AUSTIN, Texas — The Zilker area is one of the most beloved and sought-after neighborhoods in Austin.

  • One of the most sought-after neighborhoods
  • Southwest of downtown
  • Austin ranked among top 20 inclusive cities

It’s situated just southwest of downtown and next to Zilker Park, which many residents call the “Jewel of Austin.”

This 350-acre park is home to the Austin City Limits festival and the spring-fed three-acre Barton Springs pool.

Young families with young children are drawn to the area’s highly rated Zilker Elementary. Young professionals appreciate the high-end dining like Uchi and Sway, and quaint boutiques along South Lamar.

Many Zilker homes were built in the 1920s. Today you’ll find a wide variety of old and new styles.

The median sales price for a single family home is $849,000 with a $457 price per square foot.

Home sales range from $540,000 to $2.7 million.

Condominiums are a bit more affordable with a median sales price of $431,000.

From active living to great dining, shopping, and fabulous schools, the Zilker neighborhood has something for everyone.

Zilker Park

The Zilker Park is home to the Austin City Limits Music Festival. The event takes over the first two weekends in October, drawing about 450,000 people.

Eight stages are spread out in the park. This year's festival features headliners Guns and Roses, Childish Gambino, and Mumford and Sons.

During the summer, the park hosts four free Blues on the Green shows.  It's one of largest free concert series and is family and dog friendly. The next one is July 17th.

Barton Springs Pool

If you're visiting the Zilker area, a dip in the Barton Springs pool is a must.

The giant spring-fed pool stays a cool 68 degrees year round.

Long before the pool was built, the springs were considered sacred and were used for purification rituals.

It's usually open to the public from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Wednesday.

LGBT Friendly

Austin is known for being LGBT friendly.

In honor of Pride Month, Yelp put together a list of the top 20 most inclusive cities, and Austin came in at number five.

Yelp ranked the largest metro areas in the country by the number of gender neutral restrooms and “Open To All” attributes. Yelp doesn’t say whether it considered intersectionality.

San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle beat us out, but Austin was the only Texas city to make the cut.

Austin is home to several gay bars in the Warehouse District. You can find other LGBT-owned business and support decals on many businesses around town.

And June may be Pride Month, but Austin's Pride Parade happens August 10 this year.