Oak Hill, Texas
Encyclopedia
Oak Hill is a community in southwest Austin
, Texas
, United States
that was formerly a distinct unincorporated area
in southwestern Travis County
. Originally called Live Oak Springs, Oak Hill is located on U.S. Highway 290 and Williamson Creek, eight miles (13 km) south of Downtown Austin
.
opened in the area. The Oak Hill community found success in the 1880s due to its stone quarry
supplies; a new capitol building
was opening in Austin
during that period. In 1884, the community had 75 residents, four saloons
, and one general store
. Area farmers shipped cotton
, hides
, wool
, and pecans, which were Oak Hill's principal commodities. In 1904, Oak Hill had 200 residents. The Oak Hill post office closed in 1910; the community received and sent mail in Austin. Oak Hill had around 400 people in the 1970s and 1980s. By 2000, the City of Austin annexed the Oak Hill area. Many streets and businesses identified the community as Oak Hill.
, Covered Bridges, Estates of Shadow Ridge, Granada Hills, Hill Country Estates, Legend Oaks, Legend Oaks II, Estates of Loma Vista, Meridian, New Villages at Western Oaks, Oak Acres, Regent Hills, Scenic Brook West, Sendera, South Windmill Run, Travis Country West, Valley View, Villages of Shady Hollow, Westcreek, Western Oaks, Westview Estates, Wyldwood-Kellywood, and Neighbors of Zyle Road.
1, which has exclusive coverage of the news and events in the area.
(TxDot) is planning to expand highway 290/71, the Highway 290 West project. This has caused a lot of debate within the Oak Hill community.
TxDOT has designed a variety of options for 290/71 and is seeking community input on those designs. They can be viewed on TxDOT's web site
A local citizen's group, Fix290, has proposed a parkway design as an alternative to TxDOT's raised platform designs.
Many articles regarding the 71/290 project and the surrounding controversy can be viewed at the Oak Hill Gazette.
. The stations that serve Oak Hill include 27 at 5401 McCarty Lane, 29 at 3704 Deer Lane, 37 at 8660 Texas State Highway 71 West, 42 at 2454 Cardinal Loop, and 43 at 11401 Escarpment Boulevard. The Oak Hill Fire Department, with two stations, serves unincorporated area
s. The areas in Austin are within the Austin Police Department
. The Southwest Patrol, headquartered at 539-A West Oltorf Road, patrols Oak Hill. Unincorporated areas are served by Travis County Sheriff's Office Constable Precinct 3.
Oak Hill Station Post Office is located at 6104 Old Fredericksburg Road.
Oak Hill is within the Austin Independent School District
.
Public elementary schools serving Oak Hill include Cowan, Galindo, Kiker, Kokurek, Menchaca, Mills
, Oak Hill, and Patton. Public middle schools serving Oak Hill include Bailey, Covington, O. Henry
, and Small. Public high schools serving Oak Hill include Akins
, Austin
, Bowie
, and Travis.
In 1961, the Oak Hill and Manchaca
districts joined forces to form a rural high school district. AISD annexed the entire high school district in 1967. Several schools opened since the AISD annexation. Oak Hill Elementary School was built in 1974. The current Austin High School campus was built in 1975. Menchaca was built in 1977. Patton was built in 1985. Covington, Galindo, and Kocurek were built in 1986. Bowie was built in 1988. Kiker was built in 1992. Bailey was built in 1993. Small and Mills
were built in 1998. Cowan was built in 1999. Akins was built in 2000.
(K–12), Austin City Academy (K–12), Austin Waldorf School (K–12), St. Andrew's Episcopal School
(Upper campus, 9-12, is in Oak Hill), and Cedars Montessori School of Oak Hill.
Waldorf opened in 1980. Regents opened on August 31, 1992.
operates the Hampton Branch at Oak Hill at 5125 Convict Hill Road. The 8400 square feet (780.4 m²) library, funded by a 1992 bond campaign, opened on April 26, 1997.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that was formerly a distinct unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in southwestern Travis County
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...
. Originally called Live Oak Springs, Oak Hill is located on U.S. Highway 290 and Williamson Creek, eight miles (13 km) south of Downtown Austin
Downtown Austin
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, 11th Street and sometimes Martin Luther King, Jr...
.
