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Old 07-07-2011, 10:06 AM
 
15 posts, read 26,384 times
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Hello
I posted a couple of months ago saying my family will be relocating from London to Austin next year due to my husband's work and I got some good responses.
Since then, some of my husband's colleagues in Austin have suggested Clarksville as a place to move to as it will be very close to where my husband will be working.
However, I'm wondering how pricey it will be in terms of rental property being so close to Downtown.
We are looking for a 3 bed house with a garden. On average how much would the rent be?
In my earlier post, I wanted an area where I could walk to most places with my baby (parks, trails, grocery stores, coffee shops etc). Would Clarksville fit that bill?
More importantly, how child friendly is Clarksville? Is it full of young professionals or are there families? We would like a family oriented neighbourhood.
Also what would our options be for pre-School/day care in Clarksville?
I don't know whether this should make any difference, and I hope it doesn't; we are a mix-race family (Chinese-Irish) and I'd like my daughter to be surrounded by as much diversity as possible (race/religion etc). What would people say is the general make-up of Clarksville?
Many thanks for your help!
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Old 07-07-2011, 10:13 AM
 
Location: central Austin
7,228 posts, read 16,036,817 times
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price range will be the determining factor! Clarksville is very walkable in that there are a lot of things to walk to (coffee houses, drug stores, dry cleaners, parks etc) but there are few sidewalks and the streets are narrow and hilly.

All of Austin is child-friend! Because Clarksville is so pricey, there may be fewer children there than in other places. Finding a 3-bedroom rental may be difficult.

Remember when I recommended French Place and Open Door East Preschool? Well, in Clarksville there is Open Door Central (no part-time or part-week option however) as well as St. Luke's Infant Care (up to 18 months) and Matthews Elementary.

Fairly diverse area, especially the elementary school because it draws from UT grad student housing.

The only issue with Clarksville is price!
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Old 07-07-2011, 10:16 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
399 posts, read 971,193 times
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Clarksville is a great neighborhood, but expensive. Never lived there myself, but have visited friends who lived there - I'd say it's a mix of single professionals and families. Very walkable, etc. Did I mention expensive? :sigh:
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Old 07-07-2011, 11:18 AM
 
15 posts, read 26,384 times
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So what would be talking about, $4000 per month or so?
I think we could push up to $2500. Hmmmm. Sigh indeed.

Yes, Centralaustinite, I did a lot of looking into French Place and OpenDoor. I did like the sound of both, but my husband's colleagues put me off slightly about French Place. Saying it was very close to a very sketchy part of town and didn't recommend me walking close to there with a baby....
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Old 07-07-2011, 01:01 PM
 
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Have you looked at something in Far West or Northwest Hills? It's hilly and it would depend how far back you are in the neighborhood, but those might be options. How about the Arboretum area? There are some trails back in there and a golf course. The Arboretum shopping area is shaded and nice to walk in. Of course, none of those are as close to downtown as you were wanting. However, they are very safe, family-oriented areas. I understand you want walkability, but frankly, I have to question if you're clinging to this one thing you really enjoyed where you're from that just isn't one of our natural "perks" here in Austin. I would question whether that's worth giving up a bunch of other stuff by paying a steep rent each month. I would also question whether you're really going to want to be walking everywhere with your baby when it's 95-100 degrees outside for 4 months out of the year. It is nice in the spring and fall, I'll admit. But, it's your decision to make. Perhaps that is worth it to you.
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Old 07-07-2011, 01:25 PM
 
509 posts, read 1,539,387 times
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If you could go to $2500 a month, there are a few cute places available. From the number that have gone pending, it looks like you may have to jump quick when you find one you like:
Search Results (http://austinhomesearch.com/Search/Results.aspx?or=2&li=249806 - broken link)

Not all are in Clarksville, but they are in the surrounding area. I searched on the zip codes 78703 and 78704.
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Old 07-07-2011, 01:31 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,283 posts, read 2,727,434 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by londonite View Post
So what would be talking about, $4000 per month or so?
I think we could push up to $2500. Hmmmm. Sigh indeed.

Yes, Centralaustinite, I did a lot of looking into French Place and OpenDoor. I did like the sound of both, but my husband's colleagues put me off slightly about French Place. Saying it was very close to a very sketchy part of town and didn't recommend me walking close to there with a baby....
Londonite, the reason they said it was sketchy was because it was near the traditional African-American and Mexican neighborhoods. The irony in the suggestion of Clarksville in that it was the original neighborhood for African-Americans in the 19th Century before post-Confederate Jim Crow laws and segregation policy forced nearly all of the African-Americans to the eastside of town next to where French Place is.

