Located south of Oak Hill, just outside the city limits is one of Austin’s best kept secrets. Developed in the 70s, the Granada Hills neighborhood feels like a step back in time where kids are outside all day, running barefoot, catching crayfish in the creek with dental floss and hot dogs, racing anything with wheels down our many hills and running through the invisible boundaries between neighbors’ spacious lots. You might see Luke out for a bike ride with his pet chicken, Tiffany perched on the handle bars or the grandmother down the street taking her grandkids to the pool in her golf cart. You will definitely smell backyard bonfires and see outdoor movies. You will hear chickens nearby, coyotes in the distance and Miss Pearl’s backyard concerts. You will learn about Todd, the pet goat and Dolly, the deer with the pink collar – both longtime residents with their own stories. But the best part is our neighbors. We know them, we talk to them every day, we care about them, we feed them and they feed us – not just homegrown veggies and S’mores, but they feed our soul. As one of our neighbors likes to say, we fill her cup. Whether it’s the couple who’ve lived here for 40 years or the father raising his boys in the house he grew up in, there are roots here; something not often seen in these transient times. As for us newbie transplants, we’ve been watered, fertilized and welcomed with open arms. Our roots are now too deep to pull.
