cdub7

I may be moving to Austin this August and I'd appreciate some suggestions on the best area to live. I would work in Dove Springs, but was told to live west of I-35 for safety reasons. What neighborhoods in that vicinity would be the best for renting an apartment? I'd prefer a quiet area, but would also like to have easy access to restaurants/bars,etc. for evenings out on the town. THANKS!!!!

Austin

The "best" places in Austin are also very expensive. What can you pay per month for an apartment?

mental_jewelry

The best places in town to live (in order) would be Clarksville, Tarrytown, Pemberton, and the Warehouse District. The Warehouse District would put you within walking distance of most of the cool bars and restaurants and appeals to the young, single crowd, while the other neighborhoods I mentioned tend to cater more to couples with children. SoCo is another up and coming neighborhood that's just south of Town Lake. Try to live someplace central; once you get outside of the city into the 'burbs, the neighborhoods loose their distrinctive Austin character, and you may as well be living in Anywhere, USA.

cdub7

Thanks very much, mental_jewelry! Your comments are very helpful!

k2rider

Well, I take exception to mental's "Anywhere USA" city because that is what Austin has turned into. It's traffic is as bad as L.A. - it has nearly as many freaks as Seattle or San Fran.

Austin used to be a great TEXAS city. Now, it's populated mostly by people NOT from Texas to begin with. People who are trying to make it "less Texas". Just look at the "keep Austin wierd" crap floating around.

The best parts of Austin are still found in New Braunfels, Seguin, etc...

seahorse618

I might be relocating to Austin by 2007. I want to rent a house in a good neighboorhood around the $1000 range. Any suggestions??

AustinTraveler

Seahorse, if I may make a suggestion, please repost with more specific information. Include things like what you like in a neighborhood, are schools important, commuting to work, etc. Also, are you looking for a house for $1,000? If so, how big, etc. Lastly, are you looking to rent in Austin near downtown or out in the burbs?

kopp

Hello cdub7,
And a warm howdy to you!
Where is Dove Springs? The only one I know of is a recreational area near the Jimmy Clay Golf Course in SE Austin. Is that the area to which you are speaking?

If so, there are many new apartment complexes and restaurants that have opened up within several miles of Jimmy Clay, on both sides of the freeway. It is probably a good 15-20 minutes to downtown, more during commute times.

So you would have to decide how much time you want to commute, and if you want to live near work or downtown.

And please do not think of Austin as Anywhere USA. Sure, there are developments going in that are reminiscent of California tract homes, closely bunched together. However, there are still many places where you can live in the hills with outstanding views, have some land, and still be within easy reach of downtown.

Good luck in your apartment search. Your only regret may be that you'll be looking in August. But then, if you can survive a move in August, you can survive the summers!

Happy travels!

tracys2cents

take the last train to Clarksville

walkinaround

i mostly agree with mental_jewelry, and would add rosedale and hyde park to the list. i would caution against his/her rank order because these neighbourhoods are very different and you need to visit and check out the top neighbourhoods to make your own opinion.

if you check out house prices on the internet, keep in mind that it looks like you can have the world for very little money...and you can, but not in the close-in neighbourhoods mentioned.

i don't know where you come from but if it's from a real city somewhere, chances are you will find austin's traffic and house prices (common gripes of locals) to both be refreshingly minimal.

cdub7

Hi, I have no idea if anyone still hangs around here anymore, but I thought I'd take a chance and write something. I'm sorry for taking so long to return to this site! Well, I posted the original message in July of 2005 when I was deciding where to move. I had a choice between Albuquerque, Austin, or Federal Way, and I ended up in....drumroll please....Albuquerque! Having lived there for a year, and since having moved back to Illinois, it's really interesting to look back at what everyone had to say about all the cities. Everyone was so helpful, and very opinionated! I like it! Anyway, I loved Albuquerque. I loved the work I did there most of all, because I got to work directly with so many of the wonderful people who inhabited the city. It was quite a change living near mountains, and it was really amazing. I miss it! So, thanks to all of you for replying to my post. Hopefully, someday I'll get to visit the cities that I passed up for Abq. THANK YOU ALL!