It is with further irony that for the acclaim Austin has the home of Texas liberalism, the issue of race is still a very vexing problem. To be blunt, many whites are "color-struck" and many blacks, hispanics, and asians still self-segregate.

As a black person, I find it insulting that these "colleagues" of your husband's would tell you that you would be in danger with a baby. These people wouldn't dare say that with a minority in earshot and that says alot about their character (they know what would happen).

One thing you should about Texans: We are strong. We say what we mean and, most importantly, we don't hold back.

You are perfectly safe nearly anywhere in Austin. I wish you well.

Last edited by ImOnFiya; 07-07-2011 at 01:46 PM..
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Old 07-07-2011, 02:10 PM
 
Location: central Austin
7,228 posts, read 16,036,817 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ImOnFiya View Post
Londonite, the reason they said it was sketchy was because it was near the traditional African-American and Mexican neighborhoods. The irony in the suggestion of Clarksville in that it was the original neighborhood for African-Americans in the 19th Century before post-Confederate Jim Crow laws and segregation policy forced nearly all of the African-Americans to the eastside of town next to where French Place is.

It is with further irony that for the acclaim Austin has the home of Texas liberalism, the issue of race is still a very vexing problem. To be blunt, many whites are "color-struck" and many blacks, hispanics, and asians still self-segregate.

As a black person, I find it insulting that these "colleagues" of your husband's would tell you that you would be in danger with a baby. These people wouldn't dare say that with a minority in earshot and that says alot about their character (they know what would happen).

One thing you should about Texans: We are strong. We say what we mean and, most importantly, we don't hold back.

You are perfectly safe nearly anywhere in Austin. I wish you well.
Ironies abound!

Yes, they were speaking out of ignorance and I doubt that any of them knew anything about French Place/Wilshire Woods other than what they had "heard" at some point (ie the wrongheaded notion that there is danger "east of I35"). I have walked that entire neighborhood time and again with infants in carriers and then in strollers as my older kids took swimming lessons in the neighborhood. My youngest son attended daycare in the neighborhood and I have worked in the area too. Great neighborhood association, great neighborhood listserve. I've even met the postman for the neighborhood who a playwright! (and whose plays get performed). It has more cool, interesting, varied people per block than almost any other central austin neighborhood, and it is still affordable!

I rate your husband's future co-workers as "not very reliable" when it comes to information! As a non-native Texas, I am holding back a bit about what I think but a plus 10 to Fiya for speaking the truth! Word.
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Old 07-07-2011, 03:07 PM
 
15 posts, read 26,384 times
Reputation: 10
@ImonFiya and Centralaustinite
I don't know the US colleagues well at all, but I do know at least one of them who commented on French PLace/CHerrywood are from ethnic backgrounds themselves so I'm sure their angst wasn't racially motivated. They just mentioned there were numerous burglaries and car vandalism near that area and worried for me walking the sidewalks with a baby.
As I have already mentioned, our family is mixed race and I'd like to be in a neighbourhood that has a diverse populace and not to be seen as "out of place".

@H886 - Yes, I am used to walking everywhere here in London. I understand the car culture that is Austin. I just don't want to stick my daughter in the car all the time to get to a park/shop. My husband will be working in Downtown so would like to live close to there as possible without us breaking the bank!

@Dr Mom, thanks for the link
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Old 07-08-2011, 11:00 AM
 
77 posts, read 218,666 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by londonite View Post
I don't know whether this should make any difference, and I hope it doesn't; we are a mix-race family (Chinese-Irish) and I'd like my daughter to be surrounded by as much diversity as possible (race/religion etc). What would people say is the general make-up of Clarksville?
Many thanks for your help!
It's mainly white with some small pockets of African-American. Overall the city is pretty segregated, with most neighborhoods either being mostly/all-white, or mostly/all-hispanic and black. Clarksville is not an exception to this rule.

If you are asking whether you will find diversity in Clarksville from an ethnic perspective, then I would say the answer is no. Whether you would be "excessively noticed" to the extent it makes you uncomfortable is an entirely different question, one which I can't really answer for either Clarksville or Austin in general.

There is a white guy in the neighborhood who rides around on a bike wearing a really skimpy thong, and I'm sure he gets excessively noticed, but everyone seems to tolerate him. But that kind of tolerance doesn't necessarily translate into a "hey, let's get to know each other" situation. I'm not sure most people would really want to know why the thong guy does what he does.
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