Central allandale By Jackie Potts

Cat Hollow

On a warm afternoon, it's not unusual to see a new mother walking down one of Cat Hollow's tree-lined sidewalks with her infant in a stroller. Or you may catch a glimpse of a grandfather and grandson crossing one of the community's wide streets. As Round Rock and Austin grow to meet it, the well-kept secret that is Cat Hollow is out of the bag.

The star of this community has been rising for about a decade. Once a fairly secluded bedroom community on the outskirts of Round Rock, Cat Hollow counts RM 620, now a major Austin-area thoroughfare, as one of its boundaries. Great Oaks Drive and Liberty Walk complete the community's triangular shape.

Jenny Santiano has been a Cat Hollow resident since 2000. Cat Hollow's proximity to Santiano and husband's tech jobs was definitely a draw, she recalls. The closeness of the Round Rock Medical Center and an H-E-B supermarket put necessities near by without detracting from the "suburban" and secluded feel the Santiano family appreciated.

In the short time she has been a resident, Santiano has seen Cat Hollow become more and more centrally located. In addition to the grocery store and hospital, the area around Cat Hollow now features banks, restaurants, varied services and shops and much more.

"When we got here, it was mostly cows," she recalls. "Already it's gone from cows to construction."

Santiano has grown to love Cat Hollow, she says, and the friendliness of the residents is top on the list of things she adores. Making note of active neighborhood watch groups, play groups and block parties, Santiano describes Cat Hollow as a "very connected community. All the neighbors have really been very supportive of one another."

Another Cat Hollow attraction is also what Ron Mason, a Realtor with JB Goodwin, considers the neighborhood's top draw - numerous recreation areas.

"(Cat Hollow) has all the neighborhood amenities," Mason says. "Parks, pools, playgrounds, jogging trails - everything is there."

Brushy Creek MUD, which provides water and waste water services to Cat Hollow, maintains eight parks, four greenbelts and several hike-and-bike trails within a few miles of the neighborhood. Mason notes that three parks, Cat Hollow Park and Pool, Community Park and Pepper Rock Park, and two greenbelts are within Cat Hollow boundaries. There also are several city- and county-maintained parks and outdoor activity areas nearby.

There are around 1,200 homes in Cat Hollow, according to Mason. That number is bound to grow as Capital Pacific and Wilshire Homes continue to build in the development. Mason says the majority of the homes were built from 1994 to the present and range from 1,200 to 4,500 square feet. While there are homes in the $300,000-plus price range, Mason notes that the average home price falls somewhere between $150,000 to $250,000.

"The price range has been a good middle range - not too low, not too high," he says. "It appeals to a lot of people."

Cat Hollow is served by Round Rock Independent School District. Most elementary schoolers attend the award-winning Great Oaks Elementary School, but a sizeable percentage attends Brushy Creek Elementary, as well. Cedar Valley Middle and McNeil High schools round out the public schools that serve Cat Hollow.

Gay Puckett, another Realtor at JB Goodwin, easily sums up Cat Hollows' appeal. "In a transient environment, it's awfully hard to put down roots," she says. "Cat Hollow makes it easy."

Zone: NW
MLS Area: RR

Zip Code 78681

Amenities include two community pools, three large parks, lit tennis and basketball courts, and easy access to IH-35, Hwy 183 and Parmer Lane.