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Austin is a great city - you'll love it. I've lived here almost 6 years and am very happy. One thing I will caution you about though is that the rental market is very strong, which means prices are high. Central Austin is really popular, so it will probably be difficult to find what you're looking for in terms of space, location, etc. for close to $1000. If you want to stick to that price, I would look in North Austin or far South Austin, where you will likely get nicer places for your money. The bus system runs all over the city, so that shouldn't be a problem, but like all Texas cities, Austin is pretty spread out, so it's a little more difficult to walk to many places.
I don't mean to scare you off at all...it really is a wonderful city, but it's gotten super popular, making it more expensive to live in. Definitely talk to an apt hunting service, because they're very familiar with what's available and the benefits of different parts of the city. Good luck with your move!
@Lili316: Hey thanks for the info. Are there any communities that are walkable--not necessarily close to downtown, but have a street or two with their own stuff going on? I just like the idea of walking to grab a coffee in the morning. :)
We can budge on the budget if need be. We used to live in Boston, so really high rental prices don't surprise us too much, but we are saving to buy a house as well.
@Roe: You may want to check out Mueller, which is a master planned community on the old airport site. It's actually not far from downtown or campus, though it is relatively new construction. However, I'm not sure if there's rentals or if it's just homes. Somewhere near UT campus would allow you to walk to more places, and if you came down to look mid-semester, you could probably avoid the race by UT students to find housing for next year. East Austin is also pretty up and coming, with lots of new bars/restaurants/shops. Living anywhere near South Congress closer to downtown would give you lots of walking options...at the very least, take a couple days to explore the city so you really get a feel for where you like, how long it will take you to get to places, transportation options, what kind of vibe you're looking for, etc.
I've looked online and on craigslist and am thinking South Congress, Travis Heights, or on the East Side around 6th Street or Manor. There are a lot of posts about how "bad" the east side is online, but the crime stats don't seem to indicate that its any worse than the South Congress area. We don't live in a great part of town right now in Pittsburgh, but I feel safe. In all those areas, there are apartment listings on CL that makes me think we can work with our budget there, but who knows if those ads are legit!
@Roe: Hi there! FI and I moved to Austin from Savannah about six or seven months ago, so I can completly relate to the hardships of finding a good rental area. It's true what other Bees have said about some areas being more expensive than others (read: zilker, travis heights) but I think you should defintinly be able to find something central and artsy on your budget.
We live in the 78704 which is the South Congress area. You'll find that Austin is serious about zip code loyalty, and the "04" is known for being the artsy, local, funky area of town. We rent a 2/2 townhouse for right about $1100 a month including pet rent. It's not the most luxorious place, but it has hardwood floors and even a little fenced-in backyard. The thing is, while we are very close to downtown, 6th street, etc, it's still hard to get the feel of a walking community because there are so many darn highways around here! One of our favorite coffee shops is less than half a mile away, but I wouldn't ever consider walking there because of the giant overpass I'd have to cross.
Anyway, I say all this because I'm sure that if you're willing to compromise a little here and there, you should have no problem finding a great place. Good luck with your search, and if you want more info feel free to message me!
I'm not sure of prices, but theres a cute apartment community called The Triangle located just north of downtown. It's located at Lamar and Guadalupe. It's really cute. Basically, there are shops, restaurants and bars on the bottom levels and apartments above. One of my favorite bars, The Flying Saucer, is located there. I would check it out to see if it's in your price range!
Heres the website: http://www.triangleaustin.com/Austin-TX-apartments.asp
I wouldn't want to live on East 6th. I go that way for work sometimes and it's still pretty rough. Plus I have a friend that lives on it and the parking is impossible. The real problem with east 6th and manor, in my opinion, is that there are nice bits and there are really bad bits, and it's hard to distinguish them online.
I would check out the cherrywood neighborhood, north of manor, it seems to be more good than bad. You would probably love Hyde Park, if you can find anything in your price range. I would also check out Far West, and the Burnet/Anderson area.
@Roe: I was born and raised in Austin. My dad currently lives on the east side near Mueller. It is a rougher part of town for sure.( I once saw a guy park his car in the middle of the road and start running after someone on the side of the road.lol) but if you are used to city life, you won't think twice about it. It really is starting to become the new up and coming neighborhood and it would be a great investment to buy in this area.
