Just a few miles north of The University of Texas is a neighborhood where Austinites go to admire the city’s history while being a part of its future. That neighborhood is Hyde Park: an old neighborhood full of young people who help make Austin one of the coolest cities in America.
M.M. Shipe, a real estate developer from Kansas, purchased the land that spans from 38th and Guadalupe to 51st and Airport before it was even a part of Austin. In 1891 Shipe persuaded the City Council to let him start an electric street car franchise to run through the land he had purchased north of town. By 1941 the street cars were out of service, but the neighborhood that had become Hyde Park was 50 years old and thriving. Many of Shipe’s contributions are still a part of everyday life in Hyde Park, including Shipe Park and swimming pools at Speedway and 45th. Shipe Pool is one of a handful of neighborhood spring-fed pools in Austin that charges no admission.
In the 1950s when The University of Texas ended its policy of requiring students to live on campus, many Hyde Park homes became rental properties, transforming the quiet neighborhood into a mecca for college students and young professionals. By the 1960s, UT was growing and Hyde Park needed to adapt, so the city rezoned the neighborhood to allow for the construction of apartment buildings.
Since then Hyde Park has become one of Austin’s most coveted neighborhoods with an average home price of more than $400,000 and a population of more than 14,000. The architecture of Hyde Park is one of its most distinctive features. It is not unusual to see a 1940s craftsman style home next to a modern mansion constructed of glass, steel and concrete. Many of Hyde Park’s homes sport exotic colors like hot pink or lime green and purple.
Many locals flock to Hyde Park for the coffee shops and restaurants such as Dolce Vita, Quacks Bakery and Hyde Park Bar and Grill at 43rd and Duval Street. Another asset of the neighborhood is the Elisabet Ney Museum, a castle-like building that served as the European sculptor’s Texas studio during the 19th Century.
The neighborhood is also home to a variety of schools and churches, including Austin ISD campuses and private schools like the Griffin School, a college prep fine arts high school. It is not uncommon to see Buddhist monks walking the streets to and from the new temple on 45th Street where one can see a floor-to-ceiling golden Buddha statue in the middle of the temple.
Perhaps the most noticeable quality of Hyde Park is the active lifestyles of its residents. At any time of day there are hundreds of people running, walking dogs, pushing strollers and riding bikes down the tree-lined avenues. The constant presence of neighbors creates a sense of community and security within the small neighborhood.
Between Speedway Street and Avenue G north of 46th Street there is a family of bright green parrot-like birds that look like they belong in the rainforest in South America, not in Austin, Texas. They are unique among the indigenous swallows, finches and jays of Central Texas, but somehow they found their way here, where they are a small but vibrant community in the heart of a fast-paced, fast-growing metropolitan area.
Showing properties
1 - 36 of 36.
See more homes for sale in Hyde Park.
(all data current as of
6/19/2013)
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$429,900 : 614 Fairfield LN, Austin4 beds, 3 full baths
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$139,900 : 400 W 35th ST, 204, Austin1 bed, 1 full bath
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$125,900 : 407 E 45th ST, 216, Austin1 bed, 1 full bath
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$127,000 : 407 E 45th ST, 201, Austin1 bed, 1 full bath
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$149,900 : 3815 Guadalupe ST, 303, Austin1 bed, 1 full bath
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$127,000 : 407 E 45th ST, 112, Austin1 bed, 1 full bath
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$232,500 : 914 E 53rd ST, Austin2 beds, 1 full bath
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$190,000 : 5200 Bruning ST, Austin3 beds, 1 full bath
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$104,900 : 4701 Red River ST, 205, Austin1 bed, 1 full bath
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$649,000 : 4109 Speedway, Austin4 beds, 2 full baths
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$425,000 : 4115 Avenue A, Austin3 beds, 2 full baths
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$659,500 : 4301 Avenue A, Austin3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
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$390,000 : 4519 Avenue C, Austin4 beds, 3 full baths
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$355,000 : 4500 Speedway, Austin3 beds, 2 full baths
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$455,000 : 4803 Caswell AVE, Austin3 beds, 2 full baths
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$650,000 : 3900 Avenue H, Austin3 beds, 2 full baths
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$219,900 : 409 38th ST, 205, Austin1 bed, 1 full, 1 part baths
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$557,500 : 4501 Depew AVE, Austin6 beds, 3 full baths
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$154,900 : 4306 Avenue A, 114, Austin2 beds, 1 full bath
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$219,000 : 405 W 41st ST, Austin1 bed, 1 full bath
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$649,500 : 4605 Evans AVE, Austin4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths
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$619,900 : 703 E 50th ST, A, Austin4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths
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$424,800 : 4718 Depew AVE, Austin3 beds, 2 full baths
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$514,900 : 936 E 50th ST, Austin4 beds, 3 full baths
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$470,000 : 4405 Red River ST, Austin2 beds, 1 full bath
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$370,000 : 709 50TH ST, A, Austin3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
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$420,000 : 709 50th ST, B, Austin3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
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$299,000 : 304 W 45th ST, Austin2 beds, 1 full bath
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$759,990 : 4532 Avenue F, Austin4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
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$474,500 : 108 46th ST, Austin3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
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$525,000 : 608 E 41st ST, Austin4 beds, 3 full baths
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$760,000 : 4511 Avenue F, Austin3 beds, 3 full baths
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$238,000 : 4618 BENNETT AVE, Austin2 beds, 1 full bath
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$388,500 : 4415 Barrow AVE, Austin3 beds, 2 full baths
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$849,000 : 4106 Avenue B, Austin3 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths
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$360,000 : 4815 Harmon AVE, B, Austin3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths
Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
