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Round Rock Real Estate

A Guide to Buying Real Estate in the City of Round Rock, TX

In 2006, CNN Money published its yearly list of "Best Places to Live" in the United States — a list of 100 cities that stand out in terms of quality of life, housing costs, education, climate and other factors. Round Rock, Texas was ranked in the top 50 by the editors.

More recently, in 2008, Entrepreneur.com published a piece that ranked some of the "Best and Worse Places to Buy a House" in the United States. Here too, Round Rock showed up on the list. This time it was listed right up top.

So what does all this favorable coverage mean? It means that (A) people across the country are recognizing Round Rock as a great place to buy real estate, (B) the city will continue growing as a result of such coverage, and (C) Round Rock real estate will probably remain a solid investment for years to come.

Image: The actual round rock in Brushy Creek that gave the city its name. Source Photo

Does this mean that you should buy real estate in the Round Rock area? Maybe. In truth, only you can answer this question for yourself. Everyone has his or her own preferences when it comes to places to live, work and play. With that being said, here are some of the things we like about Round Rock.

Ten Things We Like About Round Rock, Texas

1. The location. The city is located just a few miles north of Austin, the capital of Texas and the unofficial Live Music Capital of the World. Round Rock also marks the start of what's known as Texas Hill Country, which offers rolling hills and beautiful scenery.
2. The schools. The public schools here are managed by the Round Rock Independent School District, or RRISD. This district has a solid reputation with performance numbers higher than the national average. This also helps to maintain Round Rock real estate values.
3. The activities. There's plenty to do in Round Rock, Texas. You'll find hike and bike trails all over Williamson County, plus an abundance of parks and recreation facilities. Williamson County Regional Park is a massive facility with eleven soccer fields, two softball fields, a football field circled by a 400-meter track, eight tennis courts, six basketball courts and more. And the world-famous Austin nightlife is only a few miles south.
4. The climate. Like most of Central Texas, Round Rock has mild winters with snow being a rarity. Spring is a joyous time in Round Rock, with a vast array of Texas wildflowers (such as the bluebonnet) sprouting up along the roads and in fields. The summers are hot but not unbearable, with only mild humidity as compared to coastal Texas.
5. The bats. The Austin bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge are widely known. But Round Rock also has a large colony of Mexican freetail bats living under certain bridges. At dusk, it's quite the spectacle to see these bats emerge by the thousands. Thanks to these bats, there aren't many mosquitoes in Round Rock.
6. The shopping. When a city has good shopping opportunities, it typically has a positive effect on real estate values. Such is the case with Round Rock real estate values, thanks to the addition of an IKEA store and the Round Rock Premium Outlets (among other things).
7. The highway improvements. Texas spent a lot of money on highway improvements over the last few years, and much of this took place in the greater Austin area, including the city of Round Rock. As a result, the traffic situation in Round Rock (which used to be a nightmare) has improved considerably — and it continues to do so.
8. The real estate prices. Every once in a while Austin will appear on one of those real estate values TV shows, such as "What You Get for the Money." It's usually to show how far the real estate dollar goes in Austin, when compared to high-price cities like San Diego. Round Rock (Austin's northern neighbor) is even more affordable than Austin, so you really can get a lot for the money here when compared to other cities.
9. The people. There's a unique mix of people living in Round Rock, Texas. We have an interesting mix of yuppies, students from University of Texas, politicians who work at the nearby state capital, the computer-minded folks from Dell, the cowboys and ranchers who've lived here for decades ... you name it. In that regard, Round Rock is a cosmopolitan type of city.
10. The water. Living in Round Rock, you'll have easy access to many bodies of water that offer boating, fishing, tubing, kayaking and more. There are lakes all throughout the area, as well as rivers, creeks and streams.

We hope you have found this real estate guide helpful, and we wish you the best with your home-buying experience!

Related resource: Find a Round Rock apartment