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Howdy! I'm looking at relocating to one of the areas noted above, or somewhere else in/adjacent to Austin. Having trouble assessing what it's like to live there and was wondering if folks could help me narrow the search.
A bit about me:
- 33 year old, single. I am not optimizing for school districts as likely won't have kids.
- Looking to relocate to Austin because I want to live in an area with more diversity of ideas, more young people, and warmer weather. Austin seems like the perfect mix for all of my interests (fishing, automotive racing, etc).
What I am optimizing for
- want to have access to a good social scene / able to meet people. I have friends in the area but would like to meet new / single folks too who aren't yet settled down (both friends and dating)
- access to healthy food (either whole foods or similar grocery store nearby, ideally one that does delivery)
- access to nature (bass fishing, bike riding, running, swimming pool, trails)
- access to hobbies (fitness classes, lifting, yoga), less important: paintball, shooting
- avoiding traffic / huge crowds / long lines (I will probably work from home for the near future but will need access to the city to see friends, medical appointments, etc.)
- I am on two chemotherapy drugs, so locations with outdoor or less crowded activities / gym classes / etc are the ideal if possible (getting COVID would be a bit of a mess, though realize that it is somewhat inevitable)
I'd be looking to buy a single family home with a 2-car garage, 3+ bedrooms where I could stay for 10+ years. Budget: $500k to $800k. Looking for something simple but new and nice, tend to prefer single-story and houses without a ton of complex "things" to maintain.
Hoping folks who live in Austin might have insights here:
- between the places I'm considering, do any of them fit what I'm looking for better than others?
- would it be better to live closer to the city (north austin or other more suburban neighborhoods in the city)?
You need to focus on actual Austin. You listed neighboring cities and family centralistic areas of Austin. If you can afford Bee Cave you can afford to be closer to DT Austin. Where you will be able to do what you are looking to do with a bunch of drive time. North Austin feels a lot different than Cedar Park and Round Rock. It looks very close on a map and it is but the vibe is quite different. And North Austin is quite different than DT Austin.
You didn't list commute time so that's a big thing too. Further you get from Austin, the more conservatives there are...something to consider if you want to be around like minded people. Either way.
Scratch Steiner and Bee Caves for sure. There will be parts of RR that will fit, also tons of parts of Austin that will as well, I’d add Circle C in too.
Howdy! I'm looking at relocating to one of the areas noted above, or somewhere else in/adjacent to Austin. Having trouble assessing what it's like to live there and was wondering if folks could help me narrow the search.
A bit about me:
- 33 year old, single. I am not optimizing for school districts as likely won't have kids.
- Looking to relocate to Austin because I want to live in an area with more diversity of ideas, more young people, and warmer weather. Austin seems like the perfect mix for all of my interests (fishing, automotive racing, etc).
What I am optimizing for
- want to have access to a good social scene / able to meet people. I have friends in the area but would like to meet new / single folks too who aren't yet settled down (both friends and dating)
- access to healthy food (either whole foods or similar grocery store nearby, ideally one that does delivery)
- access to nature (bass fishing, bike riding, running, swimming pool, trails)
- access to hobbies (fitness classes, lifting, yoga), less important: paintball, shooting
- avoiding traffic / huge crowds / long lines (I will probably work from home for the near future but will need access to the city to see friends, medical appointments, etc.)
- I am on two chemotherapy drugs, so locations with outdoor or less crowded activities / gym classes / etc are the ideal if possible (getting COVID would be a bit of a mess, though realize that it is somewhat inevitable)
I'd be looking to buy a single family home with a 2-car garage, 3+ bedrooms where I could stay for 10+ years. Budget: $500k to $800k. Looking for something simple but new and nice, tend to prefer single-story and houses without a ton of complex "things" to maintain.
Hoping folks who live in Austin might have insights here:
- between the places I'm considering, do any of them fit what I'm looking for better than others?
- would it be better to live closer to the city (north austin or other more suburban neighborhoods in the city)?
thanks in advance for your help!
All the things you are looking for except social scene, diversity of ideas, and more young (single) people you can pretty much find anywhere in the metro area. No one area is really better than others. Racing will be COTA and the austin rifle club is a great place to shoot (manor/elgin).
Social scene is going to be more the deciding factor and I dont think any of the areas you listed are going to be good for that, unless you are hunting for cougars.
My recommendation is that you buy a smaller house within the city. I would be flexible on new, but there are infill houses.
For someone like you I would recommend a new build or a renovation on the east side or south/south east side.
A secondary area would be allandale/crestview/brentwood
The suburb cities like cedar park, bee cave, steiner, etc are heavily family oriented and traffic makes it much harder to get into the city for activities.
When I was 30 and single I was in a similar situation. I ended up buying a 2800 sq ft new build in the COA, but in great hills (very suburban). Back then there was really no HGTV so the possibility of renovation was way out of my capabilities.
It was too much house, a little far out, and I regret not buying one of the new downtown condos and living downtown or more central until I got ready to settle down.