Another great neighborhood is Hyde Park if you are interested in renting. there are a lot of great restaurants around and very "hippie turned yuppie" as my mom says
I just moved out of Austin, one of the hardest things ever! I was in a LDR and decided to take the next step, since he has a stable job and I am going to school, it seemed like the best alternative. I am 22, and at the time was a homebuddy, but I also liked to go out a couple of times a month.
As far as apartments go, it depends on what you think is affordable and worth it. I used to live near The Domain. Which, I highly HIGHLY recommend you go see, there are a bunch of apartments around the area and even within the community plus its a gorgeous outside shopping center. It only takes about 10minutes to get downtown and its right next to all the major highways (183,360,Mopac and pretty close to 35) Which makes a huuuuge difference when you are commuting. If you have a budget around 800-1200, I would look around there for renting. Its so centrally located without too much hussle and bussle, it really is perfect. Sigh.
Now for places to visit.. (in no particular order)
1. The Domain
2. 6th street on a Fri/Sat night
3. Congress Bridge - Its a huge attraction at night, theres a ton of bats that come flying out right as the sun is setting.
4. You can also look at Zilker Park and the trails around Lake Austin (there are also tons of canoes, kayaks, etc you can rent on the lake)
5. Kerbey Lane for breakfast!
6. If you like sushi, one of my favorite places is called Osaka Mansun off of 183/Anderson Mill Rd.
7. Just drive around! There is SO much to do and its SO beautiful there. TONS of great shopping malls, and family friendly areas. Theres a HUGE wonderful Whole Foods DT, that I used to always frequent for sorbet on the weekends and pickup some fresh bread.
Honestly, I currently live super close to San Diego, CA and so I go there a bunch. Its a lot like a mini San Diego, tons to do, great weather and a couple of lakes to have a ton of fun in on the weekends! There are also TONS of great schools, opportunities for career growth and overall just a great place.
If you have ANY questions, feel free to PM me. Id be happy to help you. I also know a great Apartment Locator in Austin who I am sure would be happy to help you look for a place. If youd like to find your own, search for it in google. Theres a whole company specifically designed to sell apartments. You could even ask them all of your questions/worries about location, etc and they will send you back an email of a bunch of apartments in your price range in a good neighborhoods with tons of pictures and whatnot.
Best of luck!
This is a great post, thanks Roe! SO and I are planning a possible Austin move (from Manhattan) and we have a lot of the same questions. We visited in the fall and had an amazing time. Things we did that I would do again:
Barton Springs Pool
Magnolia for Breakfast
Franklin's BBQ (I don't think this is actually popular with locals, but it knocked our socks off)
Movie at the Draft House
We caught a concert at Mohawk's
Rode bikes through Zilker, along Town Lake.
Paddle boarding on town lake
Dinner in the Warehouse district
The restaurants and stores along Soco were awesome, so definitely hit that up
We didn't rent a car the entire time we were there, which was awesome. We walked (Manhattanites), rented bikes, and took the bus. To look for apartments you'll probably need one, but for a visit it was fine.
Good luck! You're going to love it! Also, I lived in Pittsburgh for 4 years, so I'm familiar with the neighborhoods, if you want to PM me, feel free!
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Hello Austin Bees!
My FI and I are seriously considering moving to Austin after the wedding. We've talked about moving many times to many different cities, but Austin seems to fit the bill the best for us. I even created a thread a few weeks ago asking for input and Austin kept coming out on top for us.
We're planning a trip to Austin in the spring to make sure we really do like it. What should we make sure not to miss out on while we're there? What are a few activities that would work into a 4-5 day long trip? What neighborhoods should we check out for potential apartments?
I'd love to rent first to get an idea of a good area for us. I work primarily from home so not too worried about commuting. Centrally located is good, though. Artsy areas are a plus. We're looking for somewhere where we can walk to a few cafes/bars/restaurants etc, but as far as nightlife goes, we dont need much. We're homebodies. Being near some type of public transport would be great too. We're in our mid 20s, so staying somewhere with a younger crowd and less families would probably be best. Looking at 2 bedroom places, would love to keep it ~1000, but willing to go a bit higher if there is somewhere awesome.
So where should we look into for renting? And if we love it as much as I hope to, any areas we should look into to buy in a few years down the line? (I hate cookie cutter new construction, just fyi.
)
Thanks!!!