## TLDR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): Clarksville vs. Tarrytown: Comparing Two Historic West Austin Neighborhoods
- Clarksville sits immediately west of downtown Austin with a Walk Score near the top of the city, a National Register Historic District status dating to 1976, and lot sizes typically between a tenth and a fifth of an acre.
- Tarrytown runs along the south shore of Lake Austin between Lake Austin Boulevard and Mopac, with larger lots (often a fifth of an acre or more) and a mix of mid-century and newer custom homes.
- Both neighborhoods sit in the 78703 zip code and share the O. Henry Middle School and Austin High School attendance zones, though elementary zoning differs between the two.
- Clarksville’s median sale price has generally landed in the $1 million to $1.5 million range, while Tarrytown’s median sale price runs closer to $1.7 million to $1.8 million, reflecting the difference in typical lot and home size.
- Clarksville was founded in 1871 by freedman Charles Clark and is one of the oldest surviving freedmen’s towns in the country, a history that’s worth understanding on its own terms when you’re comparing these two neighborhoods.
I get asked to compare Clarksville and Tarrytown more than almost any other pairing in Austin. Both sit in West Austin. Both carry real history. Both put you a short drive (or in Clarksville’s case, a short walk) from downtown. But they’re genuinely different neighborhoods once you look past the map and into the lot sizes, the home styles, and the price ranges. I want to walk through both of them factually, side by side, so you can see where each one fits your search.
Where each neighborhood sits
Clarksville covers about 305 acres just west of downtown Austin, roughly bounded by West Lynn Street, Waterston Avenue, West 10th Street, and the Mopac Expressway. It sits in the 78703 zip code, wedged between West 6th Street and the Old West Austin area. Because it borders downtown so directly, you can walk from many Clarksville streets to West 6th Street’s restaurants and shops in about five minutes.
Tarrytown sits further west and north, tucked between Lake Austin and Mopac. Its boundaries run along Lake Austin Boulevard to the south, Lake Austin itself to the west, West 35th Street to the north, and Mopac to the east. It’s also in 78703, but the character shifts quickly once you cross into it: streets widen, lots grow, and the terrain rolls down toward the lakefront.
The history behind each name
Clarksville’s history is central to understanding the neighborhood, and I think it’s worth stating plainly and accurately. Charles Clark, a freedman, purchased two acres of land from former Confederate general Nathan Shelley in 1871 and built a home on what’s now West 10th Street. The land had been part of a plantation owned by Governor Elisha Pease, who divided it among newly emancipated people after the Civil War. Clarksville grew from there into one of the oldest surviving freedmen’s towns west of the Mississippi River. Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, founded before 1882, still anchors the community today. The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1976, and it endured decades without paved streets or full city services before infrastructure improvements arrived through federal grants in the mid-1970s. The construction of Mopac in the late 1960s cut directly through the district and displaced dozens of families, permanently changing its footprint. That history shaped the physical neighborhood you see today: small lots, small original homes, and a fiercely maintained sense of place.
Tarrytown’s history runs on a different track. It developed as a residential subdivision starting in the early 1900s and grew steadily over the following decades along the bluffs and flats above Lake Austin. It’s now more than a century old, and its housing stock reflects that long build-out, from early 20th-century homes to a wave of mid-century construction to the custom homes going up today on larger lots. Two long-standing public amenities sit inside its boundaries: Lions Municipal Golf Course, which opened in 1924 as the city’s first public golf course, and Deep Eddy Pool, the oldest swimming pool in Texas, with a bathhouse built during the Depression by the Works Progress Administration.
Lot sizes and home styles
This is where the two neighborhoods differ the most in practical terms. Clarksville’s lots typically run from about a tenth of an acre up to a fifth of an acre. The homes themselves range from around 671 square feet to about 3,900 square feet, with the average closer to 1,800 square feet. The housing stock is a mix of original Craftsman bungalows and Late Victorian cottages from the neighborhood’s early decades, renovated versions of those same homes, and newer infill construction built on the original small footprints.
Tarrytown’s lots run larger, often starting around a fifth of an acre and going up from there, particularly on the streets closer to the lake. Average home size sits around 3,300 square feet, close to double Clarksville’s average. The architecture spans a wider range of eras: original early-20th-century homes, a large concentration of mid-century construction, and newer custom builds that have replaced older homes on the same generous lots.
