3 Neighborhoods in Austin for Getting Involved
Austin neighborhoods boast an enviable sense of personality. People from across the world flock to areas like Downtown Austin and East Austin for festivals like SXSW and Austin City Limits, and while the movies, music, and tech innovations provide a major draw, these out-of-towners revel in the unique character of Austin communities.
And if visitors love the neighborhood-centric nature of Austin, the city’s residents appreciate it even more. If you’re looking to settle down in an Austin area with particularly strong community involvement, these three neighborhoods should definitely be on your list.
Mueller
By its very nature, master-planned communities (MPCs) tend to appeal to buyers interested in amenities, communal common spaces, and neighborhood events. One Northeast Austin MPC, known as Mueller, takes these expected community attributes to unprecedented levels.
Mueller operates within an ethos of “new urbanism,” or the belief that strong communities can be built around a pre-constructed frame. Mueller’s architects and designers specifically sought to create an environment that encourages neighborly interactions, and to that end, they installed a large man-made lake to serve as the centerpoint of the community.
Mueller project manager Gary Weaver expressed his intention for the lake in an interview with NPR:
"The people in the park over there with the dog, the guy fishing over there ... the birthday party over here is something that was always envisioned in paper and in theory—and it's become a reality out here.”
Mueller’s homes overwhelmingly include large front porches, designed to allow neighbors to see and communicate with each other. Also, the designers take green initiatives to discourage car use, and they’ve also highly prioritized the walkability of the community, all of which promotes neighborhood engagement.
Mueller also features an especially active neighborhood association, a nonprofit organization led by residents who want to represent their Austin enclave at city council meetings, liaise with reps from neighboring Austin communities, and take steps within Mueller to bolster community engagement. The Mueller Neighborhood Association publishes a regular newsletter (aptly named The Front Porch Flyer) to keep residents abreast of meeting minutes, relevant citywide happenings, and events specific to Mueller residents, like the Mueller Supper Club and the Annual Fourth of July Parade and Festival.
North Central Austin
Even in a civic-minded city like Austin, it’s rare to find a neighborhood explicitly founded on the principles of local engagement and community activism. But in a neighborhood of North Austin called the North Austin Civic Association (NACA), also known as North Central Austin, that’s exactly what you can expect.
As the neighborhood name suggests, NACA places considerable value on the elected officials in its neighborhood association. This group takes direct action to improve conditions in North Central Austin, organizing regular street cleanups, working to foster unity between the population of homeowners and the large (and growing) percentage of renters, and hosting social events for locals, like North Austin brewery crawls and game days at neighborhood parks like Quail Creek. Community involvement is a cornerstone of life in NACA, so if you’re interested in moving to an area that, by definition, offers ample chances to become part of its growth, NACA may be just the spot for you.
Zilker
One of South Austin’s most desirable neighborhoods,Zilker benefits immensely from its location directly across Lady Bird Lake from the city’s business center, Downtown Austin. While single-family homes can still be found in Zilker, the neighborhood increasingly features more urban styles of living, like condos, apartments, and townhomes. While city slickers don’t have the best reputation for being involved in neighborhood happenings, Zilker includes one major attribute that brings the whole neighborhood together: Zilker Metropolitan Park.
Zilker Park truly serves as an unofficial community center for the residents of the surrounding Austin enclave, thanks to its vast greenspace, carefully curated programs, and abundant volunteer opportunities. Zilker Park is home to multiple attractions, like the Barton Springs Pool, the Austin Nature and Science Center, the Zilker Botanical Garden and seasonal performances from the Zilker Hillside Theatre. On a larger scale, the nationally renowned Austin City Limits Music Festival takes place at Zilker Park, with this year’s lineup featuring famous musical acts like Paul McCartney, Childish Gambino, and Metallica.
For local residents who want to get involved in park events, Zilker Park presents plenty of avenues for service. Volunteers can sign up through the Austin Parks Department for activities like park cleanup, but if your interests are more specific, Zilker Hillside Theatre, Zilker Botanical Garden, and Zilker Sunshine Camp (a program for low-income and at-risk youth in the area) all gladly accept volunteer assistance.