Hyde Park

This neighborhood is cool. It’s got a laid-back, kind of funky, yet clean and stable atmosphere. If I was going to stay in Austin long-term and I had ties to the University, there’s no question that I would choose to live in Hyde Park. Rent is on par with houses in other cities—but in Austin $800 seems like a lot, so it’s considered an expensive neighborhood.

There are a lot great restaurants in Hyde Park, particularly on Duval, where there is a little cluster of shops and eateries. Mother’s is a great vegetarian restaurant, and one of the neighborhood mainstays. There’s Quack’s bakery and coffeeshop, Hyde Park Bar and Grill, places to go grocery shopping, and there’s a juice bar not far away. Health and eco-conscious residents shop for organic groceries at Wheatsville Co-op (just to the south of Hyde Park)—the only co-op in Texas, incidentally. It’s seen as an anti-corporate alternative to Whole Foods.

Many of the people who live in Hyde Park are students (lots of grad students in particular) or professors. There are comedy venues here, bike shops, and a good mix of restaurants on the periphery. In Hyde Park you’re close to all the cool student hang outs a bit closer to the university, so you don’t have to go far to find nightlife.

A great place to raise a family, live with a partner, or cozy up with some roommates.

Ask any Austinite about their favorite part of town, and odds are good they'll answer with Hyde Park. This charming neighborhood, about 90% residential, is so steeped in history it was added to the National Register of Historic Areas in 1990.

Safe and quiet, with plenty of green space and turn-of-the-century architecture, Hyde Park is an ideal place to live for nearly anyone. The vibe is diverse and accepting, people are friendly, and the central location is still convenient to UT and the rest of the city.

Rentals can be hard to come by, because nearly all dwellings are single-family homes, and the neighborhood is highly desirable, and housing costs tend to run high. Homes generally retain their value well and have risen significantly over time.

For shopping, dining, and entertainment, you're going to want to leave the neighborhood, but traffic is reasonable and public transit is convenient. Schools are good quality and the crime rate is low. The historic nature of Hyde Park ensures its immunity to big box stores and pre-fab housing. Shipe Park, with a public swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, and a playground for the kiddos, is an added bonus. In Hyde Park, you get the best Austin has to offer… as long as you are willing to pay for it!

Residents of Hyde Park love their neighborhood, so much so that they would gladly storm city hall to preserve its unique historic integrity should it ever feel threatened. This neighborhood, with its turn-of-the-century architecture, is filled with residents who enjoy walking their dogs down its tree-lined streets, waving to neighbors relaxing on their front porches. One finds spacious Victorian-style mansions next to modest bungalows housing college students and many recently renovated expanded bungalows that still retain the look and feel of the area.

Hyde Parkers pride themselves on supporting the neighborhood businesses that allow this neighborhood to be a self-contained oasis in the midst of the city. There are several restaurants as well as a bakery, laundromat, gym, wine bar, grocery store, local retail businesses and even a cheese shop within its borders, all within walking and biking distance to all residents.

Many would love to live in Hyde Park, but finding an affordable means of doing so can be challenging. Homes can range from the mid-$200s for a fixer-upper all the way into the $800s, with prices averaging around the mid-$400s. Local schools include Lee Elementary, Kealing Middle School and McCallum High School. Located just north of the University of Texas, it is bordered on the south by 38th Street, on the north by 51st Street, and by Guadalupe and Duval Streets to the west and east.

Despite the high housing costs, Hyde Park manages to retain the feel of its hippie days, and residents tend to be very active in the community, both within the neighborhood as well as the local political scene. Residents have been known to regularly do battle with developers working on nearby properties, promoting mixed-use developments and the inclusion of green space.

A small wooded community that is close to the University of Texas campus, but absent of the overbearing student crowd, Hyde Park is without a doubt one of the best neighborhoods for living in Austin. The shaded streets are perfect for a jog or bike ride and there are numerous bus stops that make traveling in and out of the area easy. A mix of professionals, students and families, there is an admirable balance of nightlife activity and serenity. Rental and selling prices vary between houses, but those who are single and on a budget are best left to sharing the rental costs with a few other people.

The outlining streets are the locations of bustling activity while the interior of Hyde Park is left to residences that enjoy a high level of peace and quiet. Many small scale restaurants and coffeehouses dot the area as do little grocery stores and laundry mats. Various creative spots including galleries, theaters and collectives adorn the streets in addition to taco shacks and bike shops. Public, private and community educational centers keep local children engaged and the bars along Guadalupe St. give something for the adults to do in their free time. Hyde Park truly does offer the best of both worlds in providing easy access to the many great venues of Austin while providing a peaceful refuge.

This area has a small college town feel that is a great escape from the big city. It’s a great area for walking and biking, with relatively little traffic. This is a favorite area for graduate students and other more mature individuals, so it never gets too rowdy. If you’re lucky enough to live here, you’re within easy walking distance to UT. After class you can study in the quiet of Flightpath Coffeehouse, or get a muffin at Quacks Bakery. There are a lot of churches and schools in this area, and students and families coexist peacefully. Parks, playgrounds, and tennis courts give provide plenty of attractive green space to play or wander around in. There are a few little boutique stores, a movie theater nearby, and even a really cool sculpture museum (Elisabet Ney). You’ll definitely forget you’re surrounded by urban sprawl just mere miles away. There are plenty of bus stops around the perimeter of the neighborhood too, so this is actually one of the few areas in Austin that you can get away with not having a car and not even miss it. I love this area, and I’m so sad I don’t get to live there anymore! If I had a choice of where I lived in the city, this would be it no question.