As Central Austin neighborhoods like Downtown Austin, East Austin, and West Campus become more popular, they also continue to urbanize at a rapid pace. Businesses and tech organizations set up office buildings, trendy bars and restaurants quickly emerge, and CapMetro bus lines expand to better serve residents in these high-traffic areas.

Therefore, if you’re eager to stay near the heart of the action but still value a peaceful residential experience for you and your family, it can be tricky to find a neighborhood that meets all of these criteria. 

One Austin neighborhood that admirably encompasses each of these characteristics is Cherrywood, a residential enclave bordered by North Loop to the north,East Austin to the south, Mueller to the east, and Hancock to the west, with I-35 running along its western perimeter. Cherrywood is a close-knit community with easy access to urban amenities, making it a strong choice for downtown workers, UT students and faculty, and new Austinites with school-aged children in tow.

Typical Austin homes

View homes for sale in Cherrywood

A Family-Friendly Neighborhood

With its friendly neighborhood vibe and its excellent public schools, Cherrywood is a popular choice for families looking to put down roots in the Austin area. The neighborhood is served by the Austin Independent School District, and Cherrywood students can expect to attend nearby McCallum High School, a top-rated secondary school with particularly notable arts and music programs.

A Destination for Foodies

Even in a generally food-savvy city like Austin, specific neighborhoods stand out as especially vibrant spots for excellent dining options. Cherrywood, while largely residential and serene, boasts one of Austin’s best food landscapes, with a number of highly-lauded local eateries calling the neighborhood home.

If you or your kids have a strong sweet tooth, pay a visit to Cherrywood’s Sugar Mama’s Bake Shop, a haven for creative cupcakes, homestyle cookies, and unique treats like the S’mores Bar and the Mint Chocolate Chip Bar. Carnivorous types in Cherrywood won’t want to miss Dai Due, a highly-regarded butcher shop with an adjacent farm-to-table restaurant serving seasonal cuisine. For Austin-classic breakfast tacos and heaping Tex-Mex platters, try El Chilito. And finally, one of Austin’s most popular happy hours can be found at Salty Sow, a New American gastropub offering reasonably priced draft beers, wine, cocktails, tacos, and other shareable snacks.

Easily Accessible From Downtown, UT Campus, and South Austin

Most Cherrywood residents use personal cars for commuting, and the neighborhood’s close proximity to I-35 gives them convenient access to major city destinations. A drive from Cherrywood to Downtown Austin takes about 10 minutes, driving to the University of Texas takes about seven minutes, and the popular South Austin neighborhood Zilker can be reached in 13 minutes. 

The CapMetro bus system also offers a line—the 20—with stops in Cherrywood. These buses can transport you to Downtown Austin, where you’ll be able to transfer to many other connecting public transit lines.

What It’s Like to Live Here

Cherrywood residents treasure their neighborhood’s strong sense of community, family-friendly attributes, and abundant greenspaces.

If you want to find open parkland in Cherrywood for picnics, dog walking, and other outdoorsy activities, you’ll want to head to the neighborhood’s eastern border, where you’ll find three adjacent parks: Patterson Park, Mueller Lake Park, and the Southwest Greenway.

Looking for some indoor physical fitness? A few studios can be found within Cherrywood neighborhood limits and in immediately-adjacent areas, like Dane’s Body Shop, FXFit Uptown, and The Pilates Bungalow.

Cherrywood also includes enough nightlife options to keep its growing population entertained. In addition to its impressive culinary chops, Cherrywood features a number of solid spots to grab a drink, particularly along its southern border of Manor Road. Haymaker, a laid-back saloon known for gourmet sandwiches and craft beers, is a popular local destination. Also on Manor Road, the School House Pub serves “school”-themed cocktails like the Intro to Spanish (mezcal, St. Germaine, mango hibiscus marmalade) and The Graduate (rye whiskey, Aperol, serrano honey, citrus, tiki bitters) and a great Sunday brunch. If you’re looking for live music, Skylark Lounge offers performances by local blues bands alongside cheap beers and a sizable outdoor patio.

Like many Austin neighborhoods close to the rapidly-urbanizing Downtown, Cherrywood boasts a housing stock evenly split between single-family homes and attached homes like condos and townhouses. The median sale price currently stands in the mid $400s, with recent closing prices ranging from the high $100s to the mid $900s.