About Austin's Highland Park

Folks think being a Realtor is all about showing homes. How small minded that is....a typical Realtor day is anything but. What you had planned probably doesn't go the way you think - so here's a bird's eye view of what today was like for me.

Sleep to 7:15.... reality: my partner called at 5:45 am cause she's at a financial seminar in Orlando, Fl and wanted to talk to me about something before she had to be at the seminar. So much for sleeping.

Get ready for the day....reality: phone rang in the middle of getting ready so I forgot to put on my earrings - felt half dressed without all my bling.

Received an amendment on newest contract....reality: met with seller to sign amendment and found out we couldn't get HVAC folks to come til Monday; Energy Audit is scheduled for Sunday; Option period ends Tuesday....seller countered amendment but can't send it back til we get the estimate on the HVAC.

Received a counter on latest offer I wrote for my "homeless buyer"...reality: my buyer was in a wreck yesterday and is emotionally distraught - hard for her to follow my conversation. Can we meet later?

Having lunch with one of my agents at 11:30....reality: ACTUALLY got to eat lunch without interruption.

Going to see my buyer to have counteroffer discussion...reality: my seller called another energy audit company and they can do the audit now - ok I'm only 2 minutes away. My buyer is put on the back burner...

Audit complete, report due tonight.....reality: AUDIT took only 30 minutes and I can still get to my buyer at a reasonable time.

Met my "homeless buyer" to discuss the counter offer....reality: Must console her about the wreck, repeat myself several times as her emotional state has her brain not functioning, get the counter offer signed, discuss if she really wants me to send it back today or wait until she has time to think about it....GOT THE OK TO SEND COUNTER OFFER TO listing agent.

Drive home to send counter offer...reality: GET IT SENT and then must begin answering emails that have accumulated while I've been away from the home office. It's 4:00 pm and I'm exhausted!

As all veteran Realtors know....I can't make this stuff up! It Happens!

Two lovely neighborhoods can be found in Austin just north of 35th Street and west of MoPac Blvd., called jointly the Highland Park-West Balcones neighborhood, as they are usually considered to be one residential area now. The other two boundaries are Mount Bonnell Road and R.R. 2222, with Bull Creek Road providing the boundary between 45th St. and Hancock Road. The neighborhood is home to about 1,750 residences, and the MoPac Expressway runs through about two miles of the eastern portion of the neighborhood.

This neighborhood, which is really a combined neighborhood made up of the residences of both Highland Park and West Balcones, boasts three well known attractions, all of which are located in the neighborhood: Bright Leaf State Natural Area, Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve, and Mount Bonnell, all of which are interesting from a historical as well as recreational standpoint.

The Bright Leaf State Natural Area is a scenic 217 acre park that was donated to the City of Austin in 1995 by Georgia Lucas, although the area was donated with the stipulation that the park remain minimally developed, as it has. Lucas' former residence can be found among the many trails, and is called the Lucas Conference Center. Two main entranced to the park exist, one on R.R. 2222 and Creek Mountain Rd., but the entrance is usually gated, as the park is officially a no-access park. The other entrance is located at Crestway and Monte Vista, and that entrance leads to the conference center.

On the second Saturday and Sunday of each month, guided tours can be arranged at Bright Leaf, and many of the trails lead to neighboring residential areas, but most are gated and all will be gated in the future.
Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve is located at 3505 West 35th Street, next to Laguna Gloria Art Museum, and the park contains 35 acres of landscaped grounds, with the Mayfield-Gutsch House and Gardens at its center. The Nature Center is named for Allison Mayfield, who purchased the property in 1901, and was Texas Secretary of State from 1894-1896. The park is open to the public, and peacocks roam the grounds among picnic trees, lily ponds, streams, and trails.

Mount Bonnell, in Covert Park, is a 780 feet observation point located near Mount Bonnell Road and Balcones Drive, and from Mount Bonnell visitors can get breathtaking views of Cat Mountain, Lake Austin, and the Loop 360 Bridge. Admission the Mount Bonnell is free, but there is a curfew between the hours of 9:00pm and 4:00am.

