Franklin Park

Franklin Park s a low-income neighborhood located in South East Austin, right along I-35 and fairly close to the airport. The neighborhood has an isolated suburban feel, but it’s not terribly scenic. Parking lots, shopping centers, low-income apartment complexes. Luckily, there are ways to counteract the dominant feel of this fairly drab neighborhood.

Quite close by Franklin Park—just to the east, is McKinney Falls State Park—a gorgeous 700 acres of preserved land and wildlife. There are waterfalls, gigantic rock formations, and striking views. Not to mention hiking and biking trails, camp sites, picnic areas, spots to fish, and swimming in Onion Creek.

Franklin Park also has its own little namesake park, too. At Franklin Neighborhood Park, residents have access to a basketball court, softball field, volleyball court, a playground, BBQ pits, and picnicking areas.

Franklin Park is affordable and largely inoffensive. In being largely inoffensive, however, it lacks any kind of charm or personality, instead presenting as little more than an industrially-driven suburb.

For the value-conscious, any of the elements that add up to make Franklin Park a less than wonderful place to live might be irrelevant. This is one of the few parts of town where affordable housing is plentiful and the neighborhood is not actively in a state of chaotic disrepair. It’s reasonably safe, and reasonably quiet. The scenery leaves a lot to be desired, comprised mostly of flat land and desolate parking lots. Shopping and nightlife will require trips to other parts of the city, which you will need to do by car. Public transit is lacking, and the proximity to major highways makes getting around by bike a pretty unsafe option.

Personally, if I can’t think of a reason to visit someplace, I can’t find good reasons to live there, either. The price may be right for many people, but the inconvenience and lack of character combine to make it a bad fit for me. Anyone who really wants to absorb and enjoy Austin culture and charm would be well served to give Franklin Park a pass, no matter how attractive the real estate prices are.

This area really isn’t all that bad. It’s actually one of the first residential places I visited before I actually moved to Austin. I was there looking for a place to live (renting an apartment as a UT student, so no interest in houses or a mortgage), and I got invited to a new friend’s pool party. It was a cute little bungalow with big cactuses out front and a kidney shaped pool in the back. I can’t for the life of me remember exactly where it was here, but if I did, I’d want to move there because it’s my first impression of living in Austin and one I hoped to achieve one day. I of course wasn’t yet familiar with some of the quirkier neighborhoods that are closer to my favorite hangouts, but I think I could be happy here as long as I had that awesome pool. I could even stand the drive past the Sam’s Club and the Super Target. Sure, it’s a little suburban for my tastes, but there’s something about it that just screams THE SOUTH to me. Probably the cactuses. It actually reminds me more of Arizona than Austin, but then again, I’m originally from the Midwest, so everything below Missouri seems like an old timey-John Wayne film to me.

If a cheap mortgage was the main determinant in choosing a neighborhood, then Franklin Park would be one of the top prizes. If factors such as culture, nightlife, food and shopping are added to the pool, then this southeast Austin community just does not measure up. Over half the area is filled with steel and concrete warehouse spaces that make the scenery less than visually pleasing and even the residential areas have few options for grocery shopping and the like if they want to stray away from I-35. What seems to be the only benefit of this neighborhood is the cheap real estate, with housing prices as low a $100,000, but many who relocate to Austin are willing to invest a few more bucks for the sake of being close to lively culture.

There is one public school and public park and those who need medical care have to travel to either I-35 or Hwy 71. All in all this community comes across as desolate and boring, not accurately representing the lifestyles that Austin has to offer. A fair description would be naming Franklin Park a lower scale version of the South Austin neighborhoods on the other side of the interstate. The public transportation in this neighborhood is somewhat pitiful, hence residents most often need a vehicle to travel outside these streets since it would be less than advisable for anyone to cross these sections of Hwy 71 and I-35 on bike. If you are moving to Austin and want to truly experience Austin, then avoid this neighborhood as there are plenty of other spots where you can get more bang for your buck.