Moving To And Living In Austin

Austin Neighborhood Information: Travis Heights

Community Name: Travis Heights is located in South Austin between Lake Travis, I35, Congress Avenue and Oltorf Streets.  This area is highly appealing for its artsy community, proximity to downtown, and large re-done older homes.  http://austin.smallplanetguide.com/rentals/index.php?p=travis_heights_austin_neighborhood

Community Description and Highlights: Full of lovely rolling hills and large trees, huge parks with creeks and pools, and lots of great walking trails, the topography and nature are alone some of the draw to Travis Heights.  But, it is more likely the proximity to Downtown and to South Congress (affectionately called SoCo) that makes this area so sought after. 

South Congress shops and restaurants you won't want to miss:

Jo's Cofee-Very cool outside seating with light lunches and almost any kind of coffee or juice drink you could imagine.  http://www.joscoffee.com/

Amy's Ice Cream-  You cannot make a trip to Austin without tasting Amy's Ice Creams.  Really. http://www.amysicecreams.com/

The South Congress Cafe-known for its upscale brunches, trendy atmosphere, and unique menu. http://www.southcongresscafe.com/

Lucy In Disguise- One of Austin's most memorable shops.  A complete costume store, for purchasing or renting.  Expect a line down Congress Avenue any time near Halloween.  Even if you're not going to rent anything, you just have to look through.  It is quite entertaining.  This is Austin!http://www.lucyindisguise.com/home.html

Vespaio- A uniqe Italian food restaurant that is almost always busy and well worth the wait. http://www.austin360.com/xl/content/restaurants/xl/04reviews/04-june/vespaio_06-03-04.html

Therapy- A women's clothing boutique serving up fresh looks and delicious chocolate. The name says it all.  http://www.therapyclothing.com/

Yard Dog- A very original combination of yard art, jewelry, trinkets, etc.  http://www.yarddog.com/

I could go on and on about South Congress.  It really is that cool.

South Congress' revitalization came about in part due to the number of artist types living in the 78704 zip code (Travis Heights.)  Driving through the neighborhood you notice lots of brightly colored homes, or homes with odd art in the yard, or huge ultra modern mansions, or people walking by adorned with the latest hippest fashions.  This is truly the area to live if you want to rub elbows with the creative people of Austin.  Or if you'd like to become one of the creative people of Austin!

There are two parks that we just love in this area.  Little Stacy and Big Stacy.  Big Stacy Park has a very nice, clean, naturally heated swimming pool, 1.5 miles of walking trails, a creek running through it, lots of picnic areas and bar-b-que grills, volleyball courts, and muli-use fields.  This park has been around since 1929!  Little Stacy has been around just as long and also has a pool for younger kids, a playground, tennis courts, walking trails, a creek, and more.

Homes in Travis Heights start at just below 400k for an older home that needs lots of TLC, and go up to over a million for a new home with all the bells and whistles.  Ranging from 900 square feet all the way up to 4500 square feet for the million dollar plus homes. This is a view from one of the more expensive homes in the area that is on the market right now.  

Schools:  Well, um, Travis Heights Elementary is fine, rated as Acceptable http://www.har.com/school/campus/campusDetail.asp?id=227901140.  Fulmore Middle is also Acceptable http://www.har.com/school/campus/campusDetail.asp?id=227901043.  Travis High School is also rated as Acceptable http://www.har.com/school/campus/campusDetail.asp?id=227901007. I just personally wouldn't recommend the public schools in Travis Heights.  I think many of the kids go to private schools.  (See our list of private and charter schools under the category 'Kids In Austin' to the right.)

