Grad Student from IL (San Antonio, Austin: apartment complexes, for rent, crime rate)

[Nillitonn87]

I'm getting to ready to move to Austin next month. In the Fall, I will be starting graduate school at TSU. I'm a 22 year old single female.

My family from the area has been hounding me to live in San Marcos rather than Austin. I have always wanted to live in a large city, rather than the tiny little towns I have grown up in.
This being said, I want to do this before I settle down and start a family but my relatives aren't giving me any supportive information on where to live and so forth.

So, please do not respond with "Live in San Marcos..."
What are good neighborhoods in South Austin to live in with a decent commute? My price range is around $600 for a 1/1. My main concern is safety.

[CptnRn]

Pretty much any place you could pick to live in Austin and commute to San Marcos TSU is going to have to use I-35 and will require a 40 minute commute when traffic is good. I hate driving that stretch of I-35 myself, traffic can be pretty heavy on it at times, but if you are determined then you could live pretty much anywhere in South Central Austin and have comparable access to I-35.

There are numerous apartment complexes in South Austin along Slaughter Lane that could fill your need if you are willing to live in the southern edge of the City. But the experience won't really be one of living in a City.

Generally violent crime rates in South Austin are lower West of I-35. Austin has one of the lowest violent crime rates of any City in the US United States cities by crime rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia but oddly enough has one of the highest rates for theft, so don't leave valuables laying around or visible in your car. Aside from that Austin is one of the safest cities in the US.

I don't think you can find a decent apartment in your price range close in to downtown. Using Austin Apartments for Rent - Austin Apartments Reviews and Ratings I could not find any in South Austin. Searching in the "Riverside" area, East Riverside Drive, where a lot of students live I found a fews under $700. But this puts you back into one of the higher crime neighborhoods in Austin.

It looks to me like your best alternative would be to find a room mate to share a 2 bedroom apartment, then you can easily find one in a decent area and in your price range.

Or take your relatives advice, live close to TSU, and commute to Austin to party.

See my profile for lots of useful information on Austin including links to crime data, etc.

[CptnRn]

I just saw another thread that indicated it was possible to find lower priced apartments on Craigslist.

Read more about it here Need area info on Austin for a renter

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I just saw another thread that indicated it was possible to find lower priced apartments on Craigslist.

Read more about it here Need area info on Austin for a renter

Best wishes... R
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P.S. See my Public Profile for lots of useful information that I have been compiling about the Austin area.
https://www.city-data.com/forum/membe...rn-551431.html

[theloneranger]

San Marcos is not really a small town, and you will be able to get very affordable housing there and still be within easy reach of Austin.

If you aren't going to UT or St. Ed's, I wouldn't recommend living in Austin as you're going to have to commute quite a long way every day.

[Alatex]

Although my own preference, were I in your position, would be indeed to live in San Marcos (cheap, safe, convenient, and can visit BOTH Austin and San Antonio frequently), I understand that some want the experience iof actually "living in the big city."

My suggestion is to look into where the Texas State "Bobcat Tram" has a stop in Austin:
About Bobcat Tram : Bobcat Tram : Texas State University

The service between campus and Austin runs 252 days a year, and the bus can accomodate bicycles.

If you could find an apartment in Austin near the bus stop, you could ride with a bunch of other Texas State students living in Austin, which would be more convenient than having to commute alone, having to find parking on campus, etc.