Austin Neighborhoods
Clarksville
Historic, walkable, and closer to downtown than anywhere else that feels like this.
Clarksville sits immediately west of downtown Austin and was founded in 1871 as a freedmen's community, a history the neighborhood actively preserves. Today it is a small grid of cottages, bungalows, and a growing number of substantial rebuilds, with a National Register historic district at its core. It is among the most expensive land in Austin on a per-square-foot basis, for a reason that is easy to see on foot: almost nothing else this close to downtown still feels like a neighborhood.
- County
- Travis County
- School district
- Austin ISD
- Walk to
- West Lynn, Jeffrey's, Pease Park, downtown
Living in Clarksville
The West Lynn corridor gives Clarksville a genuine main street, with long-running restaurants, a corner store, and coffee inside a few blocks of most houses. Pease Park and the Shoal Creek trail run along the eastern edge, and downtown offices are a fifteen-minute walk. Lots are small and streets are narrow, which is part of the character and also a real constraint on what can be built. Buyers here are usually paying for location and scarcity rather than square footage.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the history of Clarksville in Austin?
Clarksville was founded in 1871 as a freedmen’s community, and the neighborhood actively preserves that history. The street grid and lot pattern still reflect how it was originally laid out, which is part of why it feels different from the blocks around it.
Where is Clarksville?
Immediately west of downtown Austin, in 78703. It is small, a compact grid of cottages and bungalows, and the scarcity is part of why it stays expensive: there is very little of it.
Is Clarksville walkable?
Yes, genuinely. The West Lynn corridor gives Clarksville a real main street, with long-running restaurants, a corner store, and coffee within a few blocks of most houses. Downtown is close enough to walk on a decent day.
How do you get downtown from Clarksville?
On foot or by bike, for most of the neighborhood. Clarksville sits immediately west of downtown, and the Shoal Creek trail through Pease Park is the car-free route in.
What parks are near Clarksville?
Pease Park runs along the edge of the neighborhood, with the Shoal Creek trail through it. That trail is how a lot of Clarksville residents reach downtown or Lady Bird Lake without a car.
Does Clarksville have an HOA?
No mandatory neighborhood-wide HOA. The Old West Austin Neighborhood Association (OWANA) is voluntary. Individual condo and townhome projects within the boundaries may have their own HOA, and some lots carry original deed restrictions, so the title commitment on a specific property governs. The Clarksville Community Development Corporation is a separate body from the neighborhood association.
What schools are near Clarksville?
Mathews Elementary School on 906 West Lynn St stands in or beside the neighborhood. That is where the campuses are, not a statement about who attends them. Austin ISD assigns schools by street address, and assignments can change. Check the current one for a specific property with Austin ISD School Finder, which is the authoritative source. We do not publish attendance zones, because a zone we printed last year is not a zone you can rely on this year.
Thinking About Clarksville?
SR Group has advised buyers and sellers across Central Texas since 2013. Tell us what you are weighing and we will give you a straight answer, including when Clarksville is the wrong fit.
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