See a photo tour of this neighborhood to the left.  For a little taste of the rich history of Travis Heights click here http://www.heritagesocietyaustin.org/hht2005history.html

 

 

Charter Schools in Austin

Let's face it, not everyone can afford to live in the nicest parts of town with the best school districts.  So what do you do?  Charter schools are a viable option in Austin.  Charter schools are free, usually not in the district where you live, and only require that you apply and enroll.  Here is a list of the local charter schools, which many parents rave about:

NYOS- (Not Your Ordinary School) For Pre-School through 12th Grade, located at Lamar Blvd. and Yager Lane in North Austin.  Here's there website: http://www.nyos.org/

American Youth Works- A Charter School with two locations in Austin for teens at risk of dropping out of school.  www.americanyouthworks.org.

Star Charter School- Located just off I35 near Pflugerville, this charter school offers education for 1st through 12th grades.

Austin Discovery School- For grades K-5 offers an innovative, movement oriented approach to learning.http://www.austindiscoveryschool.org/

Cedars International  Academy- Emphasizes mathematics, technology and foreign languages for K-7th graders. http://www.cedars-academy.org/

Eden Park Academy- On Manchaca Road, in south Austin, uses many forward-thinking techniques to learning.  http://www.edenparkacademy.com/

Harmony Elementary- An exemplary college preparatory school for grades k-5 http://www.heaustin.org/?midframe=/AboutUS/Overview.htm

KIPP Austin College Prep- For 5-8th graders.  Prepares kids extensively for college. (KIPP stands for Knowledge is Power Program.) http://www.kippaustinprep.org/public/pag2.aspx

University of Texas Charter School- For k-12th grades. http://www.utexas.edu/cee/charter/ 

Austin Neighborhood Information: Tarrytown

Community Name:  Tarrytown, located just north of Lake Austin Blvd, West to Lake Austin, East to Mopac, and bounded on the North by 35th Street.

Community Description and Highlights:  Who wouldn't want to live in one of the most beautiful, prestigious and historic areas of Austin.  Home to some of the most unique and expensive homes in the Austin area, Tarrytown is known for its charming homes, quaint little shops and eateries, and great schools.  Homes in this area range from the high 400's for older homes that need some work, to over $1 million for expansive homes, some overlooking the lake.  This area is super convenient to downtown and has very friendly neighbors.  There are tons of trees in the area as well as rolling hills.  Some homes are set on very large sprawling lots, while others are more moderate.  This is hands down one of the top most desireable places to live in the Austin area.

You won't want to miss the restaurants on Lake Austin Blvd.  Mozarts is one of our favorite coffee houses serving great treats with a lovely lakeside ambience www.mozartscoffee.com.  Next door, Hula Hut is one of Austin's most popular restaurants www.hulahut.com. And, Magnolia Cafe is just up the street serving breakfast all day and strawberry pancakes to die for, www.cafemagnolia.com.

Deep Eddy Pool, one of Austin's many public swimming holes, is also located along this street and hosts a weekly movie night for families to enjoy swimming, junk food, and a movie.  What an Austin combo!

Check out this little write-up about Tarrytown from Lonely Planet: http://austin.smallplanetguide.com/rentals/index.php?p=tarrytown_austin_neighborhood

This shot of the street close to Town Lake is typical of what the area looks like.

Schools:  Some of the best in town, Casis Elementary http://www.har.com/school/campus/campusDetail.asp?id=227901112, O'Henry Middle http://www.har.com/school/campus/campusDetail.asp?id=227901047, and Austin High  http://www.har.com/school/campus/campusDetail.asp?id=227901002.   

Garner State Park

We recently had a nice few days without the kids, so we took off for a little Hill Country tour of our own.  First we went to Lost Maples State Park west of Austin about 2 hours.  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/lost_maples/  We went for a little hike there and swam in the very cold river there.

The next day we went to Garner State Park, which is one of the most popular State Parks in Texas. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/garner/   Located near Concan, Texas, Garner has camping, swimming and fishing in the Frio River, hiking, paddleboats, and even a country-western dance on weekend nights in the summer.  Check out this photo from the top of the mountain in Garner.  It is quite a destination, especially for the outdoorsy.