On The Matter Of This Neighborhood

Easton Park isn't supposed to feel like this. You're 12 miles from downtown Austin, technically inside city limits, technically a regular neighborhood, and yet somehow it feels like a place people actually chose. Like the pool is actually nice. Like the trails go somewhere. Like your neighbors actually know your name.

2,700 acres. 13.1 miles of trails. A clubhouse called The Union with a resort pool, a yoga lawn, and a fitness center. Eleven sub-neighborhoods. Three hundred and fifty acres of parks. And somewhere between 700 and "a lot" of dogs, depending on the morning.

This is not a country club. But try explaining that to anyone who's been here on a Saturday morning.

On The Matter Of Membership

There are no membership fees. No application process. No waiting list. No dress code (though we do appreciate the effort). No one checks your handicap at the door, mostly because there is no door.

Membership is automatic. You moved in. You walked the trail once. You waved at someone with a golden retriever and they waved back. You are a member.

Congratulations. Your hat is waiting.

This is not a country club. But try explaining that to anyone who's been here on a Saturday morning.

On The Matter Of Chip

Every great institution has a mascot. Ours is a lab. We call him Chip.

Chip is not based on any one dog — he is based on all of them. He is the yellow lab who greets you on the trail before his owner has caught up. He is the golden retriever who sits patiently outside The Union while his family is inside. He is the rescue mutt who has somehow become best friends with half the neighborhood.

Chip sits at the top of every hat because Chip is the reason most of us ended up outside in the first place. He did not ask for this responsibility. He accepted it graciously, as all good dogs do.