78741 neighborhood (Dallas, Austin, Howe: apartments, condominiums, crime rate)

[goingtotx]

Hi, I am moving to the Trace Condominiums at Crossing Place 78741 in a few weeks as a new UT student. Can someone tell me about the neighborhood?

Specifically, do I need a car to get to the grocery stores? How "walkable" is the area? Are there streets for pedestrians or is it just roads full of cars?

I am coming from wayyy up northeast so bringing a car or driving down is going to be BIG hassle and headache I'd like to avoid if possible.

Any advice? Thanks!

[satanoid]

I looked at a house over here... keep in mind there is a great deal of crime on riverside and the surrounding apartments. Stick to the neighborhoods if you can.

[graygriffin]

I have lived down the street from there for a year and am chomping at the bit to move out. And yes, you will need a car for everything basically. one of the only bright spots of that particular complex is the UT shuttle and 'entertainment' bus (takes people downtown in the fall/winter/spring) stop directly out front.

[Austin-Sylvia]

Unfortunately, Austin is not a "walking city" and you need a car for most things. There are shops and grocery store along Riverside Drive, but this is not a walking friendly area. There is a lot of traffic along that road and the crime rate in this area is high. The UT shuttle is a big plus. Be careful and good luck.

[aliceinregularland]

I have friends who've lived at that complex and close to (some still do). It works ok if you're a student without a car. The HEB grocery is just a block away, there's a Korean store on Arena+Pleasant Valley, There's a good Indian Buffet behind the blockbuster and a dollar store and a scad of pizza places within 4 blocks. There are UT shuttles that pick up pretty frequently. The E bus will drop you off right close to there. That part of Austin was developed recently and was the first of the very innovative room-share student apartments EVER in the 90's. Because newer room-share 8-floor condos have opened up close to campus (for a higher rent) this area has gone through a lot of changes. They'll allow anyone to move in there provided that the individual is approved of by the rest of the roommies. That has translated to a lot of young, small-town thug-types coming to the capital to make a living who bring their mindsets with them. It seems the murders (that's right, murders) shootings and fights and robberies were over kids playing drug-dealer who seem to want the prestige of jail-time or bullet injuries. That sounds wrong and bitter, I know, but I've talked to some of the people involved and that's what I understand and I don't get it. Anyhow, they tend to keep it among themselves so keep niceties at a hand wave.

However, if you can, move to the townlake condos on pleasant valley and lakeshore. You MUST be a student to live there, They place is really gated and guarded and they have more better amenities plus, simply by only being a few blocks closer to the center, the bus routes are better and you shouldn't have to walk through potentially high-crime or high-traffic/pedestrian-unfriendly areas. You'll be closer to the lake and the hostil. and still close to the grocery store.

loc: Riverside Drive at Crossing Place Austin TX US - Google Maps

Austin is a walking city provided that you live off campus, downtown or Lamar. Areas north, south and west of there can HARDLY be considered Austin . It defenitley not as trafficky as Dallas or Huston. those cities are highway-gridlock-forget-about-walking-there nightmares. They have busstops there but buses never go by. By comparison Austin has a very sufficient bus system and it is projected to get bigger as the city grows. We're even getting light-rail train soon. And I can't wait! The buses and train transport your bike so you could bike and pedal. OK. So Having a car is NOT nescessary, but it helps. You may not drive it a lot but it could get you out of a bind, like what if you need to go to sanmarcos or west of mopac?

All Systems Go Long-Range Transit Plan - CapMetro