**Need Help Moving NYC to Austin!!** (Spring, Portland: sale, apartments, rental)

[lam515]

I am moving from New York City to Austin in the next 1-2 months. I have read through this forum, and there is a lot of useful information, but I need a a little more! I have never been to Austin, but heard it is a great city. I need a change from NYC... A few questions:

1) how soon can you get an apartment (ex. in new york you literally have to sign the day you see it or someone else will snatch it up, and you can move right away)... how early should i be looking & sign?

2) what area is the best to live in? (i would like somewhere where i can walk outside and there will be shops, restaurants, etc...) i heard downtown is a great place to live...??? (also i would prefer a spacious renovated apt.... as opposed to an older one...)

3) is the best place to run along the river? and is that a walkable distance from downtown if i lived there? (i am very active, and run a few miles everyday, and would like an area to live where i dont have to drive to go for a run... etc)

4) i saw a lot of nice complexes in the northwest... is it worth it to live up there? what is around there? anything?

5) also, in terms of getting an apt. can you get apts with no brokers fee's etc? get them directly through the mgt company? is the best place to look for apts on craigslist?

6) if you live downtown, are there parking spaces available? are they included in the cost of the apt? if not, how much does parking cost roughly? (i would need to buy a car too.... i dont need one here in nyc)

** Any answers/advice/help would be greatly appreciated! I don't have much time to find a place and am trying to do all the research I can on Austin... and I don't know anyone there! **

Thanks!!!

[Trainwreck20]

Apartments - not really a big deal, or it hasn't been historically. Occupancy is definitely up, but you can almost always get an apartment in an area, just maybe not a specific one. Most apts complexes will be able to get you a unit within a month or two. There are lots of vacancies at the beginning of summers when UT lets out, so that is probably the easiest time to get one.

Areas to live - Downtown is not as pedestrian friendly as S. Congress or the Barton Springs Rd. area (just south of the river near Zilker Park). You might also look in the Hyde Park area...it has a mix of students and non-students and has a few shops (not many). There are older units and recently updated units, I am sure, but it all depends on what you are willing to pay.

Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail - This trail goes from East of I-35 all the way over to MoPac and back on the opposite shore. Barton Springs Rd. or S. Congress will be easy walking/running distance from the trail.

Northwest - Depends on what you mean by NW. The apartments in the NW area of Austin proper tend to be the new, pretty fancy ones that came along with the dot com boom of the 90s. I lived up in NW Austin (near 183/MoPAc) while I was training for a marathon. Running options are limited to residential neighborhoods and you have to work at new routes if you run more than 2 or 3 miles a day.

Getting an Apt - I always just drove around and looked at apts and went in to check out prices/availability. Of course, I was living here, so that made it easy. I think almost everyone rents directly from the mgt co. There are apt finders, but you do not pay them, the apt. complexes do. They tend to have a 'client' list of apartments, though, so they do not show you everything, just the places that they have a deal with. Still, probably not a bad way to go if you are looking from a distance (e.g. NY).

Parking - Almost every complex has 1 space per unit, an most have a space for every bedroom in the unit. If you are looking at some of the lofts/condos directly downtown, though, I don't know if they charge separately for parking. Some complexes (i.e. Riata) allow you to upgrade to a garage for an additional monthly fee.

[julrey]

Originally Posted by lam515

2) what area is the best to live in? (i would like somewhere where i can walk outside and there will be shops, restaurants, etc...) i heard downtown is a great place to live...??? (also i would prefer a spacious renovated apt.... as opposed to an older one...)

3) is the best place to run along the river? and is that a walkable distance from downtown if i lived there? (i am very active, and run a few miles everyday, and would like an area to live where i dont have to drive to go for a run... etc)

If you're coming from NYC I can't imagine you'll find downtown Austin to be pedestrian unfriendly. There are the usual issues with homeless people milling around but they're really not that threatening and there's otherwise nothing like the level of foot traffic you're used to.

Also there are free "Dillo" shuttles that run around various routes downtown and can get you to the hike & bike trails in literally less than 5 minutes. Look for the buses that look like street cars with wheels and you've got yourself a free ride. I recommend them for visitors and new residents as a quick and "cheap" way to take a look at the downtown/university area (don't worry, they won't take you beyond the center of the city so it's nearly impossible to get lost).

Downtown Austin is in the midst of a growth boom right now but geographically is really small, even for a city of it's size. If I could afford to live downtown in Austin I would. It may not be as peaceful and laid back as some of the quieter communities but you really can't argue with the amenities. Unless you prefer chain restaurants/stores or hanging out at the mall chances are just about all the culture and recreation you need will be just a hop, skip and a jump away.

[three_fish]

lam515: My wife, 22-mo old boy and I are also moving from NYC to Austin. We're presently considering a house in the River Place neighborhood. I don't really have much of anything to offer to your post, but just thought I'd say hi. We're hoping to move in June. We're also just ready for a change from NYC life. We've done our time (10 years) and are just ready to move on.

Take care.

[Lumerian Feast]

Originally Posted by lam515

1) how soon can you get an apartment (ex. in new york you literally have to sign the day you see it or someone else will snatch it up, and you can move right away)... how early should i be looking & sign?

It's pretty easy. Some places have immediate occupancy, others take a couple of weeks. It's not at all like NYC, where you have to get a broker and it seems like the competition is pretty fierce. Just call the owner/management company, they'll show you the place, and you can pretty much move in whenever it's ready.

2) what area is the best to live in? (i would like somewhere where i can walk outside and there will be shops, restaurants, etc...) i heard downtown is a great place to live...??? (also i would prefer a spacious renovated apt.... as opposed to an older one...)

