Circle C Ranch
Many of the best neighborhoods in the Austin area started out as amazing Texas ranches. Circle C Ranch just southwest of the City of Austin was one of the largest and most gorgeous ranches in Central Texas. In 1985, Ira Yates owner of the Circle C Ranch, sold an impressive part of the ranch to developer, Gary Bradley, and the first homes were built in 1988.
Located just 15 minutes from downtown without any traffic, Gary Bradley developed Circle C Ranch to be the nation’s premier planned community development. Developers from all over the country came to Austin to see what Bradley had created. It was the first neighborhood community in the country with 500 acres of dedicated parkland, an 18 hole golf course, an elementary school, a private state of the art child development center, and a swim center with an Olympic sized swimming pool. The development still spends millions on its landscaping and all of the commercial buildings in the popular Escarpment Village Shopping area conform to a unified Texas Hill Country style.
Today, over 5620 homes make up the many residential sections of this very family friendly subdivision.
The main section of homes in Circle C Ranch and Circle C on the Park lie just south of Slaughter Lane. These were the first homes built in Circle C. After an extensive interview process, only a few select builders were chosen to build in the Circle C Ranch neighborhoods.
Circle C North and Vintage Place lie just north of Slaughter Lane and can be accessed by taking Mopac south and then heading west on Slaughter Lane.
To the east of Mopac there is the Wildflower Park section. This section is popular because it is close to the 3.1 mile veloway where residents can ride bicycles or roller blade through the rolling hills on this protected path. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center is also in this section offering classes, exhibits and a site for private parties.
The development of Circle C West, also known as the Hielscher section followed. This area includes smaller neighborhoods like The Enclave, Stone Creek, The Arbors, Woodtrace and Parkside.
Other sections still being built include Alta Mira, Avana and The Fairways Estates and Muirfield which are gated sections of Circle C.
Circle C Ranch is well loved by the residents who live there. Children can walk or ride bicycles all over the neighborhood to the many amenities. Sidewalks are well lit by ample street lights and utilities are buried underground. The same mature, majestic Texas oak trees that defined the ranch land now line the streets.
The Swim Centers are still a huge attraction. There are two pools there now. One of the pools is designed especially for small children. Residents can participate on a swim team or enjoy many opportunities for free swim. There are also many summer activities that take place at the Swim Center like movie night where residents can float in the pool and enjoy a movie. The Circle C Café next to the swim center offers great burgers and hotdogs and offers catering and take-out.. A second swim center called the Community Center Aquatics facility is a seasonal facility with a large splash pad, water slide and adult only lagoon area. Other pools include Avana Pool and Greyrock Pool.
The 18 hole Grey Rock Golf Course is another fantastic neighborhood amenity. It is now public and offers a great opportunity to play a reasonably priced round of golf on a gorgeous course surrounded by bluebonnets in the spring and Indian Paintbrushes in the Fall. The course has also been the host to many events, parties and concerts.
A real community environment exists at Circle C Ranch. The neighborhood has a very active homeowner’s association with a superb neighborhood newsletter. The group hosts holiday events like fireworks displays on the 4th of July, summer BBQ picnics, an Egg Hunt at Easter and holiday events with Santa. Once a resident, there are many opportunities to get involved and meet people in the community. Some of our clients have participated in book clubs, bunco groups, and even dinner clubs.
Some outstanding parks and play grounds also exist in Circle C. Slaughter Creek Metropolitan Park is one of the larger ones. With miles of hiking trails, this park is a great asset to the community. The soccer fields and play grounds are filled with kids after school and on the weekends. Slaughter Creek is a wonderland spot for kids who like to explore everything from fossils and rocks to crawdads and tad poles. Other parks include Swim Center Plaza Park, Wildflower Park, Vintage Place Park, Park Place Park, Avana Park and Greyrock Park. The Slaughter Creek Trails and Violet Crown Trails are popular hiking trails passing through the area.
The public schools in the Circle C neighborhood now include three elementary schools. The original Kiker Elementary with just over 775 students opened in 1992.
Mills Elementary was built in 1996 and is the largest elementary in the area with just over 775 students.
Clayton Elementary was built in 2006 and has just over720 students. As the area has grown, the attendance boundaries for each of these schools have changed to keep the quality of the educational program high. All three schools are popular with parents and students.
The Middle Schools in the area include:
Bailey Middle School that was built in 1993 and serves grades 6-8.
And, Gorzycki Middle School that opened in 2010.
Both middle schools feed into the academically recognized Bowie High School located on Slaughter Lane.
For complete real estate market statistics for Circle C ranch, download our latest Market Report. Zip codes include 78749 and 78739.
