Top 15 Austin neighborhoods · Walkable & urban living
Clarksville
Central AustinMedian ~$1.38M
Just west of downtown, historic and highly walkable, known for eclectic charm, high-end dining and good parks. The price of entry is the catch.
History
Clarksville was founded in 1871 by Charles Clark, a freedman who bought two acres from former Confederate general Nathan Shelley, built a home on what is now the 1600 block of West 10th Street, and sold the rest of the land to other freedmen. It is the oldest surviving freedmen's town west of the Mississippi. Sweet Home Baptist Church, organized before 1882, served as the community's meeting center and is still the focal point of the neighborhood.
Where it is
The historic district is bounded roughly by West Lynn Street, Waterston Avenue, West 10th Street and MoPac, inside the larger Old West Austin area near Lady Bird Lake. It sits entirely in ZIP 78703 and City Council District 9, with Old Enfield, Tarrytown, Pemberton Heights and Bryker Woods as neighbors. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Living there
Blocks are small and walkable under a mature tree canopy, and the West Lynn corridor works like a village center for the neighborhood. Housing leans toward Craftsman bungalows and late Victorian cottages mixed with newer luxury builds, which is a big part of why prices sit where they do.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Clarksville Historic District
- Handbook of Texas: Clarksville
- Clarksville CDC: Early Clarksville
Median prices are neighborhood-level figures, not listings. School zones vary by address.
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