Home > Your Personal Side > City Guides > Austin > Neighborhoods > North Austin

North Austin

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Forest Creek Golf Club

When it comes to quality of life, residents of North Austin have it pretty good. The area offers easy access to employment centers, plenty of parks and recreation centers, quality schools, numerous attractive neighborhoods and plenty of cultural activities. North Austin is one of the city's major growth areas with many high-tech employers moving into the area. The University of Texas Balcones Research Center is located in this part of the city as is Seton Northwest Hospital. Numerous local major malls and shopping centers are located in the area including Lakeline Mall (the biggest in the area), Town and Country Mall, Highland Mall and Northcross Mall. The area is also home to the Arboretum, a wonderful complex of shops, hotels and restaurants. North Austin has some excellent schools, there are many lovely neighborhoods and the real estate market is diverse.

North Austin neighborhoods include:

Copperfield | Forest Creek in Round Rock | Gracy Woods | Milwood | Round Rock West | Vista Oaks-Round Rock | Wells Branch

Copperfield
The neighborhood's affordability has increased its popularity as Austin has grown, according to Sandra Carlson with ReMax Heart of Texas Realtors. Copperfield is a neighborhood that people come to when they are looking for a less urban area. It’s far enough away, but not too far — it still offers easy accessibility to major roadways.

In Copperfield people are able to get a bigger house for their money and enjoy great schools. These factors have really added to the area’s desirability. And with retail establishments cropping up along the interstate and other major thoroughfares, Copperfield residents are close to shopping. Major grocery stores, dry cleaners and doctor's offices are in nearby Pflugerville, as well as along Parmer Lane and nearby Lamar Boulevard. Residents also have their pick of dining establishments. Round Rock Hospital is minutes away to the north, and Austin Regional Medical Center is close by at MoPac Boulevard and Parmer Lane. Of course, like any area, Copperfield has seen its ups and downs, but the tough times are over and Copperfield is looking at only good times ahead.

Back to top

Forest Creek in Round Rock
Forest Creek is a golf enthusiast’s dream community, located on a premier 18-hole course rated the "Best Public Golf Course in Central Texas" (four stars) by Golf Digest. For duffers, there’s also a community pool and tennis courts, plus creeks and ponds for picnicking and exploring.

As far as schools are concerned, there’s a strong commitment to the future there, as well. Forest Creek Elementary, part of the highly regarded Round Rock school system, was recognized as exemplary this past year.

Forest Creek is a definitely a more upscale neighborhood, but many consider it just an all-around nice place to live. Residents are deeply involved in the neighborhood schools and community activities. The community holds many charity-supporting events that involve the whole neighborhood, which makes the activities that much more successful and fun. The neighborhood is growing fast, but residents are working hard to make sure it doesn’t lose that real sense of community.

Back to top

Gracy Woods
Location and value might be what first lures people to purchase a home in Gracy Woods — but it’s the sense of community that keeps them here. Gracy Woods offers the perfect blend of new and old families and all of them take deep pride in ownership. New comers are adding their own personal touches to older houses giving the neighborhood a bit more of a contemporary feel. The neighborhood offers diversity in other areas too, such as ethnicity and professions. Here you’ll find doctors, pilots, school principals and teachers, masons, mechanics, high tech workers, attorneys…and they’ll all speak a second language fluently.

The natural beauty of Gracy Woods is also a big seller for residents as well. People are drawn to the neighborhood because it’s just so pretty. Residents love the fact that they can walk to the end of the street and be on the greenbelt. Ultimately they look at their community as a real treasure. Gracy Woods is surrounded by a greenbelt, so it’s really quiet. The price of homes in this area is not outrageous, and the community has a variety of homes that accommodate differently sized families and ages, from young couples just starting out, to families with older children, to retirees — they’re all here and loving it!

Back to top

Milwood
Milwood is a great neighborhood for first time homebuyers. It’s very affordable, buyers get more square footage for the dollar here. The area also boasts easy access to many of Austin’s large employers.

Also on the list are good neighborhood parks and pools. The Balcones District Park is on the eastern edge of Milwood. The park has a City of Austin neighborhood pool. The area in mid-July also got a branch library. The Milwood Branch Library is 1201 Amherst Drive at Adelphi Lane.

Milwood was built with a lot of winding roads and cul de sacs, which makes it easy to get lost if you don’t know where you’re going. Residents don’t seem to mind this, in fact they kind of like it.

Back to top

Round Rock West
Round Rock West is actually a neighborhood just outside of Austin to the north. This is a nice, stable neighborhood with big yards and lots of trees. It's a closed-in location with easy access to I-35. It's got all the things everybody looks for in a neighborhood — easy access to the city, good schools and of course, shopping.

Anyone feeling nostalgic for the historic Round Rock can step back in time by crossing the interstate. While there be sure to sample a doughnut from the Lone Star Bakery, "Home of the Famous Round Rock Donuts." And yes, there really is a round rock. It's in Brushy Creek where it crosses Chisholm Trail Road. It's a favorite photo spot, especially for newcomers.

Big companies like IBM, Dell Computers, Abbott Laboratories and Cypress Semiconductors are all nearby. That’s probably why the neighborhood attracts upper middle class and white collar buyers.

Back to top

Vista Oaks – Round Rock
Vista Oaks is another neighborhood just north of Austin. Like many other communities in the area, Vista Oaks has a great mix of people — young, old and everyone in between. But the big attraction of this area is location. Vista Oaks is out away from the city of Austin, but close enough in to take advantage out it. And, it's a very pretty community —there's extensive landscaping throughout, and there is the greenbelt that adds to the beauty as well.

As a development that started only recently in the mid-nineties, Vista Oaks has grown to include many different people from many different professions and walks of life. In that sense, Vista Oaks is not your typical subdivision.

Back to top

Wells Branch
At one point Wells Branch was not the easiest community to be reached. There was no direct route to any major roadways, but it was set to be the first planned community in Travis County, and that was an attraction. Then the real estate bust of the mid-1980s hit and it looked like Wells Branch would never attain its full potential. But in 1989, Wells Branch Parkway was built and it's been gangbusters ever since.

Today, Wells Branch is home to 2,000 families, and new homes are selling before they're even built. A third elementary school is being built, and the neighborhood is raising money for a community library. The developers used the new urbanism concept, mixing residential and retail. The park, which contains the historic Wells Branch Homestead as its focal point, is surrounded by family homes. It is the center of social life. On a recent sunny day, toddlers frolicked in the playscape while a group of grandmothers played cards in the community center.

This is a very well balanced neighborhood — it attracts all kinds of people — gender, race and marital status.

Back to top