Location
This neighborhood is bordered by Lady Bird Lake on the north, the Union Pacific Railroad Tracks (South Lamar) on the west, Oltorf Street on the south, and South Congress Avenue on the east.
About the Bouldin Neighborhood
Bouldin Creek households enjoy quick access to downtown Austin and the activities along South Congress. This compact neighborhood includes tree-lined streets with round-abouts, and you’ll often find homeowners cycling or walking dogs through the neighborhood. Bouldin Creek is a great example of the “keep Austin weird” philosophy, as it’s not uncommon to see colorful houses accented with unique landscaping along with the periodic vegetable garden or rainwater collection tank.
Bouldin’s most famous landmarks include Auditorium Shores, the Long Center for the Performing Arts, and the Palmer Community Events Center. The 65 acre Texas School for the Deaf is also located in this neighborhood.
Bouldin Creek is a predominately early-twentieth-century neighborhood with a reputation for eclectic architecture. While Bouldin Creek is an urban neighborhood, it offers quick access to the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Zilker Park, and the scenery of Lady Bird Lake.
History
Bouldin Creek was one of the city’s first “suburbs.” Today vestiges of old Bouldin—bungalows, Victorian homes, black churches—remain. But perhaps no other neighborhood has been transformed more by Austin’s growth than Bouldin Creek, a vibrant community rich in diversity.
Places to eat
Bouldin Creek Café
Bouldin Creek Cafe is so much more than a local woman owned vegan/vegetarian restaurant that serves food from scratch and handcrafted coffee drinks. At the heart of our business is the belief in paying a living wage, supporting our community through fundraising, donating meals to those in need, and amplifying the voices of the marginalized.
Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon
Known for their delicious roasted chicken. Locals come for wood-grilled meats, tacos, salads, nachos, churros and specialties like Yucatan spice chicken.
Attractions
Walk/run along Lady Bird Lake
Whether hiking or biking the trails, doing stand-up paddle board yoga, or taking a river cruise, you’ll find no shortage of outdoor fun to be had in the heart of beautiful downtown Austin.
Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy ten miles of running, walking, and cycling paths.
Soco District or South Congress
Located South of Lady bird Lake. This iconic Austin avenue offers a gorgeous view of the Texas Capitol, and some of the best shopping, dining and people-watching in town.
Public schools
The Austin Independent School District serves the neighborhood. Schools include Travis Heights Elementary (PK-5), Becker Elementary, Lively Middle School (6-8) and Travis Early College High School (9-12).
Travis Heights Elementary is a highly rated school with 503 students in grades PK-5. The student teacher ratio is 14 to 1. 49% of the students are proficient in math while 44% of the students are proficient in reading.
Becker Elementary is a highly rated school with 441 students in grades PK-5. The student teacher ratio is 16 to 1. 57% of the students are proficient in math while 67% of the students are proficient in reading.
Lively Middle School is an above average school with 1,175 students in grades 6-8. The student teacher ratio is 16 to 1. 50% of the students are proficient in math while 50% of the students are proficient in reading.
Lively Middle School, located on historic South Congress Avenue and just down the street from the Texas Capitol, serves approximately 1,000 students. Lively was founded in 1886 and has been in its current location since 1911. Lively is proud of its rich history of educating Austin’s children. Our mission, “To provide educational opportunities that inspire global thinking and social responsibility,” is met through diverse course offerings and rich extracurricular activities.
The Lively Humanities and Law Magnet for International Studies offers advanced academic programming that provides engaging coursework and that both challenges and supports students. The three strands of humanities, law and international studies provide the basis for a wide array of unique academic and award-winning fine arts electives that are found exclusively at Lively. Magnet students enroll in specialized language arts and social studies courses, where they enjoy accelerated, cross curricular project-based learning.
In the 2014–15 school year, Lively began offering dual-language courses to our sixth-grade students to support the district’s dual-language programming that has been in place in elementary schools. Our Dual Language Program provides students the ability to become bilingual, biliterate and bicultural through high-level cognitive instructional practice.
Travis Early College High School is a highly rated public school with 1,243 students and a 15 to 1 student teacher ratio. 58% of students are proficient in math while 32% of students are proficient in reading. Travis Early College High School has a rich history of serving students in South Austin since it opened in 1953 as Austin’s first high school south of the Colorado River. Travis High School welcomes students with a faculty and staff dedicated to student success. Diverse academic offerings, strong athletics and fine arts programs, and other extracurricular activities provide students with a range of opportunities to pursue their interests.
In addition to offering more than a dozen Career and Technical Education courses, Travis is also the district’s newest Early College High School. This partnership with Austin Community College provides students with the opportunity to earn an associate degree while still in high school. Travis students come from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve academic excellence and pursue their passions, consistently placing among the best in the state in the arts and athletics.
