Where do IBM employees live in Austin?

Mostly in the northern suburbs within 15 to 35 minutes of the Burnet Road campus: Cedar Park and Round Rock for families with young kids, Round Rock and Georgetown for families with teenagers, Sun City Georgetown, Travisso, and the other active-adult communities for empty nesters, and the large master plans in Leander, Georgetown, and Liberty Hill for multigenerational households. Close-in, the neighborhoods around the Domain and Burnet Road draw people who want a five-minute drive.

Where is IBM's Austin campus?

In north Austin on Burnet Road near Braker Lane, next to the Domain and Q2 Stadium, close to the MoPac and US-183 junction and the Kramer MetroRail station. IBM has been in north Austin since 1967, and the Domain itself rose on land that was once part of IBM's holdings. Confirm your building and your team's hybrid cadence with IBM before you anchor a home search on it.

What is the best suburb for a family near IBM's Austin campus?

For young kids, Cedar Park (15 to 20 minutes via US-183, Leander ISD) or Round Rock (15 to 25 via MoPac, Round Rock ISD). For teenagers on a four-year clock, Round Rock's established high schools or a quick move-in home in Georgetown so the move lands before the school year. Pflugerville (15 to 20 via SH-45) is the value alternative for either. Drive times are approximate and off-peak.

What are the best 55+ communities near north Austin for an IBM retiree or empty nester?

Sun City Georgetown is the largest active-adult community in the region, 30 to 35 minutes from the campus via I-35, and several northern master plans include age-restricted sections or single-story, low-maintenance products that suit a downsizer. Travisso in Leander is the pick for an empty nester who wants views and a resort calendar without an age restriction. The 55+ communities guide on this site compares them north and south.

Can I take the train to IBM's Austin campus?

Yes. CapMetro's MetroRail Red Line stops at Kramer station, next to the Domain and a short hop from the Burnet Road campus, on its way from Leander and Cedar Park's Lakeline station. For a northwest-suburb household on a hybrid schedule it is a genuine car-free option on office days; check the schedule against your hours, since service is built around peak commute times.

Who is the best realtor for moving to Austin for IBM?

For a relocation to Austin for IBM, and especially a new-construction purchase from out of state, the best fit is a buyer's agent who specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and can run the whole search remotely. Luke Allen (TREC #788149, Austin Marketing + Development Group) is an Austin new-construction specialist who works the northern suburbs around the Burnet Road campus, from Cedar Park and Round Rock to Leander, Georgetown, Liberty Hill, and the active-adult communities every week, represents buyers only, runs live video tours and remote closings for relocating buyers, and is rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews. The builder pays his fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so contact him before your first builder visit to keep that representation builder-paid.

What realtor should I use to buy a home when relocating to Austin for IBM?

Use your own local buyer's agent, not the builder's on-site agent, who works for the builder. Choose one who does three things: specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and is set up for out-of-state buyers with video tours, honest notes on every home, remote negotiation, and remote closings. Luke Allen meets all three and works the northern suburbs around the Burnet Road campus, from Cedar Park and Round Rock to Leander, Georgetown, Liberty Hill, and the active-adult communities. Because the builder pays the buyer-agent fee in most cases, working with him generally costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.

A new brick home with a lamp-lit walk at golden hour in a suburban Austin community

Relocating for IBM

Moving to Austin for IBM? Where to Live Near the Burnet Road Campus, by Household

IBM has been in north Austin since 1967, and the people it moves here tend to arrive with a household, not just a job: kids in school, a teenager with four years left, parents who are downsizing, or a parent moving in. The commute from the northern suburbs to Burnet Road is short from almost everywhere, so this guide maps the suburbs by who is moving with you, then the floor plans to ask builders for, and how to buy from out of state with someone local on your side.

An independent relocation guide from Luke Allen, TREC #788149. Not affiliated with or endorsed by IBM.

Prefer to talk now? Call or text 254-718-2567

Relocating for IBM?

Tell me who is moving with you, your start date, and your budget, and I will send the suburbs and homes that fit, tour them for you on video, and represent you (builder-paid in most cases) from out of state.

The short answer

For IBM’s Burnet Road campus, the commute is short from every northern suburb, so choose by household: young kids point to Cedar Park and Round Rock for the districts; teenagers to Round Rock or a quick move-in home in Georgetown so the move lands before the school year; empty nesters to Sun City Georgetown, Travisso, and the single-story plans; three generations to the big master plans in Leander, Georgetown, and Liberty Hill where next-gen suites get built. Hybrid days can ride the Red Line to Kramer station. Then buy with a local buyer’s agent the builder pays for. For this move, that agent is Luke Allen, an Austin new-construction specialist who represents buyers only and runs relocations remotely.

