Windsor Road

Nestled next to the older, historic, and wildly pricy Tarrytown and Old Enfield neighborhoods, Windsor Road—not to be confused with Windsor Hills or Windsor Park—is a charming, if steeply priced, neighborhood featuring Austin’s unique, signature charm along with safe, clean, green streets, fantastic schools, and easy access to downtown Austin, shopping, and nightlife.

We tend to get what we pay for in real estate, and buy-ins to this exclusive enclave start high. The vast majority of the housing is mid-20th century bungalow-style housing, small to medium in size, and the architectural diversity and appeal of the neighborhood gives it a distinctive appearance unmatched by most other neighborhoods. Around Windsor Road, while the homes may run to the smaller and more expensive, you are buying in to a beautiful, safe neighborhood with a rich history and every amenity you could ask for.

Schools are widely regarded as among the area’s best, making this a particularly good neighborhood in which to raise children. The relative convenience to nearby universities also makes this an attractive neighborhood for professors to settle into, though it’s generally out of the reach of most students.

While there’s limited nightlife in the immediate area, downtown is a quick trip away, and public transit in the neighborhood runs smoothly. For higher-end living without hitting that million-dollar mark, this is one of Austin’s premiere neighborhoods.

For some reason, Austin likes to use the name “Windsor” for its neighborhoods, as two other areas, Windsor Hills and Windsor Park share the moniker. But Windsor Road, the posh neighborhood in central west Austin, shares few qualities with its similarly-named neighbors. Located in the highly desirable (and highly expensive) area next to Tarrytown and Old Enfield, this is one of Austin’s most charming neighborhoods to live in.

The boundaries for Windsor Road are Windsor Road to the south, 35th Street to the north, MoPac Expressway to the west and N. Lamar Boulevard to the east. This largely residential neighborhood is made up largely of small to medium-sized bungalow-style homes built in the 1940s to 1960s. This is a close-knit community, and keep in mind that it is old-Austin exclusive, rather than new-Austin. That means many of the residents are proud of their hippie roots or at least appreciate the hippie lifestyle. Housing prices run high here, averaging in the $500s for a 3 or 4-bedroom home. Many families chose to live here as the area schools are highly regarded, as well as seniors and young professionals. The area schools include Casis and Bryker Woods Elementary, O. Henry Middle School and Austin High School.

Windsor Road is a bit of an oasis surrounded by major thoroughfares that make it quite convenient to all of Austin. It is very close to downtown and the University of Texas. N. Lamar contains plenty of restaurants and retail, as well as 35th Street. There is a small neighborhood park located within its boundaries, Bailey Park. But also running through Windsor Road is Shoal Creek, which has a popular hike and bike trail that will take you very close to downtown. If you can afford to live here, or if you are lucky enough to find a solid older home with potential, you would be considered lucky to call this neighborhood home.

This area is often mixed up with Windsor Hills and Windsor Park, which are both east of I35. The age of residents of Windsor Park skews a little higher than in other neighborhoods (mostly 30-55), mostly white, undergrad educated with families, with higher incomes on average than the rest of Austin. Home values vary pretty widely, but there are some really unique homes in this area, ranging from adorable little picturesque cottage style to eclectic modern works of art. It’s a very clean, well-kept place to live. Most people own rather than rent, and rent is relatively higher here than in other neighborhoods nearby. The Windsor Road neighborhood is close to the UT campus, but it doesn’t feel like it because right to the south is the Shoal Creek Greenbelt and Pease Park. This provides a nice buffer from noise, traffic, and skyline clutter. It’s almost entirely residential, but a couple bar/restaurants dot the north border. The Waterloo Ice House caters to the sporty type, and the Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina has some great margaritas and live music on Thursday nights. They have the best hot sauce in Austin, by the way. The Seaton Medical Center is also located here.