(78749) East Circle C Ranch / Western Oaks Apartment Listings & Reviews

78749 Is Southwest Austin’s Outdoor Infrastructure ZIP — And the Apartment Stock Here Reflects It

Southwest Austin Apartments (78749): Circle C Metro Park trails, the Veloway, Bowie High School, and the H-E-B on Slaughter anchoring daily life. One bedrooms from $984. 11 communities built from 1985 to 2019.

I’ve toured apartment communities across the 78749 ZIP code. This is where southwest Austin actually lives up to the suburban promise. Circle C Ranch, Western Oaks, Sendera, and the East Oak Hill pockets all sit in this ZIP, and they share the same thing: you’re surrounded by real parks with real trails, not just a detention pond with a sidewalk around it. There aren’t as many complexes here as you’ll find in north Austin or along I-35. Eleven communities total. But the ones here are in better shape than what you’ll find in a lot of ZIPs, and the neighborhoods around them hold up.

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 78749 before you dig in.

The outdoor access here is hard to match anywhere else in the city. Circle C Metropolitan Park stretches almost 600 acres along Slaughter Creek. Twelve miles of trails, a disc golf course, and creek crossings where people cool off in the summer. Dick Nichols District Park has a free pool, a splash pad, and a shaded playground. It connects to the Violet Crown Trail heading south. And then there’s the Veloway: a 3.1 mile paved loop built in the early ’90s exclusively for cyclists and inline skaters. No cars, no pedestrians, no dogs. It was the first one like it in the country, and it’s still one of the only ones. If you ride bikes or skate, this ZIP code just moved up your list.

You need a car for everything. Walk scores across 78749 sit around 14. Slaughter Lane and Escarpment are where the shopping is, and they’re both built for driving. The H-E-B at 5800 W Slaughter handles most of the grocery runs. Whole Foods on William Cannon is a short drive north. For a real meal out, Oasthouse Kitchen + Bar at 5701 W Slaughter is the closest thing to a neighborhood restaurant. Gastropub menu, solid patio with a gated playground for kids, and a cocktail bar next door called the Daisy Lounge. Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane is in the same complex at Escarpment Village. Past that, you’re driving to Brodie Oaks or Southpark Meadows for anything else.

Most complexes in 78749 accept dogs and cats. Deposits and monthly pet rent vary, but this is a family ZIP and most properties allow them. If you’re bringing a dog, Monterey Ranch and MAA Western Oaks both have dedicated dog parks on site. The off-leash area at Circle C Metro Park is another reason pet owners end up in this ZIP. I cover pet deposits and breed restrictions in every review below, so check the specific community before you apply.

The Wildflower Center is right here, and so is the toll bill. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center sits just south of Slaughter on La Crosse, technically in 78739 but less than five minutes from most 78749 communities. It’s 284 acres of native Texas gardens and trails, and it’s the kind of thing you forget is there until someone visits and you take them. On the commute side: MoPac gets you downtown in 20 to 30 minutes, but if you’re using the express toll lanes during rush hour, that’s $3 to $8 each way. For a daily commuter, that adds up to $150 or more a month on top of rent. The communities along MoPac (River Stone Ranch, Marquis at Barton Trails, Alexan Garza Ranch) get highway noise as part of the deal. The ones deeper into Circle C and Western Oaks (MAA Western Oaks, Nichols Park, The Saint Mary) are noticeably quieter.

Bowie High School is the reason half the families in this ZIP haven’t left. It’s one of the highest rated high schools in Austin ISD, with strong AP classes and good sports programs. Kiker and Mills are the top rated elementaries. Gorzycki and Small are both rated A. The whole ZIP falls under Austin ISD, so you’re not paying Eanes or Lake Travis property tax premiums to get good schools. That matters if you’re renting too, because it keeps the neighborhoods full of families who take care of where they live.

Pricing runs from under $1,000 to almost $2,900, and the spread tells you exactly what you’re getting. Nichols Park starts at $984 for a one bedroom in a 1985 build. That’s the floor. At the other end, Alexan Garza Ranch and The Saint Mary are both 2019 construction. Studios and one bedrooms start in the mid $1,300s. Two bedrooms run past $2,100. The bulk of the ZIP sits in the $1,100 to $1,900 range across mid-’90s to early 2000s builds. Monterey Ranch alone has over 1,000 units and covers studios through three bedrooms. MAA Western Oaks in Circle C proper has three bedrooms under $2,200. If you need space and want to stay in this ZIP, those two are where to look first. If you’ve got a complicated rental history, I can tell you which ones here are worth applying to and which ones will waste your application fee.

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.