What No One Tells You About Living in Round Rock – Austin Round Rock – Austin Suburb

Austin, Texas, is exploding, and it’s just not big enough for everyone to move here, and not everyone wants to live in this city. Many prefer living in the outskirts and suburbs like Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Pflugerville. Today, we will discuss why you should or shouldn’t move to Round Rock. These are the pros and cons of living in Round Rock, Texas.

First, before we start, here are the three words that best describe the people who live in Round Rock, Texas, according to niche.com. Suburban, friendly, and happy. If that turns you on, great. If not, this blog post is probably not for you.

Excellent Schools

Let’s start with some of the pros and cons of living in Round Rock. Pro number one is the excellent school system. One of the questions everyone asks me is how are the schools? While I can’t give you my opinion on the schools, I can share some sources and resources and what they say about the schools in Round Rock. These resources will all be linked in the description below.

Round Rock Independent School District is recognized as one of the top school districts in Texas. Seven schools from Round Rock ISD were ranked among the top five schools in Central Texas by Children at Risk. Each campus got an A+ rating at a minimum, and the ratings were based on student achievement, campus performance, growth, and college readiness.

The schools were Canyon Creek, Laurel Mountain, Cactus Ranch, England, and Sommer. In the US News and World Reports 2022 Best K through 8th school rankings, four Central Texas Elementary schools ranked among the best in Texas, and all four are part of the Round Rock ISD. All were also on that top list of schools from Children at Risk that we just talked about. The schools are Canyon Creek, Cactus Ranch, Laurel Mountain, and Patsy Sommer.

Even if you don’t have kids, this is excellent news since being in a good school district dramatically affects the value of your home. In general, increases in school quality are associated with increases in average home prices in the school zip code. I’m going to link to this source in the description below.

Another resource that I like to use is greatschools.org. It measures many criteria to give you a well-rounded view of each school in the school district.

Round Rock also has eight international baccalaureate schools and has a regional campus for colleges like Texas State University.

Round Rock Quality of Life

The second pro is quality of life. Round Rock ranks as the 25th best place to live in the United States according to Money’s Best Places To Live ranking for 2021 and 2022. The Factor they considered is the cost of living, which considers everything other than housing; we’re going to get to that. Economic opportunity, more to come on that. Regarding diversity, niche.com says Round Rock is 50% white, 29% Hispanic, 9% African-American, and 7% Asian.

I can’t express my feelings about health and safety, but I can direct you to neighborhoodscout.com for some crime stats. Here’s what I found. Violent crime is low when compared to Texas in general; per 1000 residents, violent crime in Round Rock is at 1.55. Texas, in general, is at 4.5, and the national median is four; your chances of becoming a victim of violent crime and Round Rock is one in 646. In Texas, it’s one in 222.

Another factor they took into account is the housing market. Round Rock is more affordable than Austin. The further you get from Austin, the more affordable it will be. Is it more affordable than, say, Coventry, Kentucky? Probably not. But if you’re considering the Austin area, Round Rock is somewhere to look at.

Job Opportunities

The third pro is job opportunities. According to that same Money magazine ranking, Round Rock is great for quality of life. Round Rock also took the number one spot for projected job growth through 2025.

Tax savings have a big role to play in this. Texas has no corporate or personal income taxes, and Round Rock has low property taxes and business tax breaks.

Round Rock is best known for being the base of Dell computers. It is one of the largest technology corporations in the world, employing more than 165,000 people. But the Austin Round Rock Metro area is exploding regarding job growth. I’ve blogged about small businesses in Cedar Park sending rockets into space, and the tech industry is growing everywhere, from The Domain to downtown to Cedar Park and up in Leander. Round Rock is a huge part of that.

Cost of Living

The fourth pro is the cost of living. When you compare the cost of living in Austin, Round Rock is a very affordable option. Austin and Round Rock have a relatively average cost of living when you exclude housing.

The overall cost of living index for Round Rock is 105. Pushing it over 100 are housing and transportation. For housing, they’re talking about the median cost for a home, both buying and renting, not including property taxes.

So, in May 2022, the average sales price for a residential home, single-family home, condo, townhouse, and Round Rock was 592, which is 13% higher than in May 2021.

So, in just that year, the average price jumped 13% in Round Rock. The city of Austin’s average home price for May of this year was 823,000. That’s a huge difference between Austin and Round Rock. I’m trying to do some quick math. That’s about a 130,000 difference between the average home price in Austin and Round Rock.

The transportation index is 110, and this is talking about costs for gas, car insurance, maintenance, and expenses. Those are the only two factors that are above an index of 100 that are pushing Round Rock’s cost of living.

Everything else, regarding groceries, doctors, amenities, and activities, is below the 100 index mark. So, the only two factors making Round Rock more expensive to live in are housing and transportation. Granted, the housing one is huge.

Round Rock is Fun

The number five pro is fun things to do. Round Rock is a suburb of Austin but is by no means a bedroom community. There are a lot of good restaurants, walking trails, shops, and all that fun stuff.

For crazy excitement, there is the new Kalahari Resort, a resort, a massive water park, and a convention center all rolled into one. It is America’s largest water park and was voted the world’s coolest indoor waterpark.

Admission to the waterpark is free for hotel guests. If water is not your thing, they have a ton of other stuff to do. They have an indoor adventure park, which is 80,000 square feet. They also have a spa if you want to relax and rejuvenate while everyone else is whiling out. They’ve got a 12-lane bowling alley, an escape room, and a piano bar. There’s something for everyone.

