Austin's New Urban Village - The Old Airport Revitalization

An area of Austin which is currently undergoingexciting businesses and attractions. The old airport
revitalization is the old Mueller Airport area, nearsite encompasses 711 acres of space, and is
the intersection of Manor Road and Airportdesignated for "mixed use" development now,
Boulevard in East Central Austin. This locationincluding many movie-making related facilities. The
offers residents and visitors alike many interestingsite is home to the new Austin Studios
opportunities. Housing is very affordable in thefilm-making complex, which includes soundstages,
area, including single family homes and duplexes,sets, and various other commercial ventures
and also numerous nice but inexpensiveassociated with Austin's burgeoning motion picture,
apartment complexes. Since this area is just atheater and arts communities. Many of the old
few miles from the University of Texas campus,airport hangars have been converted to use as
it is ideal for students and faculty members, assoundstages for these endeavors, and the area is
well as downtown area employees who areideal for this type of activity, since it is such a
looking for a neighborhood which is affordable yetlarge area, and so conveniently located, but is still
extremely close to downtown business andvery quiet and has a rural feel to it since it has
entertainment districts and the college area. Manornot been developed or inhabited much in the past,
Road itself is home to many fine restaurants,especially since the airport relocated.
including El Chile, and El Gringo, both wonderfulThe site will eventually be home to 10,000
restaurants specializing in Mexican cuisine, andresidents and has been referred to as an "urban
Hoover's , a southern-style restaurant specializingvillage", with its proximity to the major urban
in BBQ and various other regional Texasareas yet its small town flavor. The site will
specialties. The Eastside Café, a populareventually include schools, shops, homes,
restaurant which specializes in natural and freshapartment complexes, entertainment and various
from the garden choices, is situated on Manorother businesses and services. In addition to these
Road just across the interstate and is veryexciting, revenue-generating ventures, the area is
convenient for U.T. students, faculty, and visitorsprojected to include 140 acres of public open
to the campus area. The Eastside Caféspaces and 13 acres of hike and bike trails,
has a reputation for very fresh seafood as wellmaking the neighborhood very pedestrian-friendly
as tempting steaks and other entrees. All ofas well as offering immediate access to Austin's
these restaurants have been patronized by wellfine mass transit system, the Cap Metro bus
known political visitors recently, including Billroutes.
Clinton's visit to Hoover's while campaigning inRight across Manor Road from the old airport
Austin with his wife Hillary and family.entrance is another attraction for sports fans, the
The University of Texas sports facilities are alsoMorris Williams Golf Course, which is an
very close to the east-central vicinity of Austin,eighteen-hole public golf course, with green fees
especially Dish Faulk field, for Longhorn baseballof twenty dollars or less on a year-round basis.
fans, and Royal Memorial Stadium, for LonghornThis area is also very accessible to out of town
football fans. Both of these sports venues arevisitors, since both Manor Road and Martin Luther
near the intersection of Interstate 35 and EastKing eventually intersect with U.S. Highway 183
Martin Luther King Blvd, which runs somewhatwhen travelling east or northeast. U.S. 183 serves
parallel to Manor Road, east of Interstate 35. Thethe Austin metro area as a loop around the
Erwin Center is also just a stone's throw away, ateastern perimeter of the city, where it is referred
Red River and Martin Luther King, just west ofto as Ed Bluestein Blvd. It also intersects with
the interstate.Highway 290 East and Highway 71 East, as well
Prior to closing in 1999, Mueller Airport was theas Interstate 35, so it is very convenient to get in
oldest municipal airport in Texas, and it originallyand out of the east-central community around the
opened to the public in 1930. After the newold Mueller Airport.
Bergstrom International Airport was establishedThis area is sure to become a vital part of Austin
south of Austin at the site of the old Bergstromin the very near future, and offers the finest
Air Force Base, Mueller Field closed to air traffic,attractions and amenities now for every segment
and is presently being redeveloped as a centerof the population, young and old alike!
for the arts, affordable homes, and many other