Apartments in Austin

Lunaticus, LPN · Jul 16, 2008

Well, I moved away in 2001, but when I did reside in Austin, I lived off of Far West. There were several nice, safe complexes in that area. They did most definitely cater to the student, what with the UT shuttle running through the area, but they were safe and fairly inexpensive. There was one added bonus, Far West is very near the hills off of Bee Cave Road, so the scenery is lovely. I had to watch out for the occasional deer inhabiting the middle of the road, but other than that, it was a great area to live. And on a final note, Austin isn't really all that big of a city, driving wise. I was able to make it from my apartment all the way to the south side of the city in less than fifteen minutes; in rush hour, add another ten minutes or so.

texas2007, BSN, RN · Jul 16, 2008

My last semester of nursing school I lived off of Far West also. I loved it! Like the previous poster said, there are lots of apartment complexes to choose from. The makeup of renters in this area is mostly grad students or young families. There's also a good bit of people who own homes in the area so I would see a bit of elderly at the grocery store too...but regardless I loved it. I lived at a place called somerset townhomes, they are a bit on the pricey end but I always felt safe, the unit was HUGE, and I got my own garage. Good luck! I would estimate the commute to downtown as being maybe 10-20 min from this area.

txredheadnurse, BSN, RN · Jul 16, 2008

Native born Austinite chiming in here lol. Far West is not a bad area to commute from. You might also want to consider some of the newer complexes located in the Northeast area of town; specifically north of 183. The commute time is comparable to the Far West area and rates are generally a bit less.

Downtown and central Austin are really cool areas to live but frequently quite pricey and parking can be problematic also.

One last note regarding commute times: any of the main routes, IH35, MoPac/Loop 1, 183, 360 can be absolutely jammed in the main work times so if you can mapquest your apartment to work site and explore some of the less traveled routes you can avoid much of the sitting in your car breathing exhaust fumes mess.

BrittRN2b · Jul 18, 2008

When I lived in Austin about 5 years ago I lived in Tanglewood North apartments and really liked them. Back then it was 900 for a 2/1 apartment and the real plus was the air conditioning was included in rent so my electric bill was only $25/mo, so that saved a lot of $$. I felt safe in that area because it is in a residential area of 45th street near Red River. It was about a 10 minute drive down I-35 to get to downtown, and if the freeway was ever clogged it was a 15 minute drive down Red River.

There is a good website where you can view the crime statistics by apartment complex in Austin... I don't remember the website but you should be able to find it with a Google search.

Have fun in Austin, I think it is the coolest city in Texas.

sunshine88 · Jul 18, 2008

Do you find most people commute into downtown. I have been looking into the NW areas to live but I am not sure if I should commute. I will be working nights so I don't think I should hit traffic.

I want somewhere that is affordable b/c I am a new grad and I have loans to pay off. However, I do want somewhere that is nice to live and I don't have to worry about my safety.

Has anyone ever used one of those apartment finders agencies? Do you feel that they are helpful or will they hound you?

Thanks!

editor2rn · Jul 19, 2008

Hospitals in Austin are all over. Several are downtown or very close to; others are in far north Austin, even more north in Round Rock, a couple are south, and one is being built now in the county just south of Austin's. Depending on where you land a job and where you live, you may never drive downtown. If you live off Far West and work at St. David's North, you'll be driving farther away from downtown to get to work, and you'll be nowhere near downtown.

About the rentals, I have limited experience renting in Austin. About two years ago we rented a two-bedroom two-bath off south Mopac, about five miles from downtown. The rent was $1,000/month, and we paid all of the utilities except for water. The apartment was OK, a gated complex but not "luxury" as far as appliances and glitzy amenities. We were on a six-month lease, too, so perhaps that's why the rent was that high. A friend of mine is going to rent her one-bedroom apartment in Hyde Park for $1,000/month and prefers to rent to a non-student. I can give you her contact info, if you'd like.

editor2rn · Jul 19, 2008

Argh! Just realized you already got a job downtown. That should teach me to post at midnight! Hyde Park would be convenient, so let me know if you want my friend's info.

You may also look just east of IH35, perhaps a block or two east of the UT border. There are streets there that have been occupied by young folks and professors, and the east side is becoming much more gentrified. I'd hesitate to wander around at night by myself, but it might be an option. Course, if you're living alone, maybe not. It might be worth a look though. Super convenient and probably not as pricey. I drive the East Seventh St.-East First Street area quite a bit, and it reminds me so much of old Austin. The area is looking a bit funky, not full of uber-trendy newcomers and not rife with crack addicts and prostitutes (the former can be seen posing in all their pretentious glory on South Congress, where the latter used to reside but have since moved to northeast Austin around Rutland and IH35).

Good luck!