Crestview
By Donna Lin
Once considered remote from the hubbub of downtown Austin, Crestview is today a centrally located neighborhood, featuring elegant, gracefully aged homes built along shaded, tree-lined blocks.
Longtime resident Chip Harris says he and his wife were attracted to the Crestview area because of the mature trees, the quiet atmosphere and the nice mix of ages of people who live there.
“When you move into a new subdivision, a lot of the people there are of the same age. Being an older neighborhood, the diversity of ages was nice. There are people who live there now that could tell you about when Anderson Lane was a gravel road, they’ve lived there for 50 years,” he says.
Though some residents of Crestview have lived there for decades, newcomers are attracted to the tranquil, serene environment this community offers.
Generally recognized as an ideal environment for families, Crestview is bordered by Anderson Lane to the north, Justin Lane to the south, North Lamar Boulevard to the east and Burnet Road to the west. It is located north of the city’s urban core.
A quiet, friendly neighborhood, Crestview’s streets are speckled with locally owned businesses. “We probably have more barbershops per capita than anywhere else,” Harris says, laughing. “If you throw a rock, you’ll probably hit one. It’s the same for churches, too.”
Typical homes in the area range from 1,100 to 1,200 square feet, and most homes are pier and beam construction, most Crestview homes are 2 bedroom, 1 bath, or 3 bedroom, 1 bath. About three-quarters of homes in the neighborhood have been converted from standard air conditioning window unites to CA/CH systems.
Brentwood Elementary is just across Justin Lane from Crestview in the Brentwood neighborhood and features a small city pool, ball fields and a playground. Beverly Sheffield Park also is nearby. A much larger public facility, this park offers a public pool, playgrounds, tennis courts, barbecue areas and basketball court.
“People enjoy the neighborly quality of living in Crestview,” Knippa says. “My sister lived in Crestview for years, and always talked about how everyone knew everyone, and helped each other.”
Residents of the neighborhood enjoy an active neighborhood association that hosts several different annual events. Harris says a several notable events include an ice cream social held in July, and National Night Out events in August.
These nights are part of a program that encourage one person on each block to host a get-together on their front lawn the first Tuesday in August, for neighbors to get to know one another.
Harris says the neighborhood is not as ethnically diverse as he would prefer, but things are slowly changing. “There are different socioeconomic groups in the area, because there’s a large amount of rentals in the neighborhood,” he says.
Children in the neighborhood attend Brentwood Elementary School, Lamar Middle School, and McCallum High School. Utilities are provided by the city.

Schools
Austin Independent School District
Brentwood Elementary School
Lamar Middle School
McCallum High School
Amenities
Beverly S. Scheffield Northwest Park
The Arboretum
Northcross Mall
Resources
Search articles mentioning
Crestview in the Austin
American-Statesman’s archives.
Find area restaurants on Austin360

Bryker Woods
By Jackie Potts
It was the physical beauty of Bryker Woods — with its lovely old trees and charming old homes — that attracted Jim Nelson to the neighborhood. It was the family atmosphere that kept him there.
Nelson and his wife are raising three children in the home they bought in 1984. And they are staying put.
“I love being near downtown but still away from it,” Nelson said. “I can be at work downtown in 10 minutes. But because of its well- defined geography, Bryker Woods is confined. There are advantages to that.”
That confinement makes him feel safe since there is little through traffic. However, some parts of the neighborhood — such as on 29th Street — are seeing more traffic as motorists attempt to find shortcuts between MOPAC Boulevard and Interstate 35 to downtown.
Bryker Woods is bordered by Westover on the south, 35th on the north, Shoal Creek on the east and MOPAC Boulevard on the west. It was developed between the 1930s and 1950s, mostly with bungalows and a few larger homes surrounded by large, shady trees.
“People who buy here are looking for a neighborhood like the one they grew up in,” said George McGee of George Sears McGee, Realtors. “They want the charm of an older neighborhood. They tell me to exhaust looking here before they’ll consider looking elsewhere.”
McGee said the price is mainly for the land. He has started to see some tear-downs.
Buyers are mainly young professionals — with and without children, McGee said. Many work in various medical facilities in and around Seton Medical Center which is nearby. The University of Texas and downtown offices are minutes away. Grocery stores and small retail establishments are close-by along 35th/38th streets and Lamar Boulevard.
Because of the convenient location, many homeowners stay in the neighborhood for several years before deciding to move into larger quarters or add.
Nelson said that’s the issue he and his wife are grappling with now that their three children are older. Nelson said he doesn’t want to leave the neighborhood.
“The emphasis has always been on family,” he said. “People are always walking, including at night. A lot of people who move here stay a long time. It’s stable. But there is always an influx of new families moving in.”
Because of the emphasis on families, the neighborhood boasts a very active PTA at Bryker Woods Elementary as well as an active neighborhood association.
Part of the attraction for young families is the schools, McGee said. Half of the elementary school-age children attend Bryker Woods Elementary and the other half attend Casis Elementary.
When not studying, children play in the many nearby parks such as Seider’s Springs Park, Bailey Park, and Shoal Creek Park.