West Campus, Austin, Texas

West Campus is a neighborhood in central Austin, Texas west of Guadalupe Street (the Drag) and its namesake, the University of Texas at Austin. Due to its proximity to the university, West Campus is heavily populated by college students. The area is known for its colorful residential buildings.

In the mid-2000s new zoning changes were enacted in order to increase the number of students in the area. This led to construction of new large apartment and condominium projects. In a five-year period ending in 2009, 2,400 apartment and condominium units were constructed.

The biggest changes to West Campus in recent years have come about as a result of the University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO) Plan, a city initiative passed in 2004. The UNO plans were "intended to help create a residential district that is close to the campus, consolidating some of the student housing that is scattered throughout the city, and thereby reducing transient student traffic to campus from outside, and reducing the transient parking requirements around West Campus."

The plan seeks to bring University of Texas students closer to campus, and to create a denser, urban environment in order to provide more space for the growing student population.

Due to the proximity of the West Campus area to the university, it is close to University facilities such as the Blanton Museum of Art, the Harry Ransom Center, and the LBJ Library. The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which features an IMAX theater, is also nearby. Pease Park is on the western border at Lamar Boulevard.

West Campus is a community that is a collection of individual neighborhoods. Chuck Lindell of the Austin American-Statesman said that West Campus is bounded roughly by West 29th Street, Guadalupe Street, North Lamar Boulevard, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Areas west of San Gabriel tend to be single-family houses, while the area oriented to students of the University of Texas at Austin are located to the east. Some residents believe that San Gabriel Street is the boundary of West campus. Many houses are bungalows.

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