TRAVIS HEIGHTS & BOULDIN CREEK HOMES FOR SALE

Travis Heights and Bouldin Creek sit side by side just south of Lady Bird Lake in the 78704 ZIP code, separated by South Congress Avenue — the commercial spine both neighborhoods organize around. Downtown is across the river, close enough to walk from the northern edges of either.

Travis Heights is the older and more topographically dramatic of the two. Platted in the 1910s and laid out to follow the terrain rather than override it, its winding streets, larger lots, and mature canopy make it one of the few central Austin neighborhoods that doesn't read as a grid. The architecture is genuinely eclectic — restored Victorians, 1930s bungalows, mid-century ranches, and contemporary infill, frequently on the same block. Stacy Park and its historic spring-fed pools run through the middle.

Bouldin Creek is denser, flatter, and more urban. Craftsman bungalows from the 1920s and 1930s sit alongside modern builds and duplexes, on lots typically running 5,000 to 7,000 square feet. South First Street cuts through the center with coffee shops, restaurants, and the murals that show up in half the photos taken in Austin. It is among the most walkable neighborhoods in the city.

What both offer is location and character at a price below Zilker. What they ask in return is a school path that requires an honest conversation — and renovation budgets on housing stock that is mostly eighty to a hundred years old.

Spinelli Residential Group has represented buyers and sellers throughout 78704, central and south Austin, and the greater Austin market for more than two decades. Below is our read on both neighborhoods, the school picture in full, and what buying an older house here actually involves.

Travis Heights

Travis Heights runs from South Congress Avenue east to I-35, and from Lady Bird Lake south to Oltorf Street. It holds roughly 1,150 homes.

The street layout is the first thing you notice. Where most of Austin is platted on a grid, Travis Heights follows the contours of the land — curving streets, varied elevations, and lots that are generally larger and more irregular than neighboring Bouldin Creek. That topography is why the neighborhood feels older and more settled than its proximity to downtown would suggest.

The housing stock is the widest-ranging in 78704. An 1800s Victorian on one corner, a mid-century ranch next door, a new glass-and-steel build across the street. Restored historic homes and contemporary infill compete directly, which makes comparable selection unusually important when pricing.

Stacy Park is the neighborhood's anchor and genuinely unusual for an urban Austin neighborhood. Big Stacy Pool is spring-fed and heated in winter — one of the few places in Austin you can swim outdoors in January. Little Stacy Park has a wading pool, playground, and tennis courts. The Blunn Creek Greenbelt connects the two along the creek, and the Blunn Creek Nature Preserve adds protected natural area at the southern end.

The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail runs along Lady Bird Lake at the northern boundary, putting a car-free route to downtown within reach of much of the neighborhood.

Recent reporting puts the Travis Heights median near $950,000 with price per square foot around $520 and days on market in the low forties — faster than the Austin-wide average. The range runs from the mid-$800s to well above $2 million for larger contemporary builds.

Bouldin Creek

Bouldin Creek is bounded by South Congress Avenue to the east, the Union Pacific rail line along South Lamar to the west, Barton Springs Road to the north, and Oltorf Street to the south. It holds roughly 2,300 households and around 5,500 residents.

It is denser and flatter than Travis Heights, with a more conventional street layout and smaller lots — typically 5,000 to 7,000 square feet. The original housing stock is largely 1920s and 1930s Craftsman bungalows and mid-century cottages, with substantial modern infill filling gaps over the past fifteen years. Duplexes and condo-regime attached homes are common, which widens the entry range considerably.

South First Street is the neighborhood's main street and much of its identity — Bouldin Creek Cafe, Elizabeth Street Cafe, independent shops, and the murals that have made this stretch one of the most photographed in Austin. The "Greetings from Austin" mural sits on South First. South Congress is a few blocks east, and South Lamar a few blocks west.

Walkability here is exceptional by Austin standards. Bouldin Creek consistently scores in the low eighties on walk scores, placing it among the very few genuinely car-optional residential neighborhoods in the city.

Market figures require a caveat. Reported Bouldin Creek medians currently range from roughly $667,000 to $1.4 million across public sources — a spread far too wide to be measurement noise. The most carefully constructed twelve-month figure we've seen puts the median sale around $1.15 million at roughly $646 per square foot, with days on market in the low thirties and a 95% sale-to-list ratio. The wide spread between sources reflects different treatment of condos, duplexes, and attached homes, which make up a significant share of inventory here.

Schools — The Honest Version

Both neighborhoods are served by Austin ISD. Elementary assignment is generally Travis Heights Elementary for Travis Heights and Becker Elementary for Bouldin Creek, with Galindo Elementary serving some southern addresses. Both Travis Heights and Becker are solid neighborhood campuses with engaged communities and smaller enrollments.

