Ki Gray - Austin Real Estate

Spring is the perfect time of year to discover the small city of Burnet, Texas, which was named the Bluebonnet Capital of Texas by the 67th legislature. The small city is 48 miles northwest of Austin and one mile west of the divide between the Colorado and Brazos River watersheds, in the hills of central Texas.

Burnet was settled in the mid-1800's around Fort Croghan, a military facility. The county of Burnet was formed in 1851, and Burnet was named the county seat, although at the time it was called Hamilton. The town was renamed Burnet in 1858, and built around the historic town square, which still features structures built in the 1800's. Some of the attractions of the Burnet area include the Highland Lakes, Longhorn Cavern and State Park, and the Fort Croghan Museum and Grounds.

In the census of 2000, the population of Burnet was reported to be 4,735 residents, and the city and county were named for the first provisional president of the Republic of Texas, David Gouverneur Burnet, who also was Vice President of the Republic of Texas under Mirabeau Lamar. The name of the city rhymes with "learn it", as that was the pronunciation of David Burnet's name, and the locals frequently advise newcomers that it is pronounced that way, adding "It's Burnet, can't you learn it?", and hoping the rhyming phrase causes the newcomers to pronounce it correctly.

The town was originally called Hamilton after early resident John Hamilton, but when it was discovered that there was another city called Hamilton in East Texas, 35 residents petitioned the state legislature to change it. Early residents made a living by farming, raising livestock, and with the railroad, and the city was incorporated in 1933.

After the construction of the Highland Lakes in the early to mid 20th century, tourism began to flourish in the area, especially around Inks Lake, which is the closest Highland Lake to the city of Burnet, along with Lake Buchanan, which is just a little bit farther away. Another attraction in the Burnet area is the Hill Country Flyer, which is a historic steam train that operates between Burnet and nearby Cedar Park. Burnet is located 35 miles west of Georgetown, and is also 100 miles north of San Antonio, so it is very centrally located.

The median age of Burnet residents is 37 years, and the median income for an average household in Burnet is around $27,000. The city covers an area of 6.8 miles, all of it land, and the two main highways in and out of Burnet are State Highway 29 and State Highway 281, and Burnet is very close to the IH 35 corridor, which travels through nearby Georgetown.

There are numerous other historic and interesting attractions in the Burnet area including the Highland Lakes Air Museum, the Vanishing Texas River Cruise, Inks Lake State Park, the Galloway Hammond Recreation Center, and the Delaware Springs Golf Course, along with the many unique shops and eateries around the historic town square, as well as many quaint bed and breakfast inns in the vicinity.

Another historic event, which is held on a weekly basis in conjunction with the arrival of the historic steam train, is the Old West Town, which feature a mock gunfight between the Burnet Gunfighters at an authentic old west town set in the town square. Frequent shows are held on Saturdays and Sundays in the square, with old west costumes and decorations. Burnet is also on the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail, which is a string of central Texas and hill country wineries in the surrounding communities and hill country area.

Longhorn Cavern State Park is a two mile underground cave, with underground rivers and preserved prehistoric campsites which later became a hideout for confederate soldiers, and is one of the most well-known attractions in the area. Another well known and interesting attraction is Black Rock Park, a public facility on the shores of Lake Buchanan, about 18 miles west of Burnet, which offers boating, swimming, fishing, and other water sports, and Burnet State Park, which is a public fishing camp also on the lake.

One of the most popular yearly events held in Burnet is the Bluebonnet Festival, which is held in mid-April every year, and features games, arts and crafts, food and beverages and other family-friendly fun, and it is just around the corner!

All in all, Burnet has so many nearby attractions and events, both historic as well as interesting, that one has to actually travel to the area to appreciate all of them, so head about half an hour north of Austin and visit scenic Burnet; you'll be glad you did!


Ki works in Austin real estate market. Instead of just finding cookie cutter homes he helps buyers find properties that fit their specific needs. His website encourages them to search the Austin MLS http://www.escapesomewhere.com/realestate_searchthemls.html It also provides resources on Austin Texas real estate and Burnet Texas real estate.

