Williamson County's largest city is well established
Of all the rapidly growing outer cities in the Austin metro area, Round Rock is arguably the most established. "You don't have to leave Round Rock, you have everything you need here," says Realtor Tara Knight of Keller Williams Realty Round Rock. With major tech corporations having longstanding headquarters there, the county's top school district, and a downtown area full of businesses and events, Round Rock has many of the traits that make these outer cities so tantalizing. But unlike the rest, residential development has more or less slowed down in Round Rock, which is now the largest city in Williamson County, even outpacing the county seat of Georgetown with its whopping 130,000-plus population.
The Round Rock Public Library is newly constructed in Downtown and offers computer stations.
Get in some shopping at the Round Rock Outlet Mall just minutes away.
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A Prairie-style downtown in the Sports Capital of Texas
The city's name derives from a geographical feature in the middle of Brushy Creek, where in the 19th century a small community of homesteaders used the round rock in order to cross the creek. Once a bedroom community to Austin, Round Rock continues to evolve today due to economic prosperity. The downtown area is leaning into its prairie-style heritage with new architectural guidelines for commercial development. "Downtown is definitely going through a refurbishment," Knight says. "When you build in downtown, it has to follow certain guidelines. Like it has to kind of have this old timey look." Round Rock's downtown has quickly become a hub of hip restaurants, breweries, rooftop bars, coffee and doughnut shops, and boutique stores. These are all found south of Brushy Creek, and although there are some supermarkets very close to downtown, most chain and big box shopping is primarily concentrated north of the creek in shopping centers like Round Rock West. As the city has grown over time to house more event spaces and athletic facilities, it has also become somewhat of a hospitality hub for the area. "They call Round Rock the 'sports capital of Texas' because we have all these facilities where people come for volleyball tournaments and baseball tournaments, track and field outdoor competitions – we have a ton of those," Knight says. "It's normal sometimes on the weekend for hotels to be $200-plus a night. The big thing we have that's pretty new in Round Rock is Kalahari, which is a huge indoor water park, and it also houses a bunch of conventions."
Grab a hot latte from Lamppost Coffee in Round Rock, Texas.
Mays Street runs straight through Downtown Round Rock.
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Dell Headquarters and commutes to the Tesla Gigafactory
Following a decades-long trend, multiple Fortune 500 tech companies now dominate the employment opportunities across the Austin area, including in Round Rock. In 1994, Dell Technologies opened its global headquarters in Round Rock, and it has remained a stalwart employer for the city and surrounding areas ever since. Other major employers in Round Rock include an Amazon delivery station and the Baylor, Scott & White Medical Center. But some residents commute as far as 25 miles from Round Rock to major tech employers in Southeast Austin. "A lot of people drive to Tesla," Knight says. "It's an easy drive from Round Rock because it's all off the toll road." TX-130 provides that crucial connection by circumnavigating many of the region's most traffic-heavy areas. Others are forced to rely on the traffic megillah that is Interstate 35 to get to work in Downtown Austin.
St. David's Round Rock Medical Center is easily accessible to those living in Brushy Creek.
Dell's Round Rock headquarters boosts the economies of Round Rock and Leander.
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Nifty solutions to rising home prices and dwindling space
While new homes are still being built in Leander and other nearby cities in Williamson County, "there's no more building in Round Rock, really. We're kind of out of space," Knight says. That makes for a fairly unique housing market, even if the vast swathe of New Traditional farmhouses in master-planned subdivisions is fairly consistent with neighboring cities. Still, there are some parts of the city with established homes built before the 1990s, such as the many midcentury ranchers found in the Round Rock West neighborhood. The median price of a single-family home in Round Rock is around $451,000. Although development has slowed down, prices remain considerably lower than in surrounding cities, like Leander, which has a median single-family home price of $521,000, and Austin, which sees a median price of $605,000. Still, attempts are being made to accommodate the demand for housing with some unique solutions, such as rental-only communities of single-family homes. Some tiny-home communities have also popped up in Round Rock, helping save space. "Say, in some neighborhoods, you can build six or eight homes on an acre, right? Well, these might have 12 homes on an acre," Knight says.
Scenic views of the Round Rock West residential area.
Row of homes in the Round Rock West neighborhood.
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Tech internships with the number one school district in Williamson County
The Round Rock Independent School District is not only a major employer for the city and for Williamson County, but also the county's No. 1 school district, according to Niche. With an overall rating of A from Niche, Round Rock ISD also ranks among the top 50 districts across Texas. More than 46,000 students are spread out across 54 schools, which helps keep the district-wide average class size below the national average of 17 students per teacher. In addition to common programs like International Baccalaureate and AP Coursework opportunities, the district offers an internship program through a partnership with Dell, offering students a chance to gain knowledge in the tech industry and build early professional connections.
Stony Point High School in Round Rock fosters academic excellence and student growth.
Round Rock High School excels in academics, athletics, and arts programs.
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Swimming pools, dog parks and easy escapes to Hill Country
Round Rock is situated smack dab between the western edges of the Blackland Prairie and the eastern edges of Texas Hill Country. That means outdoor recreation in the form of expansive natural areas is never too far away, like the Berry Springs Park and Preserve, or the Crystal Falls Golf Club. Within its jurisdiction, the Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department oversees 37 parks, many of which are connected by a network of trails running through town and extending to parks in neighboring communities, like Leander and Cedar Park. Among Round Rock's parks, residents commonly spend time splashing around at the Micki Krebsbach Swimming Pool, mingling at the Dog Depot Dog Park or nailing pop shuvits and kickflips at the Shaylah Dame Skate Park. The city is also home to several indoor facilities, including private gyms and a city owned rec center.
Practice that golf swing at one of the courses just ten minutes away from Wood Glen.
Visit the Donkey Barn at Berry Springs Park and enjoy petting these friendly animals.
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Outdoor concerts and indoor food festivals
Concerts and other performances occur regularly at Centennial Plaza, highlighting the preference for outdoor events downtown. But some occur indoors at facilities like the Round Rock Sports Center, including one of the city's largest events, the Taste Of Round Rock food festival, during which restaurants and bars from across the region offer tastings of their recipes and cocktails. The great American pastime is also a major component of social life in Round Rock, with many locals heading to the Dell Diamond to watch matchups between visiting teams and the Round Rock Express, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers MLB team.
Living at its best in the Mayfield Ranch neighborhood.
The Southwest Williamson County Regional Park offers plenty of space for sports.
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Things to consider
According to FBI data, crime rates have been on a continuous decline in Round Rock since 2022. Property crime remains almost twice as common as violent crime, with 108 violent crimes and 199 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Nevertheless, the area has some hazards to content with. Given its location between Hill Country and the Blackland Prairie, Round Rock can experience flash flooding and wildfires. But compared to surrounding cities like Leander, the risk of flash flooding and wildfires tend to be much lower. "I would say it's pretty protected from that stuff. Anytime we get flooding, it's not from rain, it's because the city broke a pipe or something," Knight says. Nevertheless, the city has taken precautions in its infrastructure to reduce flooding on the creeks that run through the city, including a new series of dams west of downtown.
David has been a real estate agent in Central Texas for 17 years and enjoys working with sellers and buyers. He takes great pride in providing world-class service and being exceptionally responsive to his clients' needs and questions. He works hard for his clients and will always think outside the box and exhaust all resources to ensure a pain free and transparent transaction and to make certain the deal is a win/win experience for all involved.
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