Plus, as I mentioned, this is a conference center. They know what they’re doing here. They’re trying to get you, your family, your kids, everyone down here, and write it off on your taxes. It is a work trip, have at it.

Those are all the reasons that you should move to Round Rock. Let’s talk about why you shouldn’t move here. Here are some of the cons.

No Live Music Scene

Con number one is the lack of fun things to do. Yes, I listed many fun things to do in Round Rock, but hear me out. Round Rock does have a lot of family-friendly things that are super awesome, but if you’re looking to get into the live music scene, if you’re trying to go to bars and breweries, if you want some of that keep-Austin-weird stuff, you’re going to have to go to Austin.

This one all depends on your perspective and what you like to do. But if Austin-type stuff is your jam, this could be a big con for Round Rock for you.

Proximity to Austin

Con number two is proximity to Austin. Here’s another one I’m listing as a con, but again, this depends on your perspective and lifestyle.

The con part is if you want to go down to Austin a lot to hang out, go to shows, go to the restaurants, it’s a long drive, and it’s not a fun drive. During peak hours, getting to downtown Austin from Round Rock can be a 30 to 45-minute drive or longer, depending on traffic conditions.

This could be a pro if you don’t go to downtown Austin a lot. If the nightlife there isn’t your thing or you don’t want to do the restaurants or the parks, then it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get to Round Rock.

If you will chill in Round Rock, Cedar Park, and The Domain, then forget about this. This is only if you plan to live a more local Austin lifestyle. If you want to go to the restaurants, the shop, and see live music, but you’re living in Round Rock, the drive will prevent you from going there.

Either you’re going to keep doing it, and you’re just going to be miserable on that drive, or the drive is going to keep you home, and you’re not going to do the fun stuff that you moved to Austin to do.

Dense Suburban Feel

The third con is Round Rock’s dense suburban feel. Round Rock had a 2020 population of 146,000. That is a 47% increase since the most recent census in 2010. The population density in Round Rock is 4,000 people per square mile.

As you can see, Round Rock is growing very, very rapidly. This can be a major con for you if you’re looking for a sleepy suburban area, a bedroom community that’s a little bit more laid back and quiet.

This might not also work for you if you’re looking for large lots of land. There are still a handful of these neighborhoods in Round Rock. These are going to be older homes. They probably don’t have an HOA. There are still a few out there, but by and large, Round Rock is a more dense suburban area than living in the country.

Round Rock Traffic

The fourth con is traffic. Round Rock is far from Austin. It is north of Austin, off of I35. I35 is a highway under construction since the earth was formed. So due to all the construction and the traffic on the highway that increases year after year, you can expect long travel lines, especially in the morning or afternoon, typical rush hour times.

A few months ago, one of my clients was a family born and raised in a small town in Michigan. They worked for Tesla, and they’re relocating with a company to Austin. On their trip down here, they drove around and explored different neighborhoods.

I met them for breakfast at Kerbey Lane in Round Rock. This is one of my favorite places for breakfast, lunch, or late at night. They’re known for their pancakes in particular, so there’s always something for everyone there. That’s why I wanted to take them there. Plus, I wanted them to get a feel for Round Rock, what the restaurants were like, what the commute was like, and the traffic. Kerbey Lane is right off of I35, and it’s in the middle of all the construction, all the madness that’s going on around here.

I drive in the city like 24 hours a day. I live in my car, so I’m used to the traffic. It doesn’t bother me much, and it doesn’t register for me, but it was a bit of sensory overload for the sweet couple.

They decided Round Rock was too hectic, and instead, we got them settled on a new construction house in Bastrop, which is perfect for them. So this is all about finding the right fit for you, what you’re looking for, and what kind of lifestyle you want.

Lack of Public Transportation

The fifth con, which is true for Round Rock and Austin in general, is a lack of public transportation. Round Rock Transit is partnered with the Austin Public Transit System, CapMetro, which provides buses and services within the Round Rock area but service is limited. This is not a robust system like you would find in New York, Boston, or San Francisco.

If you want to go outside of that or even really want to go anywhere, you’re going to need a car, you’re going to need some other means of transportation. If hopping the train is important to you, but you want to live outside of Austin, Leander might be a better option as they have a metro rail and they’re also adding another metro rail station in this area that’s kind of like The Domain called Northline. You may have heard me talk about it. It’s like Leander’s version of The Domain. They’re going to be adding a train station there that’s not coming for many years.

So if that’s important to you to get downtown, that might be another option. And if that’s your jam, I’ve got a lot of blog posts that talk about Leander and living in Leander.

I talk to a lot of folks who are moving out here from New York City, Boston, and Seattle, and they want to live somewhere walkable. You can’t find that in Austin. While Austin is a big city, it is not walkable and you need a car to get around unless you live in a condo right in the middle of downtown and you want to walk around with your groceries.

Round Rock is the suburbs. You are not going to be able to walk to a grocery store or a coffee shop from your house wherever you live in Round Rock. You are going to need a car if you live in Round Rock, Cedar Park, or Leander, even more so than you would if you were living in Austin proper.

Overall, Round Rock is a great alternative to Austin. It’s pretty much gone through its growth phase, so there’s little new construction going on. There is some, but it’s not a whole lot. There are established restaurants and shops and parks, and there are a lot of activities to do.

Whether it’s the right place for you, depends entirely on your taste, your preferences, and the lifestyle that you live. But if you’re thinking about moving out here and you want to check out another area nearby, read this blog post. It is 10 things you didn’t know about Cedar Park. If you’re thinking about moving out here, you need some help, reach out to me.