Recommended central Austin neighborhoods to rent a house (Spring: co-op, buying a house)

[rittersportsf]

Hello, this is my first post on City-Data. My apologies if this has been covered before (did a search and didn't find a thread that completely answered my questions)

My wife and I currently live in San Francisco (Potrero Hill). I accepted a job offer at Dell Children's Hospital in Mueller and will be starting this fall. Even though buying a house sounds very attractive we are going to hold off and rent for a little while (at least 12 mos).

We visited Austin in the summer and checked out some neighborhoods. Basically what we are looking for is:

-Easy commute for me avoiding I-35 or MOPAC
-A place where we can build "community". I know this sounds cheesy but we really want to know our neighbors and feel part of the city even if we are renters.
-Baby friendly (thinking about having kids very soon, may be pregnant when we move if all goes as planned)
-Preferably a single story 3 bed/2 bath with a good kitchen for under 2500/mo) (ideally 2000/mo)
-We are a couple of color so a neighborhood that is diverse ethnically, culturally, politically is welcomed!

The neighborhoods we are considering are
-Allandale
-Rosedale
-Crestview
-Hyde Park (would like to avoid the college crowd if we moved here)
-French Place

Any other neighborhoods that one would recommend? We were told to avoid South Austin because of the traffic. We have no family and really no connections in Texas but are excited about this move!

Do you think what we are looking for with our price point is reasonable?

[centralaustinite]

You are good! French Place and Wilshire Woods would be exceptional, then Hyde Park. But really, you can't go wrong in any of those areas.

[passionatearts]

Originally Posted by rittersportsf

-Preferably a single story 3 bed/2 bath with a good kitchen for under 2500/mo) (ideally 2000/mo)

I think $2,000/month is on the low side for a 3/2 in the Central Austin areas you listed, but you can probably find something close to that price in French Place or Crestview.

[atxcio]

Also might look at Northwest Hills. Although it's west of Allandale, it still has quick access to 2222/290/Allandale Rd, which is an amazingly effective route to East Austin.

[rittersportsf]

Great! Thank you so much this is very helpful. We did check out NW Hills but it seemed a little too suburban for us. That being said we will definitely think about it now. Wilshire Woods is an area that we never thought of but the fact it is so close to work would be nice. Thanks again!

[camelian]

Are you looking for an upscale neighborhood? If not, I live in Colonial Place off 290 and Springdale and it's a mostly minority populated neighborhood with low to medium income families. I enjoy living here because it's quiet, far away enough from the crowded city yet only a few minutes drive into town, and very cheap. Neighbors are nice and it's a small gated community of about 200 homes so it's not too busy. I own a home here but you can easily rent a 3BD/2BA house for about $1100-$1200. It's definitely not an expensive/upscale neighborhood so it may not be the best choice if that's what you're looking for but it's a very affordable option and only about 10 minute commute to your work, avoiding 35

[rittersportsf]

Originally Posted by camelian

Are you looking for an upscale neighborhood? If not, I live in Colonial Place off 290 and Springdale and it's a mostly minority populated neighborhood with low to medium income families. I enjoy living here because it's quiet, far away enough from the crowded city yet only a few minutes drive into town, and very cheap. Neighbors are nice and it's a small gated community of about 200 homes so it's not too busy. I own a home here but you can easily rent a 3BD/2BA house for about $1100-$1200. It's definitely not an expensive/upscale neighborhood so it may not be the best choice if that's what you're looking for but it's a very affordable option and only about 10 minute commute to your work, avoiding 35

Thanks Camelian! We are definitely open to everything and will check it out. We definitely don't need upscale but would like to live in a neighborhood with some good grocery stores. That's what makes Rosedale/Allandale attractive with the co-op and Central Market but obviously we would have to pay a premium!