(78746) Westlake Hills / Barton Creek Apartment Listings & Reviews

The Only ZIP in Austin Where a Sub-$1,000 Studio Gets You Eanes ISD and a Greenbelt Trailhead.

Westlake Hills / Barton Creek / Davenport Ranch apartments (78746): Hill Country quiet, top rated schools, Greenbelt access, and a 12 minute off-peak drive to downtown. Studios from the low $800s to penthouses past $8,000. 11 communities built from 1973 to 2018.

I’ve toured apartment communities across the 78746 ZIP code. This is Westlake. The same ZIP where homes sell for $1.5 million and up. But there are 11 apartment communities here, and most people don’t realize that. Two of them have studios starting under $1,000. You’re in Eanes ISD either way.

Every community in this ZIP code has a full review below. Each one covers what listing sites leave out: actual screening criteria, real fee breakdowns, net effective rent math, and honest resident feedback compared to what I saw on my own tours.

A few things worth knowing about 78746 before you dig in.

Most communities here sit on one of three corridors, and each one feels different day to day. The Spyglass pocket is the walkable one. Tacodeli’s original location, Rosy’s grocer and coffee, and the Greenbelt trailhead at 1601 Spyglass are all on foot from Skyline, Landmark, and MAA Barton Skyway. You can grab coffee and hit the trail without starting your car. The MoPac corridor is where Gables at the Terrace and MAA Barton Creek sit. You get a faster merge onto MoPac for the downtown commute, but you hear it. Highway noise is part of the deal. The 360 corridor is the quietest stretch. 3500 Westlake, Nalle Woods, and Westerly 360 sit further off the road with more trees and more room between buildings. But there’s nothing walkable. Groceries, food, coffee: you’re driving to Westlake HEB or down Bee Cave Road for Trader Joe’s, Barton Creek Square, Blue Dahlia Bistro, Austin’s Pizza. If you’re picking between communities here, the corridor matters more than the floor plan.

The Barton Creek Greenbelt is right here. The Spyglass trailhead and the Twin Falls trailhead off MoPac are both in this ZIP. That’s hiking, swimming holes, rock climbing, and mountain biking. If you’re on Spyglass, you can walk to the trail. At most other communities, it’s a two to five minute drive.

The school district is the reason half these renters are here. Eanes ISD has a 10 out of 10 on GreatSchools with a 98% graduation rate. Westlake High has been ranked in the top five public high schools in Texas. If you’re at Skyline or Landmark on Spyglass, your kids feed into Eanes Elementary and Hill Country Middle. At Nalle Woods or 3500 Westlake on 360, it’s Forest Trail Elementary and West Ridge Middle. Both paths end at Westlake High. Families move to this ZIP for Eanes, and the apartment communities know it. Screening here is tighter than what you’d find in other parts of Austin, and if you’ve got a complicated rental history, that matters even more out here.

The price gap between old and new is huge. Waters at Barton Creek and Skyline at Barton Creek are both ’70s builds on Spyglass and Bee Cave. Studios start in the low $800s at Waters and under $1,000 at Skyline. Walk up the road to Westerly 360, built in 2018, and one bedrooms start past $1,400. 3500 Westlake, a 2008 build on 360, tops out past $8,000. Same ZIP, same schools, completely different monthly payment.

Downtown is closer than people think, but MoPac decides your commute. Off-peak, you’re downtown in 12 minutes on MoPac. Rush hour, that turns into 20 to 30 minutes, and the 360 to MoPac merge is where it stacks up. The MoPac Express Lane helps if you’re willing to pay the toll.

A few things renters ask about before they tour out here. Most communities allow dogs, but breed and weight limits are tighter than what you’ll find in East or North Austin. Ask before you apply. And several communities in this ZIP are running move-in specials right now. The reviews below have the current numbers for each one.

Pick a community below to read the full review, or get in touch if you want me to narrow it down based on your budget, timeline, and screening situation.