West Line Historic District, Historic district in central Austin, United States

West Line Historic District is a historic neighborhood in central Austin spanning roughly 90 blocks between Baylor Street, Fifth Street, Thirteenth Street, and Texas State Highway Loop 1. The area contains twenty-five subdivisions arranged in an irregular street pattern that follows the natural hilly terrain.

The district grew from more than twenty-five subdivisions platted between 1871 and 1948 out of the George W. Spear League and Division Z. Early settlement consisted of large estates that were later subdivided as Austin's population grew. After the 1887 West Sixth Street Bridge over Shoal Creek opened, the West Sixth Street streetcar line, called the West Line, reached the district and drove suburban development.

The neighborhood displays Victorian and early 20th-century homes in Craftsman and Classical Revival styles that shape its streetscape. Walking through, you notice how these different building types reflect the tastes and living preferences of people across multiple generations.

The hilly terrain with varying elevations makes walking through the neighborhood physically varied. A walking tour at an easy pace is the best way to explore since the irregular street layout rewards going slowly to notice the different buildings and styles.

The district's name comes from the West Sixth Street streetcar line, called the West Line, which ran into the area after the 1887 bridge over Shoal Creek was built. The tract was carved from the George W. Spear League and Division Z of the government lands west of the original city center.