The secondary path is where buyers need to pay attention. Travis Heights and Bouldin Creek generally feed Lively Middle School — renamed from Fulmore Middle School, though many real estate listings still use the old name — and Travis Early College High School.

Travis Early College High School carries notably lower conventional ratings than Austin High, which serves Zilker, Tarrytown, and Pemberton Heights. That difference is real, it is priced into this market, and it partly explains why these neighborhoods trade below Zilker despite comparable walkability and location.

Two things worth understanding before you draw a conclusion from a rating:

Travis is an early college high school, a model in which students earn college credit alongside their diploma, often graduating with an associate degree or substantial transferable hours. Conventional rating systems measure this model poorly, because they were built for traditional comprehensive high schools. For the right student, the early college path is a genuine advantage, and families should visit the campus rather than read a number.

Many families here use other options. Austin ISD transfers, charter schools, and the dense private school ecosystem in central Austin — Headwaters, St. Austin Catholic, Austin Montessori, and others — are all common choices among Travis Heights and Bouldin Creek families. That is simply how this part of town works, and it should factor into your planning rather than surprise you later.

Attendance zones cut across 78704 rather than following it, and Austin ISD adjusts them periodically. We verify the assigned campus by exact street address before you write an offer, every time — and in these two neighborhoods we recommend confirming the full K-12 path, not just the elementary.

Buying an Older House Here

Most of the housing stock in both neighborhoods dates from the 1920s through the 1950s. That is a large part of the appeal and also the single biggest source of unwelcome surprises.

Budget for renovation on top of purchase price. Original houses in these neighborhoods sell quickly when priced correctly, and buyers consistently underestimate what bringing one current actually costs. Foundation, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and insulation on a ninety-year-old pier-and-beam house add up fast.

Have a structural assessment, not just a general inspection. Central Texas clay soils move, and houses of this vintage on pier-and-beam foundations show it. A general inspector will flag the symptom; a structural engineer will tell you what it costs.

Confirm what you can build before you buy. City of Austin impervious cover limits, setbacks, tree protection ordinances, and floor-area rules determine whether your addition is viable. On Bouldin Creek's smaller lots, impervious cover is often the binding constraint — and it counts the driveway, the patio, and the pool deck, not just the house.

Check floodplain status. Blunn Creek runs through Travis Heights and Bouldin Creek takes its name from its own waterway. Floodplain designation affects insurance costs, lending, and buildability, and it varies property to property.

Understand the attached-housing landscape. Duplexes, condo regimes, and attached units are common here, particularly in Bouldin Creek. These carry different financing requirements, different HOA structures, and different resale dynamics than detached single-family. Review association financials and reserve funding before closing.

One market-level note: the broader 78704 ZIP runs roughly a third owner-occupied. Renters, investors, and short-term rentals are a significant presence. That contributes to the neighborhood's energy and also means these streets feel less uniformly residential than, say, Northwest Hills. Whether that's a feature depends on what you want.

Daily Life

South Congress is the spine between the two neighborhoods and one of Austin's defining commercial corridors — restaurants, boutiques, music venues, and the tourist traffic that comes with them. Living near SoCo means walkable access to all of it and also means weekend crowds on your street.

South First Street through Bouldin Creek offers a more local alternative: coffee shops, neighborhood restaurants, and independent retail at a lower intensity than Congress.

South Lamar runs along Bouldin Creek's western edge with its own growing dining and retail mix.

Parks and water are the other half of the appeal. Stacy Park and the Big Stacy and Little Stacy pools serve Travis Heights. The Blunn Creek Greenbelt and Nature Preserve add trail access. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail runs along Lady Bird Lake at the northern boundary of both neighborhoods, connecting to downtown and west toward Zilker Park and Barton Springs.

St. Edward's University sits just south on South Congress, which adds a campus presence to the southern end of the area.

Getting Around

• Downtown Austin — under 10 minutes, and walkable or bikeable from northern addresses
• The University of Texas — 10 to 15 minutes
• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport — 15 to 20 minutes
• Zilker Park and Barton Springs — 5 to 10 minutes
• The Domain / North Austin — 25 to 35 minutes

I-35 runs along the eastern edge of Travis Heights and South Lamar along the western edge of Bouldin Creek, with South Congress and South First providing direct bridges into downtown. The airport is notably closer from here than from west Austin neighborhoods — a genuine advantage for frequent travelers.

CapMetro service along South Congress and South Lamar is among the better transit coverage in the city, and the hike-and-bike trail provides a car-free downtown route.

Frequently Asked Questions