East Austin Neighborhoods

*Inside the Community… We Call Home.***

Words by Jessi Devenyns & Ashley Bowling
Photos by Ashley Haguewood, William Bowling & Joan Brook
Illustrations by Caitlin Alexander

What does it mean to live in east Austin? As you will soon find out, there is no one answer to that question. The community here is as diverse and beautiful as they come. It’s a hodgepodge of old and new catering to many different lifestyles. From the young professional looking for a vibrant urban environment, to the family seeking the outdoor lifestyle and parks these communities have to offer, to the empty nesters just enjoying the beauty of the neighborhood and friendly waves from their front porch, the possibilities are endless. Regardless, there is a strong sense of community here if you just get to know your neighbors.

You will come to find that change is inevitable. Yet, the important thing to remember is we are all human and we need each other. It’s important to connect and even more important to respect the history of those who have laid the foundation, those who make this community what it is today.

East Riverside

This once up-and-coming neighborhood has now transformed into a haven for families, students, and young professionals alike. It’s on-the-lake location and waterside biking and running trails add panache to the neighborhood, while a recent influx of food trucks and music venues has made East Riverside unrecognizable to what it was 20 years ago. As a fusion of the best of old and new Austin, you can now enjoy a mimosa on the patio and walk across the street to pick up fresh fruit from the local street vendor on Pleasant Valley.

The neighborhood still houses the creative types making ends meet at a decent price point. You will still find the occasional loiterer, but with high-rise condos, master-planned communities like Edgewick, and old family homes with large yards, current residents are benefiting from living in the luxury of a lively neighborhood and beautiful running trails.

The Views

Step out of your home and you’ll either be greeted with a nice sweeping view of the Austin skyline or the twinkle of Lady Bird Lake in the sunshine. For Austinites, life really does not get any better than this!

The Food

East Riverside is a foodie haven unto itself. You’ll find the fifth installation of Chi’lantro’s Kimchi Fries’ Empire, a new Jackalope, and the specialty Mour Cafe. Enjoy some of Austin’s best and cheapest Vietnamese or Lebanese food between Willow Creek and Pleasant Valley.

The Parks

Within East Riverside, you have the Zilker-sized Roy Guerrero Park, the Krieg Softball Fields with its flock of monk parakeets, the Riverside Golf Course or former Austin Country Club, and the hike & bike trail right on the water

Rosewood Neighborhood

Neighbors are welcoming and are committed to giving something back to the community. Through misguided legislation that was enacted in the early 1900s, Rosewood became a historically black neighborhood in east Austin. Though Rosewood Avenue is considered to be the “main street” of the neighborhood, the term also refers to a long string of landmarks that share the avenue’s name, making the name as much of an identity as it is a district.

This is a neighborhood with a storied past. From the public transportation boycotts 50 years before Rosa Parks to the Rosewood Courts, which represent the first real effort from the federal government to engage in large-scale neighborhood development that embraced all of the aspects of what would later become known as environmental design, this neighborhood has been an enclave of forward thinking residents. A trait that the community continues to proudly exhibit today.

The Festivals

The annual Juneteenth celebration is hosted in Emancipation or Rosewood Park, which was purchased by the African American community specifically for that purpose. It is the site of one of the nation’s original Juneteenth commemoration locations.

The Folks

Rosewood is inclusive of Rosewood Courts, an emblem of public housing throughout the nation. Its design was lauded in America and helped improve access to affordable housing for low-income families.

The History

In the early 1900s, the City of Austin adopted an official policy that segregated African Americans to East Austin – with the heart of the plan centering around the Rosewood district. On the outskirts of its varied landscape is the George Washington Carver Museum that serves as a nod to those who transformed the neighborhood into the vibrant cultural center it is today.

The Schools

Blackshear is a fine arts elementary school located in the heart of Rosewood. It was recently awarded the designation of a national blue ribbon school.

All About Community

The Millennium Youth Entertainment Center hosts numerous activities for area youth on the corner of Walnut and Rosewood Avenue. A block farther east is the Austin Can Academy, where neighbors and folks all over Austin come to donate their old cars to help pay college tuition for kids who may not afford it otherwise.

Holly & East Cesar Chavez

This neighborhood has one of the most vivid histories in all of East Austin. As one of the most well-known Eastside neighborhoods due to its integral participation in the annual East Austin Studio Tour. This traditionally Mexican-American neighborhood has borne the brunt of the city’s whims: the epicenter of the former political hot potato and current eyesore, the Holly Street Power Plant. Since the power plant’s closing in 2007 as well as the neighborhood’s proximity to downtown, the lake, Rainey Street, and the hike & bike trails, desirability and prices have skyrocketed in the area. Not to mention, the area is speckled with popular restaurants like Bufalina Pizza, Counter Culture, and Cenote.

Wandering around this neighborhood, you will see lots of people heading to one of the three major parks during the day. The Holly neighborhood is a highly residential area so single-family homes stretch as far as the eye can see.