses, find a job)

[jcamber]

Hi all!

I've been living in Keller for little over two years and right now there's an opportunity to move to Austin with a new job. They are supposed to be telling me anytime now in which building I would be working (the company has two there) but assuming that the office location isn't important, what areas in Austin would you compare to Keller or Southlake? I'm looking for

1. Great schools (have a 3rd grader and a kindergartener)
2. Houses in the 300-450k range, with great amenities and hopefully not as high taxes (I pay 3.2% here in Keller!)
3. Hopefully not too far away or isolated from the city. Keller is about 25 minutes to Fort Worth and about 45 minutes from Dallas, which isn't bad.
4. Last, my wife is a Dental Hygienist and having a location with a few dental offices would be great so she can find a job there.

Thanks!

[shankaupas]

Do you know in what part of town you would be working in? The best districts in the area are generally in this order: Eanes ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Round Rock ISD and or Leander ISD, Austin ISD. You can check out http://www.greatschools.com to see school rankings based on test scores (although this does not always paint an accurate picture of a school) as well as read parent feedback. Are you looking for newer homes in a master planned community with parks and pools and possibly schools right in the community? What type of activities do you and your kids like to do? How familiar are you with Austin? North of Austin you have the towns of Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, and Leander. West, you have West Lake and Lakeway. Although it is hard to figure out where Austin stops and these towns start. Generally, the further outside Austin you go, the lower the cost of a home.

[jcamber]

We currently live in a master planned community and like the concept of the pools/parks/schools in the neighborhood. So yes, that would be an option. We have been to Austin once and only to visit with friends and check out the capitol building, downtown, etc. Not sure for example what would the best master planned communities are. I would appreciate if you could point them out so I can do some research.

Thanks!

[shankaupas]

Originally Posted by jcamber

We currently live in a master planned community and like the concept of the pools/parks/schools in the neighborhood. So yes, that would be an option. We have been to Austin once and only to visit with friends and check out the capitol building, downtown, etc. Not sure for example what would the best master planned communities are. I would appreciate if you could point them out so I can do some research.

Thanks!

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

In the Round Rock / Cedar Park / Leander areas, you might want to check out Mayfield Ranch, Sendero Springs, Behrens Ranch, Ranch at Brushy Creek, Avery Ranch, Buttercup Creek, Crystal Falls, Red Oaks, River Place, and Steiner Ranch.

In the Lake Travis Area, you might want to check out the Hills of Lakeway.

In south Austin, you might want to check out Circle C

[cobmab]

We moved here a few years ago from the Keller/Southlake area. Would love to help you out with answering questions. Send me a note and I can send cell number etc.