Northwest Hills
History
In 1952, brothers David Barrow Sr. and Edward Barrow founded the Austin Corporation with the intention of creating the Northwest Hills neighborhood. Land for this neighborhood was obtained from Texas Crushed Stone, a limestone quarry operation, upon its relocation in 1958 to its present site between Round Rock and Georgetown. The Barrow brothers created Northwest Hills, an area of approximately 2,000 acres located in northwest Austin; by developing one section at a time rather than all at once, a new concept in urban planning. The initial plan for the neighborhood wished to extend its boundaries even further, but the Austin City Council blocked the proposal.
The neighborhood lies generally, west of Mopac, south of 183 and east of Loop 360.
Named after the family of David B. Borrow, the Barrow Natural Preserve is located on 7 acres of quiet land in northwest Austin along Bull Creek. Within this preserve lies a permanent spring named Barrow Spring. Here there are a number of plants and flowers protected by the Preserve.
Restaurants
Northwest Hills is home to several restaurants exclusive to Austin. El Arroyo, a Mexican food restaurant and an Austin favorite for 23 years, is known for its famous sign with daily witty remarks to entertain patrons and their legendary margaritas. The new addition of Torchy’s Tacos, a local joint providing an assortment of uniquely named tacos and award-winning salsa, allow customers to grab good food on the run. If you are looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth, kick back in the evening with family and friends and treat yourself to a refreshing snow cone from Sweet Caroline’s Snow Shack.
Activities
For those that like to stay active, the neighborhood offers a variety of activities. Take a run through the neighborhood while taking in the views from the top of the hills of Austin. Murchison High School, known for its great hill, is a wonderful place open to the public to work out around the track or on the tennis courts. It is also home to Murchison Neighborhood Pool, where neighbors can escape the heat of the summer and enjoy swimming lessons or a relaxing picnic in the shade. In the spring, NWA Kickball offers a competitive league for girls Kindergarten through High School. Many NWA teams have won state championships here and the fields are a popular gathering place for families who enjoy the sport. Shirley McPhail School of Dance, founded in 1970, offers dance classes for children and youth. The Shirley McPhail School finds it important for parents to be an active part in creating and maintaining a positive attitude towards dance within their children, so they also offer adult classes too. Classes range from tap and ballet to hip-hop and yoga. Unique to this area is the largest full service women’s only gym, Premier Lady Fitness & Spa. Premier Lady Fitness’s services include state-of-the-art equipment, group fitness, personal training, and other services such as massage, tanning and childcare. The Dell Jewish Community Center, located just north of Far West on a private campus provides many opportunities for adults and children to recreate. In addition to a private school, there is an excellent workout facility, track and swimming pool. The JCC also hosts scouting programs, seminars and plays.
With a number of restaurants activities, and nearby shopping, Northwest Hills is a great family neighborhood that takes its neighborhood watch very seriously in order to keep everyone safe.
Schools
School assignments for Northwest Hills Neighborhood are Doss Elementary School, Hill Elementary, Murchison Middle School, and Anderson High School. Doss Elementary is a 15-year Blue Ribbon School. The school’s major program initiatives include Leadership Austin, Art Enrichment, as well as teaching Spanish from 1st through 5th grade. Hill Elementary is also a Blue Ribbon School and rated Exemplary. Both have after school care programs. Murchison Middle School’s focus is to be an exemplary school in the areas of reading, writing, math and social studies. It also provides TAAS assessments to measure student achievement. Anderson High School has been named as one of the top fifteen high schools in Texas, as well as being honored by the Google Corporation for excellent performance in math on the ACT, SAT, AP, and IB exams. Both Murchison and Anderson offer the International Baccalaureate programs, the only ones in the Austin Independent School District.
Housing
Most of the homes in Northwest Hills are either single story ranch style homes or two story traditional with an occasional Spanish flair or Cape Cod. There are also an abundance of patio homes and condominiums available as well. The UT shuttle picks up students along Hart Lane. Home prices range from the $300,000 to just over $1,000,000 depending on size, age and features.
For more specific market information or to track the statistics in this neighborhood, visit www.WestAustinMarketplace.com and look for the latest Market Report under zip code 78731.