History
An 1865 attempt to establish the community of Shiloh failed. Oak Hill was originally called Live Oak Springs. The Live Oak and Oatmanville schools gave their names to the community for a period. In 1870, a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
opened in the area. The Oak Hill community found success in the 1880s due to its stone quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
supplies; a new capitol building
Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is located in Austin, Texas, and is the fourth building to be the house of Texas government in Austin. It houses the chambers of the Texas Legislature and the office of the governor of Texas. It was designed originally during 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, and was...
was opening in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
during that period. In 1884, the community had 75 residents, four saloons
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, and one general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
. Area farmers shipped cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, hides
Hides
A hide is an animal skin treated for human use. Hides include leather from cattle and other livestock animals, alligator skins, snake skins for shoes and fashion accessories and furs from wild cats, mink and bears. In some areas, leather is produced on a domestic or small industrial scale, but most...
, wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, and pecans, which were Oak Hill's principal commodities. In 1904, Oak Hill had 200 residents. The Oak Hill post office closed in 1910; the community received and sent mail in Austin. Oak Hill had around 400 people in the 1970s and 1980s. By 2000, the City of Austin annexed the Oak Hill area. Many streets and businesses identified the community as Oak Hill.
Neighborhoods
Homeowner associations which are a part of the Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods (OHAN) are Appaloosa Run, Cherry Creek on Brodie, Circle C RanchCircle C Ranch
Circle C Ranch is a large master-planned community in southwest Austin, Texas, USA. Circle C was featured prominently in a long and contentious environmental legal battle regarding Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer...
, Covered Bridges, Estates of Shadow Ridge, Granada Hills, Hill Country Estates, Legend Oaks, Legend Oaks II, Estates of Loma Vista, Meridian, New Villages at Western Oaks, Oak Acres, Regent Hills, Scenic Brook West, Sendera, South Windmill Run, Travis Country West, Valley View, Villages of Shady Hollow, Westcreek, Western Oaks, Westview Estates, Wyldwood-Kellywood, and Neighbors of Zyle Road.
Boundaries
Oak Hill has no legal boundaries. The Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods roughly defines the area as the “neighborhoods bordering Brodie Lane down to the Travis/Hays County line, following the county line on the south up to Highway 290 West, and then neighborhoods bordering Circle Drive and Thomas Springs Road and finally along the Southwest Parkway.” This area includes approximately the 78735, 78736, 78737, 78739, 78748, and 78749 zip codes.Media
Oak Hill also has its own community newspaper, the Oak Hill GazetteOak Hill Gazette
Oak Hill Gazette is a weekly tabloid newspaper serving the Oak Hill area of southwest Austin, Texas since 1995. The Gazette is published every Wednesday and has a circulation that varies from 5,000 to 6,500...
1, which has exclusive coverage of the news and events in the area.
290/71 Highway Expansion
Currently, the Texas Department of TransportationTexas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
(TxDot) is planning to expand highway 290/71, the Highway 290 West project. This has caused a lot of debate within the Oak Hill community.
TxDOT has designed a variety of options for 290/71 and is seeking community input on those designs. They can be viewed on TxDOT's web site
A local citizen's group, Fix290, has proposed a parkway design as an alternative to TxDOT's raised platform designs.
Many articles regarding the 71/290 project and the surrounding controversy can be viewed at the Oak Hill Gazette.
Local government
The areas in Austin are within the Austin Fire DepartmentAustin Fire Department
Austin Fire Department is the fire protection agency of Austin, Texas, United States. It is headquartered at 4201 Ed Bluestein Boulevard.-Current Firehouses and Apparatus Assignments:-Run Statistics:For FY 2008-2009-External links:*...
. The stations that serve Oak Hill include 27 at 5401 McCarty Lane, 29 at 3704 Deer Lane, 37 at 8660 Texas State Highway 71 West, 42 at 2454 Cardinal Loop, and 43 at 11401 Escarpment Boulevard. The Oak Hill Fire Department, with two stations, serves unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
s. The areas in Austin are within the Austin Police Department
Austin Police Department
Austin Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency serving Austin, Texas, United States. As of Fiscal Year 2010, the agency had an annual budget of more than $240 million and employed around 2,200 personnel, including approximately 1,600 officers...
. The Southwest Patrol, headquartered at 539-A West Oltorf Road, patrols Oak Hill. Unincorporated areas are served by Travis County Sheriff's Office Constable Precinct 3.
County, state, and federal representation
The United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
Oak Hill Station Post Office is located at 6104 Old Fredericksburg Road.
Public schools
Austin Independent School District
Austin Independent School District is a school district that is based in the city of Austin, Texas, United States. It was established in 1881. Its current superintendent is...
