The infamous SoCo (South Congress) District is an array of hot, happening live music, eclectic and unique shopping, and fantastic food venues. But don’t, forget this pedestrian-friendly neighborhood has a deep rooted Austin history. It has seen many transformations over the years. Starting out in the early 1900’s, it originally was an unpaved, rural road. It began to see some growth in the 1920’s with restaurants and tourist stops, and the growth and popularity boomed throughout the 50’s and 60’s. In the 1970’s it was known as a popular “artist’s mecca.” Business started to slump during the 80’s and 90’s and the area became a little seedy. Several motels were known to rent rooms by the hour. But after a strong push by the city to “revitalize” and clean up the area several years back, the South Congress area got a new hip name, SoCo, and once again became the hot trendy place to live, shop and play.

With the recent boom in popularity and many attractions to draw people in and keep them entertained, SoCo has developed a need for more residential properties. Because it was already in a largely commercially developed area with few single family residences, many new condos, apartments and lofts were constructed to meet the demands of hip urban living. There is a small eclectic mix of older homes, new remodels, and new construction homes which have been built on older tear downs. Most of these homes are fairly pricey due to the highly sought after location. Condo and apartment living is slightly more affordable, and much easier to come by these days.