The Hancock Neighborhood of North Central Austin is a historic area just north of the University of Texas Campus and downtown Austin. The Hancock Neighborhood is very close to historic Hyde Park, and some of the streets and borders of the two neighborhoods overlap or are adjacent to each other. The boundaries of the Hancock area include I.H. 35 the east, Duval to the west, 29th street to the south, and 41st street on the northern edge.

One of the earliest settlers of the Hancock area was Susanna Dickinson, who was a survivor of the Battle of the Alamo, and originally lived at 32nd Street and Duval. Another early resident was Lewis Hancock, for whom the neighborhood was named, and who was mayor of Austin from 1895 to 1897. Hancock also founded the Austin Country Club and Golf Course in the area in 1899, and after the turn of the century, formal neighborhoods were planned in the North University area, which it was called at the time.

Directly south of the country club, which was considered suburban at the time, Dr. J.R. Bailey platted the Beau Site in 1910, and in 1912, the Austin Country Club expanded to 18 holes after the land east of Red River on which it was expanded was purchased by the club and its owners. In 1928, the neighborhood was subdivided into its current configuration, and Austin's population at the time was only around 35,000 residents, so the area was still considered to be on the outskirts of town.

St. David's Hospital was built around 32nd Street in 1924, when it opened its doors, and Concordia Lutheran College was also built on twenty acres of land from the Hancock Estate in 1926. Various commercial establishments sprang up shortly thereafter, and many prominent Austinites relocated to the Hancock neighborhood around the same time, including J. Frank Dobie, a well known writer, and Edgar Perry Jr., a cotton broker, as well as Tom Miller, one of the early mayors of Austin who served two terms as mayor.

In 1946, the Austin Country Club relocated outside the city limits, and the city sold the back nine holes of the Hancock Golf Course, as it was called after the country club relocated, to the Sears Corporation to finance other recreational projects. The Sears store later became one of the flagship stores in the Hancock Center shopping Plaza, which was built in 1963 on the back nine of the golf course and was Austin's first shopping mall. The other flagship store in Hancock Center is a huge HEB Grocery Store, which offers one of the largest selections of products among grocery stores in the Austin area, among various other smaller stores, shops, and restaurants.

There are many tree-lined historic homes in the Hancock Neighborhood, and numerous apartment complexes which appeal to U.T. students, given the area's proximity to the university campus, and also numerous restaurants, coffee shops, museums, and recreational facilities, including the Hancock Golf Course, which still operates today.

Eastwood Park and Wading Pool, near the Hancock Golf Course, is another popular location for residents of the neighborhood to relax and get some outdoor quality time, and since Concordia University plans to relocate this year, a mixed-use development is being constructed on the site of the school, so many more opportunities abound for residents of the area as well as visitors in the near future.

With its proximity to downtown and the university, plus its tree-shaded streets, homes from the early 20th century, and eclectic mix of residents and businesses, the Hancock Neighborhood is one of the most inviting in the Austin area, and the yearly Christmas Trail of Lights, on 34th Street, is one of the best events to visit to see the neighborhood in all its splendor, so be sure to visit the Hancock Neighborhood, especially during the holidays, and you will see what Austin is truly all about!


Ki studied at UT. He hosts a website focused on Austin real estate. Potential owners can perform a Austin home search on his site. He also provides profiles on neighborhoods in the central Austin real estate market.

It may seem a little crazy to go hiking in the hot Texas summer, but if you can stand the heat the summer months can be a perfect time to visit an iconic Austin spot without any crowds. Even though it is 780 feet above sea level, the climb up to the top of Mount Bonnell is not a serious hike, especially with the stone steps along the way.

Mount Bonnell, like so many favorite Austin spots, is full of history as well as legends. The peak is named in honor of George W. Bonnell, a Texas publisher and Commissioner on Indian Affairs under Sam Houston. The peak and surrounding park land off FM 2222, which is actually called Covert Park, was donated to the city in 1939, one hundred years after Bonnell arrived in Austin. That's the history part; the legends and folklore are much more whimsical.

