Zilker, Austin, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zilker is a neighborhood in south central Austin, Texas. It extends south of Lady Bird Lake, approximately bounded by Lamar Boulevard to the southeast/south, La Casa Drive to the south, Rabb Road and Robert E Lee Road to the west and Barton Springs Road to the north.
Directly northwest of Zilker is Barton Hills neighborhood, which connects back to Zilker Park via the Barton Creek Greenbelt.
[edit] History
In 1918, Andrew Jackson Zilker deeded 35 acres (14 ha) surrounding Barton Springs to the City of Austin. The first homes in the Zilker area were constructed in the late 1920s.
Much of the west end of Zilker was owned by Vincent Canizzo until the late 1940s when the City of Austin, using eminent domain, forced him to sell the land on which Zilker Elementary currently sits. Shortly thereafter, the remaining land — from Ann Arbor Road to Rabb Road — was split into the Canizzo Subdivision.
[edit] Notable places
The Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Flipnotics, a coffee shop and used clothing store, are popular locations for residents of South Austin. The Zilker Neighborhood is also home to many places that are familiar throughout Austin. The Tex-Mex restaurant Chuy's is very popular, and has opened many other locations all over Central Texas. Zilker Park is best known for Barton Springs; the Zilker Tree and Trail of Lights; and music festivals such as Austin City Limits and South by Southwest.
