Downtown Austin’s urban lifestyle offers the best of authentic ATX right at your doorstep. Multi-block and pedestrian-friendly, its high-end condominiums offer instant access to hundreds of downtown employers—not to mention trendy shops, exceptional restaurants, historic live music venues, and museums. Life downtown also provides convenient access to everyday needs, from grocery stores and dry cleaners to dog groomers and more. Interested in recreation? Endless outdoor adventures await at Ladybird Lake, adored by kayakers, rowers, runners, dog-walkers, canoers, and stand-up paddlers alike.
In the 1830s, President of the Republic of Texas Mirabeau B. Lamar directed Edwin Waller to plan the construction of Downtown Austin. Waller plotted out a 640-acre grid pattern between Shoal Creek and Waller Creek on the north bank of the Colorado River consisting of 14 blocks running each direction and one grand avenue, Congress Avenue. At the time, the Colorado River had yet to be dammed. The streets running east-west were originally named after native Texas trees, while the streets running north-south reflected the order of Texas’ major rivers.
Downtown Austin is served by the Austin Independent School District. Students living downtown would attend Austin High School, located just west of downtown. Middle and elementary schools serving students in or nearby the downtown area include Pease Elementary, Mathews Elementary Martin Middle School, Kealing Middle School, and Lively Middle School.