The legend goes that a young woman jumped off the peak to escape the Indians who had killed her finance, which is why Mount Bonnell is also known as "Antonette's Leap." Another legend has it that Golden Nell and her husband Beau leaped off the peak to avoid being captured and tortured.

Romance is often in the air at Mount Bonnell. It is said that if a couple climbs the long stairway to the top once they will fall in love, twice they will become engaged and if they make that climb a third time they will get married. Going at sunset or to see the stars above the city lights is a popular Austin date. It is a romantic spot that has seen many Austin couples get engaged.

A tourist attraction since the 1850s, Mount Bonnell has a pavilion at the top with picnic tables, making it a popular spot to pack a cooler and bring the camera for tourists and locals alike. The views of lakes, hills and cityscapes are amazing. The rugged Hill Country views to the west and the manicured lawns below the peak show the diversity of the Austin landscape at its best.

Hiking around the pavilion can allow visitors to take in different views, including the downtown skyline. For anyone wanting to show an out-of-towner just what Austin has to offer, this is the perfect spot.

If a someone is looking for a tougher hike, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area out towards Fredericksburg offers challenging hikes, along with a nice drive through the Hill Country. Shade is sparse on this granite dome, so hikers may want to wait until summer is over. McKinney Falls State Park is a little closer to Austin and offers climbs, as well as cool water for hikers more interested in nature than the view.



Ki worked on 6th street in college. Today he has a business focused on Austin Texas real estate in downtown Austin. He also has a website, which encourages buyers to search the Austin MLS. He also also had a blog with updates and news on Austin real estate.

Austin takes its trees pretty seriously. This spring the Austin City Council considered rules for how developers can both treat existing trees on a property and quotas for planting future trees. This effort comes through the city's Watershed Protection Department and would represent the first major change to Austin's tree rules in 25 years.

As reported by the Austin-American Statesman, these rules are part of an ongoing effort to reduce the effects of urban heat islands, which are exactly what they sound like: urban areas dominated by buildings, roads and parking lots that trap heat. These non-permeable, dry surfaces cause temperatures that are 50 to 90 degrees warmer than the actual air temperature. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that shaded, moister areas, more commonly rural areas, remain close to air temperature. That means that on a 100 degree day a parking lot is giving off temperatures closer to 200 degrees.

These urban heat islands affect energy consumption, particularly in denser city centers. There is a vicious cycle of increased energy consumption, which leads to elevated emissions and greenhouse gases that warm the surface temperature that cause an increased need for energy consumption to air condition buildings...The cycle goes on and on. The elevated temperatures caused by these non-permeable urban heat islands impair air and water quality. In other words, as Austin grows the quality of life diminishes in some respects.

It's not just the shade that trees offer that makes them so central to environmental efforts. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, largely considered to be the principal gas that is the cause of increased temperatures in the earth's atmosphere. Efforts like these in Austin to maintain current trees as well as plant more trees are beneficial on many levels. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that efforts in California to save forests by restricting logging have long lasting benefits to combating climate change. A tree saved here improves the quality of air for the neighborhood; a forest saved in California can improve the air quality for an entire state.

And Austinites are all about saving trees, as the recent uproar of the possible removal of trees at Barton Springs Pool has shown. In April city officials announced that as many as 29 trees would need to be cut down around the area of the pool and Zilker Park playscape. For obvious reasons this did not go over well with the city's residents. Through the power of the people, only three trees are now slated to be cut down sometime this summer.

The reasons to plant trees and care for existing trees are both environmentally and aesthetically compelling. Unfortunately, there are many issues at the root of the future tree rules and rulings, like the one about the trees in Zilker Park. The fact is, trees, old and new, cost money. The rules proposed by the city council will cost developers more money, which at some point gets passed down to the consumer. The same thing with a city that is compelled to care for its aging trees; eventually that is going to come out of the taxpayers' pockets. However, the cost to the planet in the loss of trees may be one we can't afford to pay.


