Two Austin Neighborhoods Among Nation's 'Coolest'

AUSTIN, TX — Apartment locating service HotSpot Rentals, has compiled a list of the 25 coolest neighborhoods in America, with two Austin enclaves making the list.

To achieve the rankings, HotSpot considered various dynamics as part of the mix: Walkability, transit, budget, entertainment, lifestyle and temperate weather. Given those dynamics, a pair of Austin neighborhoods — the Holly and Central East Austin enclaves — made the cut.

Scores for each category were computed on a scale of 1 to 100, with a totaled average score to find the final ranking. From that reckoning, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin and Washington, D.C. all tied for having two neighborhoods listed in the top 25.

It's worth noting California was the state with the most top neighborhoods in the country, and San Francisco nagged the coveted top spot with its Mission District, scoring an impressive 92 point average.

But back to Austin. The Holly 'hood scored highest in the Budget category, with a score of 93. Its lowest score came in the area of transit, eking out a score of 64. Overall, the neighborhood garnered an overall score of 78.

Ranking two notches above Holly was the Central East Austin neighborhood in the 10th slot. With an overall score of 79, the 'hood achieved the identical Budget score as its Holly counterpart. Transit also earned the community its lowest score of 68, although it fared better in the category by four points than Holly.

The analysis included many more dynamics as part of the reckoning, from the number of festivals staged to pet friendliness. All told, more than 18 factors across the six categories were considered.

The only other Texas neighborhood making the Top 25 list was Houston's Lower Westheimer section, in the 17th slot with an overall score of 75. In your face, Houston!

To see the full HotSpot list, click here.

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