Another attraction in the Highland Park West Balcones Area is Westfield Drive, which was Austin's first Parade of Homes in September of 1953, and the street has many lovely and historic homes. The Frisco Shop, one of the oldest restaurants in Austin, which finally recently closed its doors, opened the same year as the parade of homes near the border of the Highland Park Neighborhood on nearby Burnet Road.

The only Austin Parks and Recreation Dept. official park in the neighborhood is Perry Playground Park, which is next to Highland Park Elementary School, and behind the park is the old quarry. This park contains various playground equipment, a baseball field, a soccer field, basketball hoops, a nature area and numerous trails, and picnic tables, and the park includes a geological area with a pavilion since the park was originally a rock quarry. The park also includes the Perry Park Learning Center, a facility built in 1988 by the local eagle scouts. At one time, the quarry was a working rock quarry called Sneed's Quarry, and remnants of the quarry can be found in and around the park.

Today, this area is very accessible to downtown and large metropolitan freeways, and is replete with shops, restaurants, and places to live, so be sure to visit this area when in Austin!


Ki developed a website to serve Austin real estate investors. He lives in Central Austin. His site lets people search the Austin MLS it also has statistics on the Austin neighborhood Highland Park West.

Mount Bonnell is one of the most historic as well as highest parks in the Austin area, and has been a popular spot for hikers, nature lovers and campers since the mid-1800s. The "mount" for which the park is named is a natural limestone formation and the park is also called Covert Park and is situated alongside and above Lake Austin, and offers panoramic views of the lake and the city from its numerous cliffs overlooking the lake and hills below.

Mount Bonnell has been considered one of Austin's most well known tourist attractions for years too, and is one of the first place new University of Texas students visit when arriving in Austin, given its notable and historic reputation, frequently by word of mouth from one generation of students to the next.

Mount Bonnell is located in northwest Austin in the Highland Park neighborhood and is accessible from Mount Bonnell Road near its intersection with Ranch Road 2222 and Balcones Drive, and its peak is 780 feet above sea level, the second highest elevated point in Travis County, behind the Jollyville Plateau.

According to legend, the highest point was called Antoinette's Leap two centuries ago, when a maiden leaped to her death after the capture and killing of her fiance by Native Americans. The name Mount Bonnell came from George Bonnell, who was a prominent Austinite in the mid-1800s and who was active in Travis County affairs. Bonnell was the publisher at the time of a local publication called the Texas Sentinel, now defunct, and was a visitor to the park.

Another interesting feature near Mount Bonnell is the West Austin Antenna Farm, or WAAF, which is a broadcasting facility that can be seen from atop Mount Bonnell and which is comprised of fifteen television and radio towers that broadcast for various local stations, the KXAN tower being the tallest structure in Travis County. The WAAF is located at Loop 360 and Westlake Drive, near Mount Larson, which is directly across Lake Austin from Mount Bonnell and can be seen very clearly form the lookout point atop Mount Bonnell with its sparkling lights. The Antenna Farm includes a very high camera which captures views of the city for various news programs and other media outlets.

Mount Bonnell was dedicated as a park on July 15, 1938, by Frank Covert, and an engraved stone with its name sits atop the pavilion area at the top of Mount Bonnell, with paths leading to and from it through the flora and fauna. There are numerous trails throughout the park, and many are surrounded by cacti, sage, wildflowers and other vegetation.

Many of the trails, especially those that traverse up and down the hills, have natural steps made from exposed rock. There are also a 100 man-made step path that leads from the base of the hill, where the main entrance is located, to the peak and lookout points at the very top of the mount, and is a fairly steep hike, but access to the top can be gained by a less direct but more gentle climb just north of the main entrance.

The park is open from 5:00am to 10:00pm daily and admission is free, but it is important to wear comfortable shoes and beware of insects, ants, and snakes, as they are common in the area. Glorious views of the Austin skyline can be seen, especially at night, and the U.T. Tower looks particularly regal and majestic from the top, so come dressed appropriately, heed the warnings and stay away from the edge of the cliffs, and enjoy Mount Bonnell, one of Austin's many wonders!

Ki works is a realtor down in Central Texas. He maintains a website about Austin real estate which has a free search for Austin homes along with a frequent market updates on his Austin real estate blog.