Ki works as a real estate agent in Austin Texas. He maintains a website for buyers to search Austin MLS listings. His site has information on Austin real estate and Cedar Park real estate.

The neighborhood of Brentwood in north central Austin was originally a cotton farm until about 75 years ago, when the City of Austin annexed the land and land was purchased to build a school, Brentwood Elementary, which opened in the early 1950s. Brentwood is the name used to refer to the area of Austin between Lamar, Justin Lane, Burnet Road and 45th Street, and the school is in the middle of the neighborhood. There is also a tree-lined street called Arroyo Seco which runs through the middle of Brentwood and divides the neighborhood in half, forming what are jokingly referred to as Northern Brentwood and Baja Brentwood.

The median household size is smaller than average in Brentwood than most in Central Texas, at 1.9 people per household on average, and the demographics of the Brentwood neighborhood suggest a professional population of the age group most likely to be employed, with 45% of the residents being between the ages of 25 and 44; in addition, 50% of the homes in Brentwood are occupied by a single adult, many of whom are professionals in the high tech industry or U.T. grad students and professors.

There is a smaller percentage of school age children in Brentwood than most neighborhoods in Austin, and most of the residents of the neighborhood are slightly older than average, with 86% of the residents being over the age of eighteen, yet only 17% reporting being over the age of 65.

74% of the residents in Brentwood report Caucasian ancestry, with about 20% reporting ethnicity including both Hispanic and Caucasian roots, with the remaining population being comprised of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, so Brentwood has a fairly diverse population as well.
Students who attend school in Brentwood go to Brentwood Elementary, Lamar Middle School, or McCallum High School, and 95% of those who are employed in Brentwood work within Travis County. The median family income in Brentwood is around $47,000, and the residents are well-educated, with 57% having a college degree and 28% currently reporting working on their graduate degrees.

Since the University of Texas is in close proximity to the neighborhood, there are numerous housing opportunities for students, professionals, and young families, with a plethora of new condominium projects and apartment complexes as well as many single family homes. The average price of a home in Brentwood was about $170,000 in 2003, with the higher end of home prices being around $385,000. This is roughly about average for the Austin real estate market. Home values have risen dramatically in the area since the closure of Mueller Airport, since the flight paths of planes travelling to and from the field are no longer directly over the homes in the area, eliminating a great deal of the noise.

Brentwood is a very scenic area with a creek meandering through most of the neighborhood,along Arroyo Seco,and the neighborhood is known for old-fashioned hamburger joints and taverns, as well as the farmer's market, which has been in operation since 1947. At one point, the Stallion, Frisco Shop, and Threadgill's all offered a down-home chicken fried steak or juicy burger with home made fries in or very near the neighborhood, for a workingman's price.

There is a large, peaceful park in the neighborhood, Brentwood Park, which included nine acres of green space along with tennis courts, hike and bike trails, soccer fields, a baseball diamond and a playscape. There is also a festival called the Violet Crown Festival which is held on the lawn in Brentwood Park every year, and the neighborhood takes pride on its lights and decorations during the holiday season, especially on Arroyo Seco.

There are many churches and institutions, as well as city and state facilities in Brentwood, with choices of Faith Lutheran, Austin Bible, and Crestview Methodist Church for churchgoers, among many others, and some of the facilities in the neighborhood include the Texas School for the Blind, the Texas Department of Health, and the Austin Community Gardens, where residents can grow their own fresh produce.

For dining out, residents and visitors can choose between the Korea Garden, Fonda San Miguel, Phil's Icehouse, the Omelettry, and Jalisco, all of which are in or very near the Brentwood area, as are quite a few other restaurants and clubs, as well as fast food joints.

Brentwood offers something for everyone, and with its scenic beauty and history, yet urban, hip reputation, it is the perfect place to just visit or move in and settle down!


Ki works as a real estate agent in Austin Texas. His site is filled with information on the Austin real estate market. It also provides information on neighborhoods like Brentwood Austin along with a search of the Austin MLS.