By CASSIE MCKEE
FOUR POINTS NEWS

With the Austin region attracting 157 new residents per day, Steiner Ranch continues to gain nationwide recognition as one of the top neighborhoods for newcomers.

Movoto, an online real estate brokerage firm based in San Mateo, Calif., recently named Steiner Ranch as one of the “Six Austin Suburbs to Satisfy Your Moving Must-Haves.”

The September blog post said Steiner Ranch is the “Best Suburb to Scale Up,” thanks to its high-end amenities including golf clubs, leafy neighborhood parks and newly-built schools.

Rebecca Williamson of Austin-based ElevenOaks Realty said that Steiner Ranch has been one of the most popular neighborhoods in Austin for years.

“Steiner Ranch has everything from a first home to multi-million dollar estates, so no matter what you’re looking for, chances are you’ll find it there,” Williamson said.

Adding to its popularity, she said, the neighborhood is hilly with mature trees and has both homes built in the last 25 years as well as brand new.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates showed that between the years of 2007-11, Steiner Ranch had the second-largest concentration of new residents in Central Texas, with an estimated 829 new residents who came from out of state.

A Round Rock Census Tract which encompasses the Eagle Ridge subdivision and Ikea claimed the largest number of the area’s new Texans during that same time period, with an estimated 975 people. The third largest concentration of new Central Texas Texans was the area around the Domain shopping center, with an estimated 776 residents who moved to the area from out of state.

According to the latest Census data, the city of Austin grew by 2.1 percent between 2014 and 2015, with the addition of 19,117 residents to rise to a population of 931,830. Georgetown, just north of Austin, was named the fastest growing city with more than 50,000 residents in the nation between 2014-15. .

While the Austin region’s population estimate moved past 2 million between 2014 and 2015, the Central Texas region saw an average overall gain of 157.2 new residents (births, deaths and migration) per day last year. And 52.4 of those new daily residents landed — by plane, train or birth — inside Austin’s city limits.

Steiner Ranch is located in Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction and continues to attract the newcomers.

Movoto analyst Alan Woods describes the amenities that make Steiner Ranch attractive: “Steiner Ranch amenities include three community centers with pools, more than 20 miles of hiking and biking trails, and a lake club with access to Lake Austin. Residents are just minutes away from the Hill Country Galleria Mall, Four Points Shopping Center, Target and H-E-B, the Arboretum, and the Domain shopping.”

Williamson agrees that the area has good amenities which helps the draw.

“With a full time activities director to plan events for residents, three community centers, sports courts, Lake Austin access, private country club, shopping and restaurants, Steiner Ranch residents have it all at their fingertips,” Williamson said.