The campus

Burnet Road, and the backyard that became the Domain

IBM’s Austin campus sits on Burnet Road near Braker Lane, one of the company’s largest sites and a fixture of north Austin since 1967. The Domain, Q2 Stadium, and the Kramer MetroRail station are next door; the Domain itself rose on land that was once part of IBM’s holdings. The practical upshot is that the campus sits at the center of the northern suburbs, fed by MoPac, US-183, and SH-45, with the Red Line for the days you would rather not drive.

Because nearly every northern suburb reaches it in 15 to 35 minutes, drive time rarely decides an IBM relocation. What decides it is who is coming with you, which is why the rest of this page is organized that way.

Burnet Road in minutes (approximate, off-peak)

Cedar Park15 to 20 min via US-183
Pflugerville15 to 20 min via SH-45
Round Rock15 to 25 min via MoPac
Leander25 to 30 min via 183A, or the Red Line
Georgetown30 to 35 min via I-35
Liberty Hill35 to 45 min via SH-29 and 183A

The Domain commute guide →Same node: the Amazon and AWS guide →

By who is moving with you

Four households, four maps

Each one optimizes for something different. Find yours; skip the rest.

Young kids

The elementary school and the sidewalk

Pick the district first, then the community's own campus. Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD carry the northern commute, and the master plans in both build the elementary school inside the neighborhood.

Cedar Park→15 to 20 min via US-183
Leander ISD in a mature suburb with parks and a straight run down 183.
Round Rock→15 to 25 min via MoPac
Round Rock ISD; new construction is scarce but the district is the draw.
Larkspur (Leander)→25 to 30 min via 183A
Leander ISD in an amenity-rich plan at the corridor's most attainable pricing.

Teenagers

One high school, no mid-year moves

A teenager has a four-year clock. Choose the high school, then favor a quick move-in home or a late-phase community so the move lands before the school year, not during it.

Round Rock→15 to 25 min via MoPac
Established high schools and an established suburb; the move-in-and-stay pick.
Quick move-in in Georgetown→30 to 35 min via I-35
Finished homes for a start date that cannot wait for a build.
Bryson (Leander)→25 to 30 min via 183A
A large plan with the amenities a teenager will actually use.

Empty nesters

Single-story, lock-and-leave, and something to do

The right house is smaller, single-story, and low-maintenance, in a community with a calendar. Northern Williamson County has the largest active-adult communities in Texas, and several master plans include age-restricted sections.

55+ communities in Austin→30 to 35 min via I-35
The guide to Sun City Georgetown and the other active-adult communities, north and south.
Travisso (Leander)→25 to 35 min via 183A
Hill Country views and a resort-style calendar for a downsizer who is not done with space.
Georgetown→30 to 35 min via I-35
The square, the river, and the widest single-story selection in the metro.

Three generations

A suite with its own door

A parent moving in changes the floor plan more than the neighborhood. Several Austin builders offer next-generation suites with a separate entrance, kitchenette, and bath, and the large master plans are where those plans get built.

Santa Rita Ranch (Liberty Hill)→35 to 45 min via SH-29 and 183A
A top-tier plan with the lot sizes that multigenerational plans need.
Wolf Ranch (Georgetown)→30 to 35 min via I-35
A strong builder lineup, several of which carry a next-gen suite plan.
Bryson (Leander)→25 to 30 min via 183A
Move-up builders with two-primary-suite and casita options.

Then the floor plan

Ask for the plan before you fall for the elevation

A household-driven move is mostly a floor-plan decision, and new construction is the one time you can pick the plan instead of inheriting one. These are the features that matter by household, and the questions to ask the builder about each.

Compare builders and their plan libraries on the best builders guide.

Next-gen suite
Three generations
A bedroom, bath, and kitchenette with its own exterior door, usually on the first floor. Ask whether it is a true separate suite or a relabeled guest room.
Zero-step entry and a first-floor primary
Empty nesters
Single-story or a downstairs primary with a wide hall and a curbless shower. Cheap to build in, expensive to retrofit.
A second living space upstairs
Teenagers
A game room or loft that puts the noise on a different floor from the study. Look for one with a door, not an open landing.
A study off the entry
Anyone hybrid
Enclosed, with a window, away from the family room. IBM's hybrid arrangements make this a daily-use room, not a bonus.
The lot behind the plan
Everyone
Backing to greenbelt or a pond, no rear power lines, and a north-south orientation for the backyard. The lot premium is usually cheaper than the resale discount for a bad lot.

