of the lands by the Barrows were considered unique for its time. When they put together a design for the neighborhood, they wanted to create a "new" town while drawing from other developed lands of Austin's core urban area. Balcones Drive, which borders the eastern part of Northwest Hills, was intended to serve as a counterpart to downtown's Colorado River. Far West Boulevard, which traverses Northwest Hills from east to west, was conceived to be comparable to Congress Avenue, the main street in downtown Austin. The developments by the Barrows were also considered unique because of the plan to include a Missouri Pacific Railroad system next to the neighborhood, as well as plans to have Far West Boulevard empty into Airport Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in the southeastern part of Austin. Geography Urban geography Northwest Hills is located on the northwestern side of Austin. The neighborhood is sometimes referred to as Far West after its main street, Far West Boulevard, which stretches from Mopac on the east and goes deep into the residential homes on the west prior to reaching the Ladera Norte street, close to Capital of Texas Highway. The commercial area between Mopac and Mesa Drive, which intersects with Far West Boulevard, is the biggest commercial area of the neighborhood. The boulevard hosts several local and national businesses, stores, restaurants, apartments, and business offices. The streets adjacent to Far West Boulevard are the most densely populated areas of Northwest Hills. Architecture and societal structure Most of the houses in Northwest Hills area feature Colonial, Californian ranch, or Texas Tuscan villa-style architectures. Beyond Mesa Drive, many of the homes have a western Austin style: big family homes with large garages, landscaped yards, and old trees. The common design is brick and limestone. The community is mostly middle and upper-middle class, and is often cited as being "upscale". Residents are usually quite involved with the community, and they have worked together with the City of Austin on zoning issues to ensure that the neighborhood continues to experience high-quality living standards. Despite being mostly family-residential, the area is also quite popular with college students due to the area's condominiums, townhouses, and apartment complexes. Most of the students live in the lower part of the neighborhood, in streets like Greystone and Wood Hollow, which connect with Far West Boulevard. Culture Jimmy Buffett wrote "Margaritaville" on Shadow Valley Drive in Northwest Hills. https://kxrb.com/story-behind-the-song-margaritaville-by-jimmy-buffett/