MLS Area; CL

What a difference a few years and new roads can make. Much like the rest of Williamson County, the once sleepy town of Cedar Park has grown to become one of the hottest areas in Central Texas to buy a home. Only 17 miles from downtown Austin, Cedar Park enjoys all the advantages of being located close to the state capital, while affording its residents all the advantages of small town living.

The new roadways have been an integral part of Cedar Park's growth as a community. "The connection from 1431 to I-35 is becoming the outer loop, and 1431 connects 183 to I-35 and acts as a corridor for Cedar Park. Parmer Lane has been extended from 620 all the way to 2243, and now the upper deck of 183 has been completed all the way to Lakeline Mall."

Another important factor that should increase growth to the area is the recent vote in favor of allowing Capital Metro to operate an urban commuter rail service to extend from Leander through northwest and east Austin and into the downtown area. The Downtown/ Northwest Urban Commuter Rail Service is part of Capital Metro's All Systems Go Long-Range Transit Plan to help address the region's expected population growth, which is estimated to double within the next 25 years.

"Cedar Park is absolutely growing and changing right now," says Myles Schopfer of Prudential Texas Realty. "It's transformed itself from being 'The Cedar Chopper Capital of the World' to a town that's a great place to raise a family, with an outstanding school district. The Leander Independent School District is in the top echelon of all school districts in the State of Texas. The city leaders are doing a great job of forward thinking. There's also the new Cedar Park High School, with a football team that was top in their district this year. Their sports program is definitely a powerhouse."

Even with the recent population growth, Cedar Park remains a very good value for those who want to settle into the area. The average price for a home was once between $80,000 to $150,000," says Schopfer. "Now we have more executive homes in the area, and because of the of roadways they can make the commute to one of the major employers such as Dell, Motorola or Apple quickly. Homes now average anywhere between $150,000 to $300,000 to move into Cedar Park."