Is the area near street Camino La Coasta Safe? (Austin: apartments, lease)

[Destroyer219]

I am from Grapevine, TX, and due to school, I moved to Austin, into apartments off of Camino La Coasta, right on the east side of 35. First things I see when I got there are barbed wire fences and right in front of my apartment, a car got broken into.....Then I hear the whole East side West side deal....Now I am kinda bit worried and I am not gonna lie that this is a huge change in environment, but is this area "safe"?

[atxcio]

It depends on your perspective, I suppose. Not unsafe, but certainly going to have higher than average (for Austin) problems with property crime and the criminal element. There are some worse areas in Austin, and many worse areas in DFW even around Grapevine. But it has been a bad area for crime (by Austin standards) for some time, with recent improvement as the Mueller development and neighborhoods near it become more desirable due to the location (close-in areas on the East side of central Austin are gentrifying). If the economy hadn't gone bad, it probably would be a nice area by now. As it is, it will probably take several more years to be considered a "good" area.

You should be fine if you are diligent and use a minimum of street smarts. And it is convenient to downtown and many nice things.

[feconi]

Yeah, that's not the best area. That general area of town, particularly the St. Johns area nearby, is pretty run-down.

Property crime is a problem particularly in the areas near I-35 and it probably won't be long before you see another car broken into in your complex. That said, you are not in any real danger living there. Violent crime in Austin is low for a city its size.

You say you are here for school--if you decide to move from where you live now, I would recommend the Far West area (Far West Blvd/Mopac). Rent is reasonable and it's quiet despite the large student population, and the area is safer and overall just much nicer.

[verybadgnome]

I just did a search on the APD crime viewer for Atkinson Rd and its a bit higher than the average, including one aggravated assault and one rape last September. Its probably no worse than say E Riverside but you can probably do better unless you're really strapped for cash.

[RooCeleste]

I work right behind that area off Cameron Road. It definitely isn't the best area to live in. Reagan High School isn't far, and there have been some serious incidences nearby in the past few years. If I was single and looking for a place to live, I certainly wouldn't pick anywhere in that area along I-35. There are just too many better options that are safer.

[CptnRn]

I'm sorry to say that most of the IH-35 corridor experiences a lot of crime and has some of the highest numbers for aggravated assaults in the area. I suggest you start looking for someplace safer to move to as soon as your lease expires. Meanwhile you need to be careful and protect yourself while you are there.

You can see on this crime map that there are quite a few assaults in the area. http://www.spotcrime.com/tx/austin

There is more detailed information on crime in austin here: 2009 Crime Statistics now available

[ImOnFiya]

I work at the corner of Cameron & 290 down the street at the business park. The area needs a makeover, but it's cheaper than most places and there are actually some houses the "Keeping up with the Joneses" crowd should be buying.

Other than that, all good with me!

[Nomadic9460678748]

There are efforts to "hipsterfy" nearby. Nomad Bar and Lounge up Cameron is an effort and the Carousel Lounge used to get its fair share of hipsters. I'm not even sure if it's still open.

I used to know someone who lived in that part of town and I would walk to her apartment at night (I am female) and I never felt unsafe. Just be smart and you should be fine.

People in Austin act like it's Beirut or Compton because there are no coffee houses or something, but it's fine.