Texas' Affordable Austin Suburb Offers One-Of-A-Kind Quirky Charm And A Safe, Peaceful Atmosphere

Let's get two things out of the way: Yes, "Hutto" is a funny name, but no, the name doesn't have anything to do with Jabba the Hutt. Although this is a shame, Hutto, Texas, has nonetheless picked up some of the same quirks as its largest, increasingly people-packed and pricey neighbor, the city of weird, Austin. From 2023 to 2024, Hutto's population swelled 9.4% to exceed 42,000 residents. But no matter the growth, Hutto remains a safe, affordable, cozy suburb with its own claims to uniqueness.

Located along Route 79 east of the Austin suburb Round Rock, Hutto is about two steps away from direct contact with Texas' capital. It's a large, burgeoning suburb with a small-town feel and a community-focused mindset that dates back to its first settler, James E. Hutto, in 1855. Until the town started filling out in the 1890s, it was more of a train station surrounded by farms than anything else. By all appearances, practically nothing noteworthy or remarkable happened to Hutto (except for the hippos, which we'll get to later). This doesn't mean that Hutto is dull, but it does mean that Hutto is calm and good for families.

About 29% of its population is 18 and under, and an impressive 79% of the population are homeowners. The median home value is a doable $316,000. Hutto is also much safer than the rest of Texas, with a one in 1,491 chance of being a victim of violent crime, as opposed to a one in 246 chance (via NeighborhoodScout). As for the quirk, Hutto's home to scattered hippo statues that you can find on a town-wide hippo hunt, odd shops like the Hutto Antique Mall, local events like farmer's markets and seasonal kids activities, plus much, much more.

It's not that Hutto has glaring, beat-you-on-the-head, obviously bizarre buildings or oddities lingering around town, like Austin's Cathedral of Junk or its Museum of the Weird. Hutto's quirk lives in small ways that visitors might overlook, like the twin hippo mascots sitting nonchalantly outside of its official chamber of commerce (which is also the town's visitor center and "hippo shoppe"). Aside from being perfectly small-sized versions of oversized mascots befitting small-town Hutto, the Hutto hippos have roots in several urban legends. One legend tells of a hippo that escaped from a circus in 1915 and went on to stampede across the Texas desert. There's even a YouTube mini-documentary about Hutto's hippos.   

While that mythical hippo is long gone, its spirit remains. You can spot that spirit enshrined in a full 3,000 hippo statues scattered all across Hutto's 75 square miles. Some stalwart locals or visitors have already mapped out the locations of every single one. Statues range from the farmer hippo and exhaust pipe hippo to KISS band member hippos and the baked'n'sconed sconeapotamus. Just be mindful when prowling for hippos because, as stated, Hutto is home to lots of families inside houses — affordable houses, remember.   

As you prowl for Hutto hippos and decide on your favorite, you can stop by plenty of other cool and eccentric Hutto staples. We already mentioned the kitsch and roadside sign-ridden Hutto Antique Mall (located next to an exotic pet store and brewery, because of course), to which we could add the knick-knack-laden Hutto General Store and artsy women's clothing-and-accessories boutique, Bless This Nest. The kid event-filled Cumberland Road Art Studio also typifies Hutto, as does the homey, kid-focused used goods store, Tiny Texan Exchange.

Although hippos are never far from thought when in Hutto, we now turn our attention away from large mammals and onto the particulars of its suburban appeal. With its median home value of about $316,000, it's affordable for home buyers and within striking distance of not only Austin, but all the gems around it, like pint-size Coupland and its music and barbecue scene. However, Hutto is less affordable for renters. Rent ranges from $870 to a staggering $5,200, which shifts the average rent to about $2,000. That's the same as Austin. 

And even though Hutto is relatively safe, especially in comparison to the rest of Texas, its eastern half is much safer than its western districts of Carmel Creek/Deerfield Village and Huttoparke. For potential homeowners and visitors, this means roughly the areas along north-south Route 130. These areas are non-residential, by and large, which means that residents can keep their peace of mind in their homes. Just keep your doors locked at night, which is a sensible thing to do anywhere, as burglaries still happen.

All that being said, visitors to Hutto can partake in the same things that residents know and love (aside from hippo hunting and oddball shops). Route 79, which cuts east-west through Hutto, is where many of its restaurants live, like the extremely well-rated Hutto Spice Route, a shawarma and falafel shop. The south side of town is home to the Brushy Creek Amphitheater, an outdoor music venue set in a vast, grassy field. For those wanting a bit of nature, a place like Hutto Lake Park has 39 acres of trails, pavilions, a boat launch, and so on. All in all, there's a reason why so many folks are heading to Hutto.