Central allandale By Jackie Potts

Great Hills

Realtor Lakki Brown, an agent with Amelia Bullock Realtors, bought her house in Great Hills in 1992. "I wouldn't live anywhere else," she says.

Brown had just started in the real estate business when construction in Great Hills began.

"I remember when they opened Great Hills in the late '70s," she says. "They brought us over here in a Jeep because the roads were not in. I remember thinking 'this is going to be neat place.'"

Today there are many things Brown appreciates about the neighborhood. "It's so convenient to everything," she says. "If I need a gallon of milk, the Randall's and H-E-B are right here along with great shopping centers and theaters." Other nearby businesses include Home Depot, Container Store, all the stores in The Arboretum, Sam's Club, Costco and many restaurants. "There must be at least 20 restaurants in the area," Brown says. There are two movie theaters in the area, Arbor Theatre shows art films and Gateway 16 plays major releases.

Homes in the neighborhood are typically two stories with lots of brick or stone on the exterior. The style is traditional though some homes feature more contemporary designs. "Most of the homes were built in the '80s," Brown says. She says the price range for homes in Great Hills is $320,000 to $450,000 though she sometimes finds homes priced at more than $500,000. Sizes range from around 2,000 square feet to about 3,400 square feet.

For recreation, there's Austin Hills Park off Floral Park Drive. It features a rugged nature trail for hiking. Bull Creek Park and its greenbelt are 5 minutes away. Much of the recreational facilities actually in Great Hills are found at the country club.

"You don't have to play golf to belong to the country club," Brown says. "They have social memberships." There are three levels of membership - stockholder, tennis and social. The stockholder level requires an equity purchase in the club and includes all the facilities including unlimited use of the golf course and driving range. A social membership provides access to the swimming pool and clubhouse. The tennis membership includes swimming pool, clubhouse and tennis courts.

The country club is at the heart of the original Great Hills neighborhood. That original neighborhood roughly has U.S. 183 as an east boundary, Loop 360 to the south, Bluegrass to the west and Rain Creek Parkway to the north.

Determining the boundaries of Great Hills is a difficult proposition. As the area bounded by Spicewood Springs Road, U.S. 183 and Loop 360 has filled in with houses (new homes continue to be built in the area) new neighborhoods have grown up contiguous to Great Hills. Consequently there are numerous neighborhood associations in the area in addition to Great Hills Homeowner's Association.

Children living in Great Hills may attend school in either the Round Rock Independent School District or Austin Independent School District depending on where they live.

Residents in AISD attend Hill Elementary, Murchison Middle School and Anderson Hill School. Those in RRISD attend North Oaks Elementary, Canyon Vista Middle School and Westwood High School.

"It's very confusing," Brown says. "I remember one guy who bought a house and thought the kids were going to go to Anderson and it was Westwood. Anybody buying up here should check it out thoroughly."

City of Austin provides electricity, wastewater and trash pickup. Texas Gas Service provides gas to most homes though some have propane tanks.

Zone: nc
MLS Area: 1n

Zip Code 78759

The Great Hills neighborhood has many amenities that your family will love. The Arboretum offers shops, restaurants and services. Hill and Bull Creek parks have basketball courts, playgrounds, swimming, fishing and nature trails.