Coronado Hills

Coronado Hills is a quiet, commuter-friendly residential neighborhood with an isolated, suburban feel. You definitely need a car to live here. The community is essentially a triangular island bordered by highways 290, 183, and I-35, and traffic is often a problem for people traveling to and from Coronado Hills during rush hour.

The neighborhood is fairly bland, and has no nightlife to speak of, but there are a good number of restaurants. In addition to standard American fastfood chains like McDonalds, Chili’s, and Denny’s, you can find average-quality, average-priced food from all sorts of cuisines: Cajun/Creole, Chinese, Korean BBQ, and Tex Mex.

The Highland Mall and movie theater are located just outside the neighborhood, across I-35, and Coronado Hills is home to Nelson Field, a multi-use stadium, used primarily by the local high school football teams.

What some people call bland and boring, other people call safe and comforting.

Located in the northeast part of the city of Austin, the Coronado Hills neighborhood is a working-class family neighborhood. A largely Hispanic neighborhood, what it lacks in Austin charm and weirdness it makes up for with being a fairly clean, quiet, and safe family neighborhood. It's a good drive through some tough traffic to the downtown area, which is one reason prices here are reasonable with single family homes ranging from around $200,000, and there are also duplexes in the area that can be had for a reasonable monthly rent compared to other parts of the city.

The neighborhood is contained within some of the city's major arteries and traffic can be hair-raising during rush hours in the morning and afternoon. And this is also a factor as traffic noise makes the neighborhood much less than during peak traffic times and some nights. If you love good authentic Mexican food and Tex-Mex, there are a number of good choices that border the neighborhood to the south and west.

If you live in Austin because of its art scene, its music scene, its openness and vivid, weird personality, Coronado Hills is not the neighborhood you want to settle into. On the other hand, if you’re in Austin largely because of work, or habit, or convenience, and you’re looking for a safe, affordable haven, or a solid and consistent place to raise a family, it’s worth a second look.

As Austin neighborhoods go, Coronado Hills is barely identifiable as one. It has a general suburban feel to it, and it’s an easy enough drive to more active parts of the city, which can go a long way toward mitigating any feelings you have of being out of the loop. The schools are okay and it’s a relatively safe place to live. Housing is eminently affordable here, and this may be one of the best places in Austin for a young family to really settle down and establish themselves due to the low cost of entry.

For entertainment, fun, music, and art, you’re not going to find it here, but it’s not far away, either. For quiet, comfort, and affordability, you can’t go too wrong here. Essentially, you’re sacrificing the signature Austin vibe for suburban sprawl—but for some, that may be exactly what they’re looking for.

For those looking for a neighborhood that can provide less expensive homes in a suburban setting close to some of Austin’s major arteries, then Coronado Hills may fit the bill. This is not the neighborhood for those who chose to live in Austin for its funky vibe, eclectic art and music scene, and liberal sensibilities. This area is more for those looking for a nice-sized home for their family, complete with a yard, among quiet streets, in a clean, well-kept neighborhood.

Located between Highways 183 and 290, with Cameron Road on the west, Coronado Hills has easy access to all parts of Austin by way of these highly trafficked thoroughfares. Be aware that traffic on Highway 183 in particular can get heavily congested during typical rush hour times. This largely Hispanic neighborhood enjoys some racial diversity, as families are attracted to the area for the affordable housing prices, which average around $130,000, far below the city’s average. The area schools include Andrews Elementary, Webb Middle School and Reagan High School.

In a nutshell, Coronado Hills is a fine and affordable neighborhood for families. It is easily overlooked because it doesn’t have much in the way of character, but on the other hand, there’s not much to complain about either. Being set in the midst of the intersection of three major highways could be considered a negative, but residents report that traffic noise is generally not a problem here.

Coronado Hills is attempting to turn itself into a thriving community, but it’s faced a number of setbacks. In 2010, the Austin Achievement Zone lost out on the chance to get a federal grant for the improvement of the Coronado Hills neighborhood schools. This was an anti-poverty plan based on the successful Harlem Achievement Zone model. This could have changed many young lives, but fortunately the organization is still filing and competing for grant money to achieve this goal. If education and family services aren’t a priority for you, this is a relatively cheap—if bland—place to buy or rent. There’s a string of bus stops along Berkman Drive, but you’ll probably want a vehicle if you live here so you can access other areas of the city with ease. Bordered on all sides by major highways, it’s got plenty of quick access going for it, so you can easily hop into your car and get to work or some of the more interesting areas neighborhoods for your nightlife or entertainment needs. There are a lot of authentic Mexican restaurants and a Mexican dance club, but other than that, there’s not much to do here. But again, fun or family is not a priority for your living needs, this might be the perfect place for you.

Coronado Hills is the site of two major highways crossing over one another and aside from having low cost real estate and Nelson Field, a sports stadium, there is nothing too spectacular about this neighborhood. It looks like any other suburban community and has nothing distinctive about it. If you were to be brought only to this area, you would never guess that it was in fact part of the Austin Metropolitan Area. Traffic noise can be heard from the houses during rush hour and public transportation is scarce.

There is no nightlife and every property basically blends in with each other. The streets are absent of young single professionals and are filled with the elderly and children. Homes average around $150,000 and the rental costs are under $800. Considering how many other more interesting neighborhoods exist with cheaper housing costs, those looking to relocate to Austin can do a lot better than this small concrete box cut community.