Moving to Waco - anything else besides Woodway? (Austin, Spring: real estate, apartment complexes)

[sophigirl]

Hello, everyone!

We are moving to Waco from NJ, and I've been trying to find good neighborhoods for renting/buying. It looks like a lot of people here recommend Woodway. So, I am curious - is there anything else in Waco that is comparative to Woodway? I am looking for trees and older houses - something with a quite, historical character. It needs to be relatively close to the University, too.

Thank you for your replies in advance!

[txstate]

There are some properties on Baylor Campus around University Parks and Dutton st. Those are nice homes and mostly professors and old baylor alums, get in contact with a realtor such as coldwell banker or the Waco association of realtors, they can help.

[sophigirl]

Thank you, txstate! Can I ask you more? What do you know about North Waco, Landon Branch or Mountainview? Or, better still - are there any neighborhoods that you would advise me to stay away from, and why?

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by sophigirl

Thank you, txstate! Can I ask you more? What do you know about North Waco, Landon Branch or Mountainview? Or, better still - are there any neighborhoods that you would advise me to stay away from, and why?

Well for starters, Waco is very segregated, especially for such a small city. East Waco is the Black Section, South Waco is for Hispanics, and North Waco is the most diverse out of them. I'd stay out of East and South, Baylor is located by South and East Waco. North Waco is pretty nice as long as you stay away from Parkside (Very bad apartments). Landon Branch/Mountian View are definatly the most nicest out the areas you picked. North Waco is pretty nice as well in some areas, but actually Mountian View and Landon would be considered north Waco as well.

[TXTwizter]

Areas to avoid : 18th Street to Brazos River, East Waco, South of LaSalle Ave.

Areas to use caution: 18th Street to 25th Street, Interstate 35 to LaSalle Ave, any of the apartment complexes that are a block or 2 off Valley Mills Drive.

Most other areas, its just a matter of personal taste. I live by Hillcrest Hospital and have never had any problems.
A good way to judge an area is to drive through it both during the day and night. If you feel any sort of discomfort, better to just avoid altogether.

The absolute best areas are going to be anything along Lakeshore Drive and Lake Waco, Far West Waco (Badger Ranch, South Bosque area), but be prepared to pay for some prime real estate, as well as Landon Branch and Mountain View.

[superkaty]

i agree with tx twister, the areas that are the prettiest are out near the lake, in west waco. there are some stunning areas with hills, trees, water views and great homes. good luck!

[sophigirl]

Thanks, everyone! You have been most helpful. I really appreciate all the input here!

[texasdiver]

sophigirl

depends entirely on whether you have kids or not. Or more precisely, whether you care about the local public schools. Most of Waco (and all the older areas) are served by Waco ISD which has some good elementary schools in the nicer neighborhoods, but quickly declines at the HS level. The poverty and social problems tend to overwhelm the Waco ISD high schools which means that the majority of upper middle class parents either put their kids in private schools or move to the Woodway or China Spring areas which are covered by different school districts.

If you are looking for quality schools and older neighborhoods then Woodway is your only real option. The other suburban areas are much newer. Woodway itself is not that old. The older areas were built up as a master planned community in the 70s so it is not historic but the trees are large and mature so it is quite pretty. But all the other suburban areas around Waco are much newer.

To see your options, go to realtor.com and search on the 76712 and 76710 zip codes. 76712 is Woodway. Most of the nicer neighborhoods within Waco itself fall within the 76710 zip code. The nicest and most upscale neighborhoods within Waco itself are mostly between Lake Shore Drive and Lake Waco. The Lake Air, Mountainview, and Viking Hills neighborhoods in the southwest corner of Waco are also nice.

But the area that most closely matches your criteria is the Castle Heights neighborhood along the south end of Austin Ave. It is easily the nicest and most historic neighborhood in Waco with wonderful old houses, many of which have been beautifully restored. And it is the closest to Baylor. Here's a typical example of what's available in Castle Heights

2401 Austin Ave, Waco, TX, 76710 - MLS ID#123347 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com®

It would put you about 5 minutes from the Baylor campus. Most of the other areas I've discussed are farther but not necessarily that far, especially by east coast commute standards. My daughter takes violin lessons in the music building on the Baylor campus and it takes me exactly 15 minutes to run her into her lesson from our home in Wooday at 5 pm on a weekday. Waco has traffic but the freeways are never stop-and-go unless there is some horrendous accident. It is rare when you can't drive 60+ mph on any freeway in Waco.

PM me if you want recommendations for a realtor. I'm not in the real estate business but my wife and I recently bought a house in Waco and we really liked our realtor.

[majormcf]

I agree with texasdiver, castle heights has some great properties on Austin Ave, be careful as some are in need of major renovations. I looked at 2 properties on Austin and they were in such bad shape we decided to just get a modern home in a subdivision near Waco. Spend the money on a quality home inspector. My realtor went above and beyond for us, would be happy to recommend her.