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The Highland Neighborhood went through some tough times when the nearby shopping mall closed down, but now the Austin Community College has taken over the mall property, creating a spanking new Tech Center, classrooms, and even a theater space currently rented by Austin Playhouse. Young people are moving into the area because public transport (by bus or Metrorail) is easily accessible from Highland, and new places to eat, live and shop are opening up.

New or renovated apartments along the main streets of the Highland neighborhood are popular with singles, and the heart of the neighborhood, with small mid-century homes, attracts young families. There are still some rough edges, primarily near I-35 on the eastern side of the neighborhood, but the area is changing for the better.

Highland is a multi-ethnic neighborhood. Not just the usual white-black-hispanic mix common in Texas, but a sprinkling of Asians (Korea, Japan, Hong Kong) and Middle Eastern folks as well. Shopping in the area reflects the ethnic mix. And Reilly School, the public elementary school located in the south part of the neighborhood, offers two programs of dual-language instruction from kindergarten through 5th grade, either English/Spanish or English/Mandarin.

This isn't the place to go if you want a large home and a car-centered neighborhood in suburbia. But if you want to be in a place that's "Austin Weird" this might be a good choice.