Allandale, Austin, Texas facts for kids

Allandale, Austin, Texas is a lovely neighborhood in North Central Austin. It's known for its big yards, old trees, and a great central spot in the U.S. State of Texas.

The Allandale neighborhood has clear boundaries. To the east, you'll find Burnet Road and the Brentwood and Crestview neighborhoods. To the west is Mopac Expressway and the Northwest Hills area. To the south, it's 45th Street and the Rosedale neighborhood. Finally, to the north, you'll find West Anderson Lane and the North Shoal Creek neighborhood. The neighborhood is also split by Shoal Creek Blvd and its famous year-round Shoal Creek.

Allandale History

The land that is now Allandale was first given to George W. Davis in 1841. This was a gift from the President of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar, for his bravery in the Battle of San Jacinto. Over time, the Davis family sold most of their land. However, their family cemetery, which is a Texas Historical Cemetery, is still in Allandale.

Some of this land became farms, like Frank Richcreek's and the Kirchner dairy farm. Smaller neighborhoods were built in the 1930s. Then, in 1946, W. Murray Graham, a famous Austin real estate developer, started planning the first parts of Allandale. He also helped create other well-known neighborhoods like Enfield and Tarrytown. Other parts of Allandale, like Allandale Terrace and Allandale West, were developed by different people.

Allandale West's Street Names

In 1958, a part of Allandale called Allandale West was built by Mr. W. H. Bullard. A long-time resident, John Miller, shared how some of the street names in this area came to be:

• Bullard (Dr): Named after Mr. Bullard himself.
• Clarice (Ct): Named after a long-time employee of Mr. Bullard.
• Carleen (Dr): Named after the wife of the project's engineer.
• Sarah (Ct): Named after Mr. Bullard's secretary.
• Gena (Ct) and Janey (Dr): Named after the secretary's daughters.
• Louise (Ln): Named after Mr. Bullard's mother and daughter.
• Marilyn (Dr): Named after the wife of Mr. Bullard's law partner.
• Susie (Ct): Named after a long-time employee at the Austin Club.
• Rickey (Dr): Named after Rickey Key, a close friend of Mr. Bullard.
• Fairlane (Dr): Named after Mr. Bullard's Ford Fairlane car.
• Treadwell (Blvd): Named by a local eye doctor.

The 1981 Flood

On Memorial Day in 1981, Austin had a huge storm. In just three hours, some areas got eleven inches of rain! Shoal Creek, which usually flows gently, turned into a raging river. It went from 90 gallons per minute to 6.55 million gallons per minute. By morning, 13 people had died, and many homes were ruined. Dozens of cars were washed into the creek from a nearby dealership.

Plesiosaur Fossil Find

In 1991, a local dentist and fossil enthusiast named Robert McDonald made an amazing discovery. He found plesiosaur fossils in Shoal Creek! Plesiosaurs were ancient marine reptiles, a bit like long-necked dinosaurs that lived in the water. You can see a concrete stamp of this fossil at the Great Northern detention pond spillway.

Architecture

Most homes in Allandale are ranch style houses. These are usually single-story homes built close to the ground. However, east of Shoal Creek Blvd, you can find some mid-century modern houses mixed in. These homes have a unique, simple design from the middle of the 20th century. Lately, some older homes are being replaced with new, modern designs.

The Air Conditioned Village

A special part of Allandale helped show that air conditioning could be affordable for regular homes. This was called the Air Conditioned Village. It was an experiment in 1954, supported by the National Association of Home Builders. Scientists from the University of Texas and the U.S. Department of Energy studied how air conditioning affected home design. Some of the original 22 homes are still there. They tell an interesting story about how this small area helped bring air conditioning to many homes across the country.

Neighborhood Traditions

4th of July Parade

In 1960, Rv. John Lovett had an idea for a neighborhood parade. He and a few other families organized the first Allandale parade. Since then, the 4th of July parade has been a fun tradition for the neighborhood every year!

Candy Canes: The Holiday Tradition

In the early 1960s, Allandale started a special holiday project: lighted Christmas candy canes. Many people thought the developers gave these as gifts. But actually, neighbors started the tradition themselves! Several men walked around, taking orders for the canes. They cost about $2.50 each, or $5.00 with a floodlight. Neighbors built the canes in their garages. Then, they added red ribbon and bows. The work crew even installed them to make sure they all looked uniform. As new streets opened, new neighbors joined in. Within two years, almost every house had one or two lighted canes. In 1994, Cub Scout Pack 55 brought the candy cane tradition back as a fundraiser.

Neighborhood Wide Garage Sale

Since 2005, Allandale has held a neighborhood-wide garage sale. It's a great way for neighbors to sell things they no longer need. It also helps people connect and build community. After the sale, volunteers from the Allandale Neighborhood Association often collect unsold items. They then donate them to local charities.

Neighborhood Shopping

The eastern edge of Allandale is Burnet Road. This road is famous for its unique local shops. Over time, some of these shops have been replaced by trendy stores, bars, and restaurants.

