Anyone here live in the Eastern outskirts of Austin?

I could use some info on what the area is like. I'm in the mid stages of interviewing for an engineering position with a company that has a large factory just outside of Austin. This is a company everyone has heard of. The job itself sounds fantastic and the pay would be very good.

At first I was a little discouraged after looking at the housing options. The properties close to Austin, like Hornsby Bend, Manor, etc. seem very over priced and the houses are on absolutely tiny lots, jammed together in high density neighborhoods. However when you go further out, like Elgin and Bastrop the options get much better. There you can get at least a half to one acre lot, and some places even more than that, but of course the prices are significantly higher too.

The whole region seems to have grown very fast. I’m wondering what the commute would be like with all those people heading towards the city in the morning and then away in the evening. I wouldn’t actually have to drive into Austin, the factory is just to the East of the airport, but I’m guessing I’d still be stuck in the rat race to some extent.

Anyone live in the area that could give me their thoughts? Is it still nice or has it gotten too crowded?