diff --git a/libcloud/compute/drivers/openstack.py b/libcloud/compute/drivers/openstack.py
index 2aca45c024..27f1acec5d 100644
--- a/libcloud/compute/drivers/openstack.py
+++ b/libcloud/compute/drivers/openstack.py
@@ -1247,6 +1247,9 @@ def create_node(self, **kwargs):
         :keyword    ex_disk_config: Name of the disk configuration.
                                     Can be either ``AUTO`` or ``MANUAL``.
         :type       ex_disk_config: ``str``
+
+        :keyword    ex_availability_zone: Nova availability zone for the node
+        :type       ex_availability_zone: ``str``
         """
 
         server_params = self._create_args_to_params(None, **kwargs)
@@ -1318,6 +1321,9 @@ def _create_args_to_params(self, node, **kwargs):
                                                                  {}))
         }
 
+        if 'ex_availability_zone' in kwargs:
+            server_params['availability_zone'] = kwargs['ex_availability_zone']
+
         if 'ex_keyname' in kwargs:
             server_params['key_name'] = kwargs['ex_keyname']
 
@@ -2048,6 +2054,8 @@ def _to_node(self, api_node):
                 updated=api_node['updated'],
                 key_name=api_node.get('key_name', None),
                 disk_config=api_node.get('OS-DCF:diskConfig', None),
+                availability_zone=api_node.get('OS-EXT-AZ:availability_zone',
+                                               None),
             ),
         )
 
diff --git a/libcloud/test/compute/fixtures/openstack_v1.1/_servers_26f7fbee_8ce1_4c28_887a_bfe8e4bb10fe.json b/libcloud/test/compute/fixtures/openstack_v1.1/_servers_26f7fbee_8ce1_4c28_887a_bfe8e4bb10fe.json
index f857f5214c..d972cfd66c 100644
--- a/libcloud/test/compute/fixtures/openstack_v1.1/_servers_26f7fbee_8ce1_4c28_887a_bfe8e4bb10fe.json
+++ b/libcloud/test/compute/fixtures/openstack_v1.1/_servers_26f7fbee_8ce1_4c28_887a_bfe8e4bb10fe.json
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@
         "metadata": {
             "My Server Name" : "Apache1"
         },
-        "OS-DCF:diskConfig": "AUTO"
+        "OS-DCF:diskConfig": "AUTO",
+        "OS-EXT-AZ:availability_zone": "testaz"
 
     }
 }
diff --git a/libcloud/test/compute/test_openstack.py b/libcloud/test/compute/test_openstack.py
index ef5dfc7824..6f5af3c3cd 100644
--- a/libcloud/test/compute/test_openstack.py
+++ b/libcloud/test/compute/test_openstack.py
@@ -1076,6 +1076,19 @@ def test_create_node_with_ex_keyname_and_ex_userdata(self):
         self.assertEqual(node.extra['metadata']['My Server Name'], 'Apache1')
         self.assertEqual(node.extra['key_name'], 'devstack')
 
+    def test_create_node_with_availability_zone(self):
+        image = NodeImage(
+            id=11, name='Ubuntu 8.10 (intrepid)', driver=self.driver)
+        size = NodeSize(
+            1, '256 slice', None, None, None, None, driver=self.driver)
+        node = self.driver.create_node(name='racktest', image=image, size=size,
+                                       availability_zone='testaz')
+        self.assertEqual(node.id, '26f7fbee-8ce1-4c28-887a-bfe8e4bb10fe')
+        self.assertEqual(node.name, 'racktest')
+        self.assertEqual(node.extra['password'], 'racktestvJq7d3')
+        self.assertEqual(node.extra['metadata']['My Server Name'], 'Apache1')
+        self.assertEqual(node.extra['availability_zone'], 'testaz')
+
     def test_create_node_with_ex_disk_config(self):
         OpenStack_1_1_MockHttp.type = 'EX_DISK_CONFIG'
         image = NodeImage(