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The Highland Park West Balcones Neighborhood by dane-14388
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.
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.
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/The-Highland-Park-West-Balcones-Neighborhood/488750
