The Where I Live series aims to showcase our diverse city and region by spotlighting its many vibrant neighborhoods. Each week a local resident invites us over and lets us in on what makes their neighborhood special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet? Get in touch to share your story. If your story is selected and published, you will receive a $250 stipend.
My wife, Johanna, and I reside in Greater Harmony Hills, a centrally located, mature and quiet neighborhood bordered by Blanco Road and San Pedro Avenue. Our home sits in a peaceful cul-de-sac and was initially owned by my wife’s grandparents in the 1960s.
Johanna recalls large outdoor gatherings with the family and playing in the backyard with her cousins — especially on the swing set she spent many hours on. Her granddad was always working in the yard (before we cared about conserving water like we do today).
Since moving in, we’ve made several improvements to our home, including new flooring, renovated kitchen and bathrooms and new windows and blinds. Still, we have other projects to work on because making over these older homes is a major undertaking.
For shopping, we can walk to North Star Mall and, although most businesses around us are chains like H-E-B, Walmart and Starbucks, we’ve also discovered local gems a short drive away. Vogt Auction Galleries, Meadow Neighborhood Eatery and Bar, Lucy Cooper’s Icehouse and Guajillo’s are just some of our favorites.
We love Guajillo’s for the amazing service and unmatched fideo and pozole. We enjoy how the staff explains each dish and how their mantra is to “protect the recipe,” so every time we visit the food is consistent.
We utilize the Barshop Jewish Community Center for our fitness journey, and it is convenient to be able to access it without getting on congested highways. Eisenhower Middle School down the street makes its track available to the public outside of school hours and is a wonderful place to walk in the evenings. Hardberger Park is also 10 minutes away and, during the cooler months, we love to walk the trails and view the abundant wildlife that resides there.
We worship downtown at Travis Park United Methodist Church, a 20-minute trip down San Pedro. It’s nice to be 15-20 minutes from anywhere without needing to access major interstates. We’re also close to the airport, which is a bonus as we love to travel.
Our neighborhood has the same challenges as most older and established neighborhoods such as code compliance and Animal Control Service issues. However, our volunteer homeowners association board and our City Council District 1 staff are always quick to address and promptly assist.
Once I complete my nursing studies and have more free time, I plan to look for open areas within our community to start a community garden and Little Free Library.
Overall, Greater Harmony Hills is a quiet and older community with normal neighborhood challenges, but we enjoy the location and the conveniences and diversity of things to do.
