West Oak Hill

A nice suburban area south of the city of Austin, the West Oak Hill neighborhood offers a slower pace of living away from the hustle and bustle of the capitol city. Here you can find 3-bedroom 1400 square foot homes for as low as $200,000 with roomier newly constructed homes in the area selling for as much as $400,000. One of the main drawbacks to this neighborhood is that it is a good commute into the city and traffic can be maddening during the rush hours.

Many of the homes feature exquisite landscaping and this area has a strong rural appeal. It is lacking in shopping and dining options and this makes for traffic on the main roads into Austin that is some of the worst in Travis County. It's a safe, largely crime free area ideal for raising a family or retiring to a community with a rural feel that is not that far away from all that the city of Austin has to offer. There are a few national chain fast food eateries and pizza shops on State Highway 290 so it is not entirely barren of dining options.

West Oak Hill isn't a bad neighborhood in its own right. Its biggest drawback is probably that it automatically becomes a serious commute to get to any other part of the city. All the same, there are some pretty fantastic homes to be found in this neighborhood, sitting as it does on the edge of the West Texas hill country.

Newer construction offers some pretty impressive housing, and some of the older properties boast of some very well done landscaping. Shopping and nightlife are considerably limited with this much seclusion, and the bottlenecks on the major roads make a very strong argument for some of the most serious traffic problems anywhere in town. If you work off hours, and can thus avoid traveling during peak hours, or you find that you really want access to a more rural lifestyle within Austin, this particular unique area might be worth looking into. For pretty much any other consideration, especially nightlife, shopping, and convenience, you would do better to look elsewhere, and simply drive through every so often to enjoy the picturesque views.

Even the most beautiful location can hardly be worth commuting an hour or more a day. Other than the far-flung and challenging location and the amazing scenery, what you will find in West Oak Hill is primarily a strong suburban, sometimes even rural feel. West Oak Hill does have a lot going for it, but insane commutes and traffic snares are likely to turn off all but the most devoted fans of nature’s beauty.

Located in far southwest Austin, West Oak Hill is one of the largest neighborhoods in the city. This largely suburban part of town is known for its large housing lots and newer development. People who are attracted to this area appreciate the proximity to wide, open spaces on the western edge of the neighborhood, and the feeling that one is living out in the country while actually being within a few miles of the city.

The boundaries for West Oak Hill generally follow Southwest Parkway and Thomas Springs Road to the north, following the Travis/Hays County line to the south, and William Cannon Drive to the east. There are many single-family homes in the neighborhood, most on large lots with spacious back yards. Many of the homes are fairly new, but tend there is a cookie cutter quality to them.

Townhouses and condominiums arrived more recently. Because of its location on the outskirts of town, housing prices are quite affordable, even for a medium to large-sized home. Housing prices average in the high-$200s here, and condominiums and townhouses average below $100K. Neighborhood schools include Oak Hills Elementary, Small Middle School and Bowie High School.
Many families chose to live in West Oak Hill because of the affordable prices and large lots. One feels they are leaving the big city behind, especially at night when you can hear the coyotes howling. This is the neighborhood for those who prefer a more rural setting, rather than the hustle and bustle of the big city. Not much that keeps Austin weird (or liberal) will be found in these parts. But despite its out of the way feel, residents of West Oak Hill have convenient access to all the big box retail stores, grocery stores, restaurants and country-flavored specialty shops.

I am friends with a couple that live here, and they absolutely love it. They both work nearby, and they can drop their daughter off at preschool on the way. The area has a number of great schools, both public and private. They are active in their neighborhood association, and the area even has its own paper, the Oak Hill Gazette, which focuses on neighborhood news. There’s a public library, a branch of the Austin Community College, and the Oak Hills Health Center. The Texas Department of Transportation is planning to expand Highway 290, which West Oak Hills residents aren’t too happy about. They’ve formed a grassroots group to suggest alternatives that would be cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and wouldn’t cause so much chaos to the neighborhood way of life. The neighborhood spirit is high here, thanks to this coalition, and it’s a clean, safe place for children to grow up. Housing is very expensive, and it’s far away from downtown and the UT campus, so these are things to consider for those who are lucky enough to even start looking for a residence in the area. My friends swear they will never move, though, however much I talk about loving less expensive, quirkier areas of the city.

Those who want to avoid the city life but still have access to it would not do better than to live in West Oak Hill. Located along Hwy 71 and a mile or so west of the Mopac Expressway, the streets of this neighborhood wind around tree covered hills and offer a view of the open Central Texas Hill Country. The public transit does not extend this far out, but residents tend to have cars and will find all the parking space in the world available, which is often a problem in the central neighborhoods. This is also a very safe neighborhood as communities this far west of the city are almost absent of any crime, with the worst incidents being theft.

There is a severe lack of Austin nightlife, but that is exactly what residents come here to avoid. In West Oak Hill you can see a full sky of stars from your back yard and every once in a while hear a coyote's howl. The major downside of this neighborhood, however, is the very expensive housing, which sometime reaches seven figures. Those who can afford it though, love the natural isolation from the bothersome hustle and bustle of Downtown Austin and its surrounding neighborhoods. A small cluster of newer houses basically all look the same, but the older homes, especially those that have large land plots, are truly unique. Those that love the outdoors and have the income to spare would be hard pressed to do better the West Oak Hill.