Neighborhood Amenities

When searching for a new home, there are the usual considerations of location, price, and layout. Often, hopeful homeowners are so focused on the number of bedrooms or the quality of the schools that considerations like neighborhood amenities are pushed aside. But these seemingly inconsequential neighborhood perks can have a significant impact on quality of life.

If there is one thing Austin offers in plentitude, it is places to enjoy the outdoors. There are the well known venues, like Lady Bird Lake, Barton Springs and Zilker Park, but many of the outlying and city neighborhoods have gems of their own.

Circle C is a desirable neighborhood in southwest Austin with a little bit of everything. Shopping and restaurants are close by, but so are a golf course and parks. The swim center is hard to miss in the center of the neighborhood, with splash pads for the little ones and a café. The Slaughter Creek trails have been expanded and run all through the neighborhood, available for hiking, biking and even horses.

Another southwest Austin neighborhood with outdoor living benefits is Travis Country. This tree-lined neighborhood has easy access to downtown and a good blend of older and newer homes. There are two parks right in the neighborhood, each with pools, tennis and basketball courts and hiking trails. There is a pond for fishing and playgrounds, as well. It is possible to hike to Barton Creek on trails that can be reached several places in the neighborhood. The paths lead to the trails that run along either side of the creek with access to several falls and swimming holes.

The Mueller neighborhood is a growing development on the site of the old Austin airport. This planned little village in the midst of east Austin has homes of all kinds, along with shops and parks. The 140 acres of green space already has a great playground, but will have five parks in all and a small lake. The idea is green building and green living, with easy access to public transportation. Three golf courses in the area

This is a great time to think about buying a condo downtown, even for families. Living in downtown Austin offers many perks, including the proximity to shopping, restaurants and parks. Austin is a bike and pedestrian friendly city, which makes getting around downtown relatively easy. For families, downtown can offer unique cultural experiences, easy access to museums and the library and a number of condo building amenities like pools, classes and activities. Of course, if the suburbs end up calling down the road, a downtown condo is a great rental property.

If downtown is not residential enough, the Travis Heights neighborhood offers a good compromise of homes and culture. With the new and improved Congress Avenue shops and restaurants district within walking distance and parks spread throughout the neighborhood, Travis Heights has a little bit of something for everyone.


Ki enjoys sharing his passion for Austin real estate with future homebuyers. One way he distributes information in through his website, which offers a free search of properties in the Austin MLS. His site also provides statistics broken down by Austin MLS area. His site has information on numerous neighborhoods in the Austin real estate market like Zilker Park Homes and Barton Creek Austin Homes.