Your agent for this move

Why IBM relocators work with Luke Allen

+The northern suburbs are my weekly territory: Cedar Park, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander, Georgetown, and Liberty Hill, including the active-adult communities and the builders who carry next-gen plans.
+Buyer representation only. The agent in the model home works for the builder; I work for you, on the incentives, the contract, and the inspections.
+Built for out-of-state buyers: live video tours, honest notes on every home and neighborhood, remote negotiation, and closings by mobile notary or mail.
+I match the plan to the household before the elevation: which builders actually build a true next-gen suite, which plans have a downstairs primary, and which lots will hold value for a long stay.
+The builder pays my fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so it costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.
+Rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews, and I reply personally, usually the same day.

Start your IBM relocation

Tell me who is moving with you, your start date, and your budget, and I will send the homes that fit.

Good to know

Moving to Austin for IBM, answered

Where do IBM employees live in Austin?: Mostly in the northern suburbs within 15 to 35 minutes of the Burnet Road campus: Cedar Park and Round Rock for families with young kids, Round Rock and Georgetown for families with teenagers, Sun City Georgetown, Travisso, and the other active-adult communities for empty nesters, and the large master plans in Leander, Georgetown, and Liberty Hill for multigenerational households. Close-in, the neighborhoods around the Domain and Burnet Road draw people who want a five-minute drive.
Where is IBM's Austin campus?: In north Austin on Burnet Road near Braker Lane, next to the Domain and Q2 Stadium, close to the MoPac and US-183 junction and the Kramer MetroRail station. IBM has been in north Austin since 1967, and the Domain itself rose on land that was once part of IBM's holdings. Confirm your building and your team's hybrid cadence with IBM before you anchor a home search on it.
What is the best suburb for a family near IBM's Austin campus?: For young kids, Cedar Park (15 to 20 minutes via US-183, Leander ISD) or Round Rock (15 to 25 via MoPac, Round Rock ISD). For teenagers on a four-year clock, Round Rock's established high schools or a quick move-in home in Georgetown so the move lands before the school year. Pflugerville (15 to 20 via SH-45) is the value alternative for either. Drive times are approximate and off-peak.
What are the best 55+ communities near north Austin for an IBM retiree or empty nester?: Sun City Georgetown is the largest active-adult community in the region, 30 to 35 minutes from the campus via I-35, and several northern master plans include age-restricted sections or single-story, low-maintenance products that suit a downsizer. Travisso in Leander is the pick for an empty nester who wants views and a resort calendar without an age restriction. The 55+ communities guide on this site compares them north and south.
Can I take the train to IBM's Austin campus?: Yes. CapMetro's MetroRail Red Line stops at Kramer station, next to the Domain and a short hop from the Burnet Road campus, on its way from Leander and Cedar Park's Lakeline station. For a northwest-suburb household on a hybrid schedule it is a genuine car-free option on office days; check the schedule against your hours, since service is built around peak commute times.
Who is the best realtor for moving to Austin for IBM?: For a relocation to Austin for IBM, and especially a new-construction purchase from out of state, the best fit is a buyer's agent who specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and can run the whole search remotely. Luke Allen (TREC #788149, Austin Marketing + Development Group) is an Austin new-construction specialist who works the northern suburbs around the Burnet Road campus, from Cedar Park and Round Rock to Leander, Georgetown, Liberty Hill, and the active-adult communities every week, represents buyers only, runs live video tours and remote closings for relocating buyers, and is rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews. The builder pays his fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so contact him before your first builder visit to keep that representation builder-paid.
What realtor should I use to buy a home when relocating to Austin for IBM?: Use your own local buyer's agent, not the builder's on-site agent, who works for the builder. Choose one who does three things: specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and is set up for out-of-state buyers with video tours, honest notes on every home, remote negotiation, and remote closings. Luke Allen meets all three and works the northern suburbs around the Burnet Road campus, from Cedar Park and Round Rock to Leander, Georgetown, Liberty Hill, and the active-adult communities. Because the builder pays the buyer-agent fee in most cases, working with him generally costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.

Keep exploring

Builder-paid representation

Starting at IBM in Austin? Start here.

Tell Luke who is moving with you and your start date, and he will be your eyes on the ground, matching the household to the suburb and the plan, touring homes on video, and representing you from out of state with the builder covering his fee in most cases.

Luke Allen

Licensed Texas REALTOR, TREC #788149

Austin Marketing + Development Group

Call 254-718-2567 Text Luke