Just got back from apartment hunt. Central was a bust! Help! (Austin: apartment complex, for rent)

[donnaaries]

Also, try using Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments. It does a good job of weeding through Craigslist ads.

[mimimomx3]

The area off of Far West has several apartments, it's walkable and there are several good restaurants in the area.

[Suzie85]

Thanks for all the recommendations! Several of the suggested areas match places where I've seen apartment ads in my budget. It really helps me narrow things down!!

[homesteading]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

The area off of Far West has several apartments, it's walkable and there are several good restaurants in the area.

Could you tell me more about this area? I won't be moving until Oct, but I'm trying to get to know some of the different areas first. Where is this area on the map?

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by homesteading

Could you tell me more about this area? I won't be moving until Oct, but I'm trying to get to know some of the different areas first. Where is this area on the map?

Far West Blvd. Just West of MoPac (Loop 1). The U.T. Shuttle bus runs to the location, but its my impression that the area attracts more married couples rather then the single party crowd.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by homesteading

Could you tell me more about this area? I won't be moving until Oct, but I'm trying to get to know some of the different areas first. Where is this area on the map?

It's in Northwest Austin, off of Mopac (loop 1), the Far West exit. The area is roughly bounded by Spicewood Springs road to the North and 2222 to the South. The neighborhood is called "Northwest Hills".

[je4xff]

Far West itself is a fairly short - with a strip of office buildings and small businesses that lead into the residential area. There are some apartments around that tend towards grad-students and twenty somethings, and the residential neighborhood around it is fairly affluent.

You got your standard chains - HEB (with a Kosher deli), Starbucks, Radio Shack, Good Year, Quiznos, Wendy's, etc. There are a bunch of small businesses as well, including an Indian restaurant and a local bar where you can get one of the best Philly cheesesteaks in town (Boulevard Grill). All in all a nice neighborhood, but not a whole lot to it.

[homesteading]

Thanks for the replies!

[Austinitegirl]

Originally Posted by Suzie85

I'd posted awhile back asking for advice on a move from New Orleans. Yesterday, I visited the city and concentrated mainly in SoCo and Hyde Park.

Unfortunately, I didn't leave feeling very good about anything. All but one of the listings for studios was actually studio-size. Nearly all were efficiencies with just enough room for a bed and maybe a small desk. I really just can't see myself living in a space half the size of most hotels rooms, not for $650/month.

As for the neighborhoods, I found SoCo to be just as obnoxiously trendy as I'd been warned. With the exception of the Storyville store (a favorite of mine on NOLA's Magazine St), I don't see myself spending much time on South Congress. Hyde Park was in some ways a pleasant surprise, but the sheer number of students was overwhelming. I did like its walkability and the mix of apartments, homes, parks, and local businesses, but it felt like an area with more people than space.

I was able to drive from Hyde Park to one of my job sites around Arboretum in 15 minutes, but half an hour later, I got to experience the "joy" of Austin traffic. And since I'll be driving to work more than I'll be driving downtown, I should probably not be something central.

From here on out, I'm gonna try working with some reputable realtors (since I may not get another chance to visit) but if I ask them to look for rentals in North Austin, is there an area I can have them focus on? At this point, I'd settle for something not super-strip-mall-like. Are there any neighborhoods up in North Austin where grad students and young professionals tend to congregate? Any streets where small, local businesses are plentiful? I wanna have a coffee shop other than Starbucks to hang out in and read. I wanna be able to go to a mellow bar, have a drink, meet up with friends...and I want that bar not to be attached to a chain restaurant.

I just returned from a visit to NOLA! I've never been there before - what a cool/funky town!

So - now that I've (very recently) seen central NOLA... I think it's safe to say that you aren't going to find anything like that here.

You've already gotten lots of great suggestions. I would only add perhaps parts of east Austin - there is a lot of revitalization going on, and although some parts of it are still kinda icky, there are other parts that have really embraced the funk. (I mean that in the non-smelly way)

Here's a website dedicated entirely to east Austin: East Austin Online - A Business Directory for East Austin Texas

And here's another one: East Austinite

It's not exactly close to where you work, but if you are looking for some NOLA-ish funk - that might be your best bet.

Also - south Lamar and around Zilker (Barton Hills/Bouldin Creek neighborhoods).

Good luck!

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by je4xff

Far West itself is a fairly short - with a strip of office buildings and small businesses that lead into the residential area. There are some apartments around that tend towards grad-students and twenty somethings, and the residential neighborhood around it is fairly affluent.

You got your standard chains - HEB (with a Kosher deli), Starbucks, Radio Shack, Good Year, Quiznos, Wendy's, etc. There are a bunch of small businesses as well, including an Indian restaurant and a local bar where you can get one of the best Philly cheesesteaks in town (Boulevard Grill). All in all a nice neighborhood, but not a whole lot to it.

Well, it's not really SOCO (thank goodness....) just a real neighborhood. There's a post office, a library, two big grocery stores (Randalls, HEB), haircut chain places, Austin Regional Clinic. There's plenty to it.