Austin neighborhood questions (Spring, Clarksville, West Lake Hills: apartments, renters, condos)

[ZenParty]

Hello all,

Will most likely be moving to Austin by the end of this year. I have a hand full of questions.

I'll post some background info first:

- Me and my wife will be moving
- We are in our mid 20s
- We would like a 2 bed room with washer and drying in unit (we might be ok with 1 bed room if the size of the apt and location are good)
- We would like to spend no more than $1200 on rent, with $1000 a month being the target. That's not including electric and gas. Obviously, the cheaper the rent, the better.
- We're pretty laid back, would like to live in a walkable neighborhood. We do a lot of walking (I know, that's something 40 something year old couples do ), maybe we'll get into the bike riding thing if there is much more to see.
- We also like to be walking distance from bars and restaurants if possible
- The general plan would be to rent for the first year or two, and then once we know the city better, buy a home.
- Would like to avoid apts with heavy university student populations.
- Will be visiting sometime soon to checkout places to live.

1) I would like to know anything about the neighborhoods that are enclosed by the following:
- The river would be the southern border
- I-35 would be the eastern border
- 183 would be the northern border
- 360 would be the western border

What neighborhoods should I look into? Are they safe? A safe neighborhood is a big deal to me (I grew up in the Ghetto, and I'm NOT going back).

2) What about the neighborhoods south of the river. In particular bordered by:
- The river in the north
- 71 in the south
- I-35 in the east
- 1 in the west.

3) Are the areas I've described all within Austin proper? Or are some of them suburban municipalities?

I'm looking for some direction basically, info on some neighborhoods to focus my research on.

Thanks

[ZenParty]

BUMP

Is my question too broad? >=\

[winkosmosis]

Look into the Hyde Park and Tarrytown neighborhoods

[winkosmosis]

Also the neighborhoods around South Congress

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by ZenParty

BUMP

Is my question too broad? >=\

A little, but you could give people more than 24 hours to digest it........

I am thrown by your need for such specific borders. Is there a reason you want to reside in this "box" you have drawn for us? Proximity to a job, or something?

[atxcio]

Actually, you look like you've done your research well. Those areas are a great place to start looking. If you don't want a bunch of students, you should cross out Hyde Park. But Allandale, Rosedale, NW Hills, Clarksville and Tarrytown would be good options north of the river. Walkable by Austin standards, good mix of young professionals and older. Very safe.

However, I agree that the optimal place would be anywhere around SoCo / South Lamar / South First. Also Travis Heights and Barton Hills. The closer to the river (and downtown) in all those neighborhoods, the better. They are a bit more funky, you'll see some awesome modern condos and home redos then litttle pockets of what looks like run-down strip malls, and there is good nightlife there (SoCo/SoLa mainly). But that's really part of the charm. It's still pretty safe by Austin standards, and REALLY safe compared with other larger cities.

You asked about whether some of the areas in your "zone" are their own municipalities, rather than Austin itself -- the answer is yes, Rollingwood and West Lake Hills (both east of 360 but west of Mopac) are technically not Austin. But they are closer to downtown than many other places that are actually in the city. Those are nice, safe areas with trees and hills, but not walkable. Mostly there are families there, even in the apartments, taking advantage of the prestigious Eanes ISD. Because of that, there is really no nightlife or young professional "scene" in those neighborhoods. But Barton Springs Rd, downtown and SoCo are only minutes away, so if you want to live in a "quiet" neighborhood and be a quick drive away from the action, those are possibilities.

Finally, you might check out downtown itself -- especially the west side. Very eclectic mix of condo owners and new renters in the high rise buildings, and it is of course walkable (and public transport in that area is great) and full of nightlife. Some of the buildings are all apartments, some are condos with a few for lease. The price range might be a little bit higher than what you listed, but I'll bet there are deals out there which would fall in line with what you want to pay. Worth a look.

Homes in all the above neighborhoods can be very expensive to buy, but your budget to rent a 2 bedroom apt/condo will get you into most areas of Austin. Good luck!