East Austin still bad? (housing)

[ImOnFiya]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

The recession has kept it at an interesting level of gentrification. The neighborhood you dismiss is one of the premier hipster neighborhoods in the entire country. Millenials would give their back teeth to live there and for better or worse are moving there in droves.

You mean white millenials. Black and hispanic millenials would rather live elsewhere. Black millenials prefer Houston to Dallas, a center for black culture in Texas. Hispanic millenials love San Antonio, Houston and Dallas metros.

[EzPeterson]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

You mean white millenials. Black and hispanic millenials would rather live elsewhere. Black millenials prefer Houston to Dallas, a center for black culture in Texas. Hispanic millenials love San Antonio, Houston and Dallas metros.

Well, we're talking about Austin here, not Dallas and Houston - and for many, not everything is based on race, as it seems to be for you.

[Devout Urbanist]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

Well, we're talking about Austin here, not Dallas and Houston - and for many, not everything is based on race, as it seems to be for you.

First of all, ImOnFiya is talking about Austin. And his observation is correct. The Statesman ran a series of articles about the very issue in the early 2000s. Are they obsessed with race too? Those of us who are actually from Austin see that nothing has changed in that regard when we go back. It's just an observation. Secondly, ImOnFiya is referring to cultural/ethnic preferences, not racial ones. Apparently, you can't tell the difference. Lastly, the "not everything is based on race" argument almost always comes from someone who is inordinately preoccupied with race and just doesn't know it. Hence your determination to see "race" in a comment that is really about something else.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

You mean white millenials. Black and hispanic millenials would rather live elsewhere. Black millenials prefer Houston to Dallas, a center for black culture in Texas. Hispanic millenials love San Antonio, Houston and Dallas metros.

That's too much of a generalization. Go to the Thursday night social bike ride and you will see black and hispanic hipsters who love to hang out on the east side.

And I don't know exactly the demographic changes in the last 15 years, but I thought most blacks were relocating to far east Austin or Manor rather than going to Houston or Dallas.

My overall summation of the east side is if you don't go looking for trouble none will come to you. Recently I went to 12th and Chicon for the first time after sunset and didn't have a problem. Even this intersection has seen interest from investors and at least one building has been knocked down.

[Danbo1957]

I said that the area looks brighter.

As far as the counter-culture beatniks/hippies/artists/musicians/punks/goths/cool daddies/hipsters and wannabe's: West Campus in the 1950's (me too as a baby), Hyde Park in the 1960's, South Austin in the 1970s' (me too, attending UT), Clarksville in the 1980's (me too, on 12th), South Congress in the 1990's. The student/counter-culture (white middle-class whites with no money) have always lived in poorer areas close-in to UT. Been there, seen it.

[Mydesertsky]

Originally Posted by hexadecimal

Hi!

I recently moved to Austin from California to start as a grad student at UT. I have been having trouble finding a place and I have finally had one lined up. However, it's on the east side and from my Google searches on this site, I've seen that it's not the best place to live. However, the landlord I was talking to was saying that the area has been gentrified and that in the last 5 years, the conditions have improved dramatically. Obviously he will be biased as he's trying to rent out rooms there, but driving past the area, I have seen a mixture of new and old houses and some shady and some nice looking businesses.

Is this a bad place to live? The house itself looks quite nice and the rent is very low, and is only a couple miles from the campus. The landlord said the most that has ever been stolen from his property is a bicycle, and there are other college students living there, including some girls who are living on their own (I am a male FWIW). I just want to make sure my belongings will be alright and that I can feel safe coming home late at night. I've got a nicer looking car (not expensive but might be flashy to some) and would like to get a motorcycle and would like to wake up knowing they'll be there in the morning.

I've lived in some shadier parts of Santa Cruz as and undergraduate, and between the stabbings, gunshots and being chased by gangsters, I'm kind of done with that and would like to find some place that's relatively safe, even if the surroundings aren't in the best condition.

The place is off of MLK, across from the Morris Williams golf course.

Thanks for any input!

Greetings!

East Austin is the new hip place in ATX.
If you can afford Hyde Park it's ideal... Close to UT, but not as affordable as E Austin

[creepy]

Originally Posted by Danbo1957

Nobody chooses to live in East Austin if they can live in a better part of the city. That said, the Morris Williams area is fine for students, and the future look brighter for the area due to Mueller redevelopment and the gentrification of Near East Austin. Though, you couldn't pay me to live south of Manor Road to the river.

I suspect you have not been over there lately. Maybe 30 years ago many felt this way. White, upper middle class and rich whites mostly are flocking there. About 15 years ago you could get a 3-2-1 for about $120,00. That same house goes for about $180,000 today. It went up because of demand.

You see all kinds of hipsters on their bikes riding around over there. From the river to Manor Road IH-35 to past Springdale. Further north too in some places.

Most of the old Eastide seems to be in far North Austin now-Braker and Rutland I think.

[creepy]

[quote=df175;30444429]The area is ok, but just 1-2 miles to the NE and 1 mile south it's pretty bad, by Austin standards.



"Keep in mind that gun laws and their usage laws is very conservative in Texas, "

The gun laws are liberal but made by many conservatives-big difference.

Conservative gun laws would mean very little access to guns.
Important clarification.

[verybadgnome]

I did a search last night and only found one single family house under $250k (and it was 720 square feet for $249k) for the area bounded by Airport, IH-35, and the river. A lot has changed market-wise just in the last 18 months..........

[creepy]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

You mean white millenials. Black and hispanic millenials would rather live elsewhere. Black millenials prefer Houston to Dallas, a center for black culture in Texas. Hispanic millenials love San Antonio, Houston and Dallas metros.

we all use generalizations. I don't think you can blame ImOnfiya for that. On this thread i am doing it to because it is not specifically about that.

Segue-if you look at Hispanic stats for example as you come up from the border the state has a diminishing number of Hispanics as you head north. the rate in austin has risen in the past decade. my husband is one of those artist Hispanics and we won't live anywhere else in Texas. We are too old to be "hipsters". We were hipsters when it wasn't a bad word and synonymous with artist or punk. he is a native Austinite though. he was here and got called an oreo cause he was so "white".

So yes, there are some a few minorites moving in to the trendy ex-hood area but not as many as whites.