I worked in Round Rock from 2011 - 2013. I lived in Austin....downtown at first, and then later North Austin. My wife and I were early 30's, good paying jobs, and no kids. And we actually enjoyed north Austin far more than downtown. It just has a really cool vibe to it, at least where we were (Crestview). I say all this because from what I saw, Round Rock is a **** hole. I wouldn't want to live there. Maybe there are some nice parts, but if so I never saw them. If you are considering moving there for work at you know who, then I'd suggest looking into north Austin instead. The commute isn't bad at all.
Round Rock is absolutely not a **** hole. It's a great place to live and raise a family. We lived there for 8 years...off of Sam Bass just west of 35. There are many nice parts of Round Rock and the changes they've made to downtown are fantastic. We lived in a fantastic neighborhood that we wouldn't have left had work not brought us back to The Woodlands.
Yeah, I've heard how it used to be. I have a buddy who recently purchased a house in the area. They are really happy so far, I guess like anywhere there are good and bad spots. We're looking towards that area / north Austin. Would love to be to the west / south west of Austin but doubt it'll be feasible.
Don't listen to Harrisment. Couple other things...if you live in Round Rock proper (not in the Cat Hollow area or any of the MUDs on the west side off off 620), your taxes are ridiculously low....like 1/2 what you would pay in Austin or Cedar Park. The neighborhoods off of Sam Bass and 3406 are nice, quiet and easy access to 35, 1431 and 183. Also, Round Rock schools are much better than AISD.