Graham's Allandale Village

This shopping center opened in 1950 at Burnet and Allandale Roads. At the time, it was the biggest shopping center outside of downtown Austin. It was built to serve not just Allandale residents, but also people from nearby areas like Crestview, Brentwood, and Rosedale.

Northcross Mall

Northcross Mall was a large indoor mall that opened in 1975. It was replaced by a Walmart in 2010. The original plan for the Walmart was much bigger. But after protests from the community, the plans were made smaller.

When Northcross Mall first opened, it had an ice skating rink! It was the only one within 200 miles of Austin back then. When the rink closed for a few years, the mall lost a lot of visitors. The ice skating rink, now called Chaparral Ice, is still open today in the same spot, next to the Walmart.

Cemeteries

Historic Davis Cemetery

The Davis Cemetery is on Vine Street. It's the family cemetery of George W. Davis, who received the land in 1841. It was recognized as a historic cemetery in 2000. It has about 100 graves from the mid-1800s to 1918.

Austin Memorial Park Cemetery

This cemetery opened in 1927. It's very large, covering over 100 acres, and has more than 100,000 graves.

Neighborhood Activism

The Allandale Neighborhood Association started in 1973. It's one of Austin's largest neighborhood groups. They are known for being very active in their community. The association works to keep Allandale a great place to live. They focus on keeping it safe, maintaining its residential feel, and protecting property values.

They watch out for new building plans and city decisions that might affect the neighborhood. They also host meetings for people running for city council or school board. Here are some things they have achieved:

• 1973: They stopped a plan to build a major road through Northwest Park. This kept the neighborhood from being split in half.
• 1974: They prevented a wastewater pipe from being built in Shoal Creek. It was moved to Shoal Creek Blvd instead.
• 1975: They stopped a plan to extend Great Northern Blvd. This prevented a new road from cutting through homes and making the area less safe.
• 1975-1976: They started Neighborhood Watch programs across Allandale.
• 1971-1984: They stopped a church's plan to tear down many houses for expansion.
• 1981: They helped change the zoning for almost all single-family homes in the neighborhood. This made sure the area stayed residential.
• 1981: They helped create the "Hike and Bike Trail" along Shoal Creek Blvd.
• November 1985: They started publishing and delivering the "Allandale Newsletter" by hand.
• June 1993: They began mailing newsletters to all 3,500 homes in Allandale.
• June 1998: They worked with the Union Pacific Railroad to stop trains from idling for too long near the neighborhood.
• January 2001: They supported a plan to make Shoal Creek Boulevard narrower. This created dedicated lanes for biking and parking.
• 2006: They started the neighborhood-wide garage sale.
• 2006: The "Allandale Neighborhood News" began being sent out four times a year.
• 2006: They added a spring meeting for the Allandale Neighborhood Association.

Infrastructure

Bus Transportation

Allandale has several Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus lines that serve the neighborhood. Some examples are lines 3, 5, 19, 320, 491, and Austin's second MetroRapid line, the 803.

Highways

Burnet Road connects to US Highway 183 to the north. RM 2222 connects to Interstate Highway 35 to the east. Also, Allandale Road/Northland Drive connects to Mopac Expressway to the west.

Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad has freight tracks on the west side of the neighborhood. These tracks run between Allandale and Mopac Expressway.

Recreation

Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park is right in the middle of Allandale. This park was once an old limestone quarry that provided stone for the Texas Capital Building in 1853. The park covers 31 acres and has lots of cool features:

• 4 Barbecue Pits
• 8 Baseball Fields
• 1 Basketball Court
• 2 Fishing Piers
• 47 Picnic Tables
• 3 Playgrounds
• Olympic Sized Swimming Pools
• 4 Tennis Courts
• 1 Volleyball Court
• 1 pond
• Many walking and hiking trails

The Northwest Park swimming pool has a kiddie pool, 50-meter lap lanes, a high dive, and a 12-foot deep diving well.

• Gullett Elementary Park and Playground

Gullett Elementary School opened in 1956, and its playground followed in 1962. It has seven ball fields, a running track, and three playgrounds.

• Lucy Read Elementary School Park

Lucy Read has three playgrounds, a covered basketball court, and two soccer fields.

• Northwest Recreation Center

Northwest Recreation Center opened in 1979. It has a full gym, a fitness studio, an arts and crafts room, and meeting rooms. Outside, there's a playscape, a big grassy field, a sand volleyball court, and picnic tables.

• Great Northern Dog Park

This park is a mixed-use area with a dam and ponds. It has a large off-leash area for dogs, a small parking lot, and paths for walking. One path connects to Far West Blvd via a pedestrian bridge.

Houses of Worship

Churches along Allandale Road include:

• St. John's United Methodist, which opened in 1949.
• Allandale Baptist (now GT Austin), which opened in 1951.

Education

Allandale is part of the Austin Independent School District. Most of the neighborhood goes to Gullett Elementary School. However, the very southern part is zoned for Highland Park Elementary School. All students in Allandale attend Lamar Middle School and McCallum High School. Lamar Middle School opened in 1955. McCallum High School, which opened in 1953, is the second oldest high school in the Austin school district. It was built to help with the growing number of students in north Austin. McCallum High School is not actually in Allandale, but in the neighboring Brentwood area.