Walkability and proximity to downtown
Clarksville is one of the most walkable residential neighborhoods in Austin, with a Walk Score around 97, putting it on par with downtown itself. Its position directly against West 6th Street and its short distance to Lady Bird Lake mean many errands, meals, and evenings out don’t require a car.
Tarrytown is walkable within its own core, particularly around Deep Eddy Pool, Mayfield Park and Preserve, and the shops along West 35th Street, but it’s a car or bike commute rather than a walk to downtown proper. Mopac gives Tarrytown residents quick highway access, and the drive downtown typically runs 10 to 15 minutes depending on traffic. Both neighborhoods also connect easily to the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail system.
Schools
Both neighborhoods fall within Austin Independent School District, and both feed into the same middle and high school. Clarksville is zoned to Mathews Elementary, which carries an A academic rating and has a comparatively small enrollment. Tarrytown is zoned to Casis Elementary, which holds a 10/10 GreatSchools rating and an A+ Niche rating. From there, both neighborhoods feed into O. Henry Middle School and Austin High School, so the elementary zoning is the main academic distinction between the two once you’re comparing them for school purposes.
Price ranges
Clarksville’s median sale price has generally sat in the $1 million to $1.5 million range over the past year, with renovated and larger homes pushing past $2 million and into the $3 million range in some cases. Tarrytown runs higher across the board: the median sale price has been closer to $1.7 million to $1.8 million, with homes selling anywhere from around $750,000 for smaller or older properties up to well over $7 million for larger lakefront and custom estates. Price per square foot in Tarrytown has generally run in the $630 to $680 range. The gap between the two neighborhoods tracks closely with the gap in typical lot and home size.
Clarksville vs. Tarrytown at a glance
| Feature | Clarksville | Tarrytown |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Immediately west of downtown, bounded by W. Lynn, Waterston, W. 10th, and Mopac | Along Lake Austin’s south shore, bounded by Lake Austin Blvd, Lake Austin, W. 35th, and Mopac |
| Founded | 1871 | Early 1900s |
| Historic status | National Register Historic District (listed 1976) | Not a designated historic district |
| Typical lot size | About 1/10 to 1/5 acre | About 1/5 acre and up |
| Average home size | About 1,800 sq ft | About 3,300 sq ft |
| Architecture | Craftsman bungalows, Late Victorian cottages, modern infill | Early 20th-century homes, mid-century construction, newer custom builds |
| Walk Score | About 97 | Walkable core, car or bike for downtown |
| Distance to downtown | About a 5-minute walk to West 6th Street | About a 10 to 15-minute drive |
| Elementary school | Mathews Elementary | Casis Elementary |
| Middle and high school | O. Henry Middle, Austin High | O. Henry Middle, Austin High |
| Median sale price | About $1M to $1.5M | About $1.7M to $1.8M |
| Key amenities | West 6th Street, Lady Bird Lake trail access | Deep Eddy Pool, Lions Municipal Golf Course, Mayfield Park |
How I’d frame the choice
If you value walking to dinner, a short commute to downtown, and a smaller, historically distinctive lot and home, Clarksville tends to fit. If you want more square footage, a larger yard, proximity to Lake Austin and Deep Eddy Pool, and don’t mind driving or biking a bit further downtown, Tarrytown tends to fit better. Neither one is the “better” neighborhood in the abstract. They’re built for different lot sizes, different home sizes, and different daily routines, and the price gap between them largely reflects that.
I’ve walked both neighborhoods with buyers more times than I can count, and the comparison always comes down to the same handful of trade-offs: lot size versus walkability, historic cottage versus larger custom build, and a five-minute walk to West 6th versus a quick Mopac commute with a lake and a public golf course in your backyard. If you want to talk through which one lines up with what you’re actually looking for, or you want to see current listings in either neighborhood, reach out through my profile or learn more about how I work at Uncommon Realty. I’m happy to pull recent comps in both neighborhoods and help you compare them side by side against your own priorities.
Robbie English, REALTOR, Broker at Uncommon Realty.