Have you visited Austin? I only ask because of the comment above about all those areas bring family centric. I am a bit older, but a single educated female. I have lived in wells branch (78728) and hound it a bit too “family” for my lifestyle, but I make be able to make it work now that I’m more established. I lived in 78723 (outside of Mueller) and find that to be my sweet spot. You would be able to find a home in your budget in Windsor park. It’s s mix of family and younger folks and you’re super close to the city center, but not in it. I lived in 78748 and found it to be too far from the city center, but I didn’t hate it and would consider moving back that way. I’m now in 78741 and it’s a little gritty, but you might like the open spaces at Guerrero park.
All the grocery stores in the area deliver, so that should not be an issue. You might have suggested the places in your post because they aren’t “crowded.” Im not sure what your social activities are, do I can’t speak to bring close to specific activities, except for the activities I like which are running and city cycling.
Also, when you go to DT and tell people who live in Cedar Park, Round Rock, etc...prepare for people to lose interest. If you don't live nearby then they know you won't be around often. Speaking from personal experience.
Live near where you want to be. Not sure why you need/want such a big house. I had a 3/2 house with a pool and the maintenance became overwhelming. I hardly used 1/3 of the house.
Kinda sounds like you don't know what you want yet. You should go to Austin and spend time there before buying property. Figure out which area you like then focus there.
You need to focus on actual Austin. You listed neighboring cities and family centralistic areas of Austin. If you can afford Bee Cave you can afford to be closer to DT Austin. Where you will be able to do what you are looking to do with a bunch of drive time. North Austin feels a lot different than Cedar Park and Round Rock. It looks very close on a map and it is but the vibe is quite different. And North Austin is quite different than DT Austin.
You didn't list commute time so that's a big thing too. Further you get from Austin, the more conservatives there are...something to consider if you want to be around like minded people. Either way.
I'm neither conservative nor liberal so I think I'll be with folks who think "differently" either way :-) Ideally would like a mix of both though, maybe even some moderate folks like myself.
Quote:
When I was 30 and single I was in a similar situation. I ended up buying a 2800 sq ft new build in the COA, but in great hills (very suburban). Back then there was really no HGTV so the possibility of renovation was way out of my capabilities.
It was too much house, a little far out, and I regret not buying one of the new downtown condos and living downtown or more central until I got ready to settle down.
Thank you, this is great info. I think I'm torn between my introverted / outdoor-loving side and the (also important) desire to, you know, date and see other humans. I picked the family oriented areas to match my activities better (close to lake travis for fishing, etc), but agree that closer to downtown would probably be a better social move. Also closer to a few friends who are already there. I think what you realized may also be relevant for me (could end up with the same regrets).
Quote:
Have you visited Austin? I only ask because of the comment above about all those areas bring family centric. I am a bit older, but a single educated female. I have lived in wells branch (78728) and hound it a bit too “family” for my lifestyle, but I make be able to make it work now that I’m more established. I lived in 78723 (outside of Mueller) and find that to be my sweet spot. You would be able to find a home in your budget in Windsor park. It’s s mix of family and younger folks and you’re super close to the city center, but not in it. I lived in 78748 and found it to be too far from the city center, but I didn’t hate it and would consider moving back that way. I’m now in 78741 and it’s a little gritty, but you might like the open spaces at Guerrero park.
All the grocery stores in the area deliver, so that should not be an issue. You might have suggested the places in your post because they aren’t “crowded.” Im not sure what your social activities are, do I can’t speak to bring close to specific activities, except for the activities I like which are running and city cycling.
No, hence why this is challenging. Considering relocating to short term housing and searching more in person to feel out what it's like.
Thank you - some of these suggestions look great and weren't on my radar. I like the look of the Mueller / Windsor Park / 78741 areas. Some of them seem like a good blend where I could live close to downtown but avoid super crowded spots, also very close to COTA :-) And yes, I was hoping to avoid crowded areas as I am pretty impatient with crowds or getting stuck in city traffic.
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Do any of y'all have thoughts on parker station where they are building some new homes? Too far from downtown area?
Thanks so much, I'm very surprised at how fast y'all responded and how well everyone took my desires into account.
Easiest way to put it, further away from DT Austin the more conservative it gets. By a huge margin. You will see F Biden flags in Northern Round Rock and Cedar Park.
Easiest way to put it, further away from DT Austin the more conservative it gets. By a huge margin. You will see F Biden flags in Northern Round Rock and Cedar Park.
Oof, yeah, that's not the 'moderate' I was looking for. Thanks for the heads up!
One thing posting and hearing y'alls input has led me to realize is that I'm trying to balance a few conflicting desires. I think waiting to buy makes sense and instead using all of this info to find a good starting spot (renting) closer to DT so I can explore more and meet people (which seems more important especially after moving).
Oof, yeah, that's not the 'moderate' I was looking for. Thanks for the heads up!
One thing posting and hearing y'alls input has led me to realize is that I'm trying to balance a few conflicting desires. I think waiting to buy makes sense and instead using all of this info to find a good starting spot (renting) closer to DT so I can explore more and meet people (which seems more important especially after moving).
I think Dub D is being a bit dramatic, but to each their own. It’s not to say you won’t see it, but it’s not at every house. And many people are respectful of opinions. Come down, stay in an Airbnb for a few days in one of the neighborhoods you like, drive to places you like, pick a few, hop on Facebook and join some rental groups and take over some hipster who couldn’t hack it’s (I see this almost daily in a few groups) lease and then hop on to the next place.
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