Welcome to Dove Springs.
Driving through the neighborhood, you may not realize you’re in the same city that’s home to Franklin Barbeque, Barton Springs or the Continental Club. Five miles down I-35 from the Texas Capitol lies a modest residential area in the city’s southeast corner, one of the last neighborhoods many Austin residents pass as they head to the airport.
It’s also one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods with a history of gangs and drugs, poverty, teen pregnancy and obesity.
But it's a neighborhood filled with hardworking parents, multi-generational families and cultural diversity. There’s always been a lot of pride, but recently, residents are giving the neighborhood a voice. They’re advocating for better services, organizing events and this fall, they’ll elect a city council member to specifically represent their district.
As the city grows and changes faster than ever before, neighborhood leaders are reminding Austinites that they—and their neighborhood—are part of Austin, too. More people move to Austin everyday, increasing the number of people unfamiliar with the overall city and its sprawling neighborhoods.
For the past ten months, KUT has brought you stories of boxers, librarians, community organizers and police officers with the same goal: helping Dove Springs turn the corner.
A few months into the project, the neighborhood was hit with a devastating flood that damaged more than 600 homes and left five people dead.
For many, the floods were an extra burden piled on top of countless challenges. But it also forced a historically neglected community to stand up and demand to be heard.