.
Public elementary schools serving Oak Hill include Cowan, Galindo, Kiker, Kokurek, Menchaca, Mills
Joe Dan Mills Elementary School
Joe Dan Mills is a Pre Kindergarten-5 Grade Public school located in Austin, Texas at 6201 Davis Lane near Loop 1 and is the largest elementary school in the AISD school district with 1,099 students as of 2008. The school mascot is a mountain lion and the school colors are purple, blue, and white....
, Oak Hill, and Patton. Public middle schools serving Oak Hill include Bailey, Covington, O. Henry
O. Henry Middle School
O. Henry Middle School is a middle school located in the Tarrytown neighborhood of Austin, Texas and is a part of the Austin Independent School District. It is named after author William Sydney Porter, whose pen name was O. Henry...
, and Small. Public high schools serving Oak Hill include Akins
Akins High School
Akins High School is located in South Austin, Texas, United States. It was named after Dr. William Charles Akins, an Austin resident and founded in 2000. It is one of the newest high schools in the Austin Independent School District. Its current attendance exceeds 2,700 students, with the majority...
, Austin
Austin High School (Austin, Texas)
Stephen F. Austin High School, or more commonly Austin High, founded in 1881, is one of the oldest public high schools west of the Mississippi River, and was the first public high school in the state of Texas....
, Bowie
Bowie High School (Austin, Texas)
James Bowie High School is a public high school in southwest Austin, Texas. With an estimated student body of 3,000, and a campus sitting on , Bowie is the largest school in the Austin Independent School District and also the largest secondary school in Central Texas...
, and Travis.
In 1961, the Oak Hill and Manchaca
Manchaca, Texas
Manchaca is a small unincorporated community in Travis County, Texas, United States. It is located 10 miles southwest of downtown Austin.-History:...
districts joined forces to form a rural high school district. AISD annexed the entire high school district in 1967. Several schools opened since the AISD annexation. Oak Hill Elementary School was built in 1974. The current Austin High School campus was built in 1975. Menchaca was built in 1977. Patton was built in 1985. Covington, Galindo, and Kocurek were built in 1986. Bowie was built in 1988. Kiker was built in 1992. Bailey was built in 1993. Small and Mills
Joe Dan Mills Elementary School
Joe Dan Mills is a Pre Kindergarten-5 Grade Public school located in Austin, Texas at 6201 Davis Lane near Loop 1 and is the largest elementary school in the AISD school district with 1,099 students as of 2008. The school mascot is a mountain lion and the school colors are purple, blue, and white....
were built in 1998. Cowan was built in 1999. Akins was built in 2000.
Private schools
Private schools in the area include Regents School of AustinRegents School of Austin
Regents School of Austin is a classical, Christian school located in Austin, Texas.-About Regents:Regents School of Austin is the largest classical Christian private school in the nation, located in Austin, TX...
(K–12), Austin City Academy (K–12), Austin Waldorf School (K–12), St. Andrew's Episcopal School
St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Texas)
St. Andrew's Episcopal School, also known as SAS, is a private school located in Austin, Texas, USA. St. Andrew's enrolls students in grades 1-12 and is divided into three divisions: Lower , Middle , and Upper Schools...
(Upper campus, 9-12, is in Oak Hill), and Cedars Montessori School of Oak Hill.
Waldorf opened in 1980. Regents opened on August 31, 1992.
Public libraries
Austin Public LibraryAustin Public Library
Austin Public Library is a library service in Austin, Texas, United States. It is operated by the City of Austin.The John Henry Faulk Central Library at 800 Guadalupe Street is the main branch; opening in 1979. It is on five stories...
operates the Hampton Branch at Oak Hill at 5125 Convict Hill Road. The 8400 square feet (780.4 m²) library, funded by a 1992 bond campaign, opened on April 26, 1997.
Health care
CommUnityCare, a health care provider, operates the Oak Hill Health Center at 8656-A Texas State Highway 71 West. CommUnityCare was formerly Community Health Centers, a department of the City of Austin. In March 2009 the department became a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation.Notable residents
Notable residents (former or present) include:- Bob TrocolorBob Trocolor-Basketball head coach:Trocolor was chosen as the 12th head coach in Stetson University's men's basketball program history. Similar to his brief stint as a college football coach, he only stayed for one year—the 1949–50 season—before moving on. In his lone season as the Hatters' head coach he...
(1917–1984) – born in Oak Hill; NFL player, college football and basketball head coach; movie actor