Barton Hills, Austin, Texas facts for kids
Barton Hills is a cool neighborhood in Austin, Texas. You can find it in the southern part of the city.
This neighborhood is surrounded by other areas like South Lamar and Zilker to the east. To the north, you'll find Barton Springs Road and Zilker Park. On the west side, there's Barton Creek and the Spyglass-Barton's Bluff area. And to the south, it's bordered by the Capital of Texas Highway.
Barton Hills is mostly a place where people live. Some of the oldest homes here were built in the 1940s. The neighborhood is also home to fun places like the Barton Creek Greenbelt, which is a nature preserve. There's also the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum where you can see amazing art. Just north of Barton Hills, you'll find Barton Springs Pool, a natural swimming spot fed by Barton Creek, and the huge 351-acre Zilker Park.
Barton Hills is part of Austin's city council District 5.
A Look Back: History of Barton Hills
The story of Barton Hills began way back in 1837. A man named William "Uncle Billy" Barton set up his home near a natural spring. He named the springs after his daughters, but his own name stuck! That's why, even today, the springs, a famous pool, and several Austin neighborhoods are called "Barton."
The Barton Hills neighborhood itself started to grow in the 1940s and 1950s. More homes were built all the way through the 1970s and 1990s. This means you can find many different styles of houses here. In the 1940s, a famous Austin architect named A.D. Stenger designed many modern homes in one part of the area.
In 1956, Barton Hills was even featured in Austin's "Parade of Homes." It was called "the world’s largest air-conditioned subdivision" back then! Over time, Barton Hills grew to have many homes across its 535 acres.
Later, in the 1970s, some parts of Barton Hills were renamed "Horseshoe Bend." There was a plan to build a bridge over Barton Creek to connect different roads. But the people living in Barton Hills and Horseshoe Bend didn't want the bridge. They were worried about more traffic and harm to Barton Creek. Because of their protests, the bridge was never built. The land where the bridge would have gone became part of the beautiful Barton Creek Greenbelt.
Learning in Barton Hills: Schools
Students in Barton Hills go to schools in the Austin Independent School District. Here are the schools that serve the area:
- Barton Hills Elementary School and Zilker Elementary School
- O. Henry Middle School
- Austin High School
