Top 15 Austin neighborhoods · Walkable & urban living
East Austin
East AustinMedian ~$590K
Centered on 78702, the densest concentration of independent restaurants, bars and coffee shops in the city.
History
The City Plan of 1928 set East Austin up as the area where the city pushed its Black residents, and New Deal redlining in the 1930s reinforced those lines. Emancipation Park on Rosewood Avenue was established in 1928 as a segregated park. Huston-Tillotson University, Austin's oldest university, is here, and the Six Square district marks the heart of historic Black East Austin as the only Black cultural district in Texas.
The change
The same area is now one of Austin's fastest-changing neighborhoods. Rising demand has pushed many longtime Black residents and businesses out, which is the gentrification story you will hear about in any honest conversation about the east side.
Living there
It is directly next to downtown and prized for walkability, murals and old houses turned into restaurants and bars, plus food trucks. Franklin Barbecue lines famously wrap around the block. New modern builds sit next to older homes on most streets.
Sources
- Austin Revitalization Authority: East Austin History
- CultureMap: History of Six Square
- Homes.com: East Austin guide
Median prices are neighborhood-level figures, not listings. School zones vary by address.
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