Downtown, South Austin, Hyde Park are all good places for what you describe. Though parking downtown can be a pain.

3) is the best place to run along the river? and is that a walkable distance from downtown if i lived there? (i am very active, and run a few miles everyday, and would like an area to live where i dont have to drive to go for a run... etc)

If you live downtown or in South Austin, go running at Zilker Park. There are also running lanes all along the rest of the river downtown. Don't worry, you won't be the only runner in Austin.

4) i saw a lot of nice complexes in the northwest... is it worth it to live up there? what is around there? anything?

Eh. I guess the Arbor area is okay, with some decent shops/stores (though most of them are chains) but generally you'll have to drive most places, which it sounds like you don't want to do.

5) also, in terms of getting an apt. can you get apts with no brokers fee's etc? get them directly through the mgt company? is the best place to look for apts on craigslist?

Oops, looks like I jumped on that one above. "Apartment brokers" seem to be mostly an NYC scam. Craigslist is okay; apartments dot com (if I post the link they'll delete it) seems to have mostly management-run places, but that might be what you're looking for. Some of the places on there are pretty nice.

6) if you live downtown, are there parking spaces available? are they included in the cost of the apt? if not, how much does parking cost roughly? (i would need to buy a car too.... i dont need one here in nyc)

Parking's tough. Some downtown buildings (esp. newer ones, if you're renting a condo) have parking spaces, and it varies whether the space is included in the rental price. If you're in an older house near downtown, there might be a driveway. But it's definitely a pain in the butt. Buses are okay here; I do know a few people who get by here without a car, though they need to get rides if something's happening outside of the central area.

[scongress1234]

My only advice, if you are making that move sight unseen, is don't build Austin up too much in your mind before you move. I did, and I would have been better off at least checking the place out a bit before I jumped in with both feet. Here are a few salient points to ponder.
1.) Austin is in most ways just another mid-sized city, in most respects just like the rest. Like Columbus, it has a major state university in the middle. Like Indianapolis, it has a decent-sized DT for its size. Like most state capitals that are sizable, it has a reasonable amount of state jobs. The same franchises, big-box stores, same park systems and mini complexes, and same cookie-cutter subdivisions. In most respects, in other words, Austin is just another mid-sized city, not an El Dorado, as some carry in their minds eye before they move by reading the hype. BTW, being just another mid-sized city in most respects is not such a bad thing. Life is basically nondescript and humdrum. People eat out, shop, hang out in their houses much of the time, and raise families. Such is life.
2.) Austin has more of a southern flavor than many think that haven't been there. If you've never lived in the south, you may take a bit of time getting used to it. The drawl itself takes time to get used to, and there is much of it. I've had numerous occasions where either the person I'm addressing couldn't pick up on what I said completely, or I missed the contextual meaning or literally didn't pick up on the words themselves. Southern culture leans more towards specific foods, guns are more available and advertised, and there is a more general libertarian ethic. Things move far slower too. This is also a good thing. Texas and Austin are their own specific places and spaces, and one who projects what it SHOULD be from out of area is making a mistake. It is not california east, or whathaveyou. When you are in Rome, do and be as the Romans do. Don't whine about what it should be, or go back from whence you came.
3.) Austin's entertainment heavily leans towards live bands in a small area DT. You will find yorself walking the same streets over and over again. There are not the multiple neighbrhoods and areas you find in other cities. There are few museums, no major league sports, little live theater, but the high culture, which was lagging of late, is getting better with the addition of the Long center this year. Large, established corporations long embedded in the community are few. Many are newer and on the small side. Suffice it to say, local companies give very little sponsorship to cultural venues, and most have to scurry to find performance space. You would think there would be a major cultural center with Dell or Whole Foods name on it, but you would be wrong. Zilker park had to cancel a concert series midstream last year, when the sponsors backed out. My point is, outside of the barband scene, there is little cultural activity, and much of it can be blamed on the foremetioned abject lack of corporate sponsorship.
4) Driving, and the infrastructure for the same, is really bad in Austin. It is designed for 75% of the traffic, at best. Gettingaround is very confusing. Few streets go entirely east or west, most are blocked off at certain points, and many streets are on interminable diagonals. Many businesses are located on I-H freeway frontage roads, and are hard to find. And, no matter what they tell you, Austin is NOT pedestrian friendly. Crossing South Congress is very similar to a real-life version of *******, with few cross-walk streetlights. Same with much of the rest of the city. In most of the north parts of the city, there are few parks or jogging trails, and you must run through the subdivisions.

That being said, Austin has many fine points as well. People are extremely friendly, there is a lot of live music, the city center and environs havesome really unique commercial and residential areas, and the University of Texas always has lots of things going on. The weather is great much of the year. Food is by and large unique, regional, and delicious. There is a great eclectic quirkiness to much of the area, though the areas in which you find that quirkiness are small and shrinking. Some classic unique places like the trailer park next to shady grove are being torn down to build high-end condos. South Congress and Travis Heights are going to see lots of high-end condo construction in the next few years. My main point is that the vast majorty of the city is the same as any other...the same of all I mentioned. And its hard to say how much Austin can hang onto that eclectic spirit as it grows and bulldozes over former classic little places, and brings in the franchises from out-of-area. So, when you go to Austin sight unseen, just try to relate to it on its own terms. It is what it is. Don't try to change it in your mind, or berate what it is not. It is a great place, but in many ways it is losing the vibe that made it what it is, when it was far smaller. If you heed all the above, you should do just fine there.

BTW, the blipped out word was Fr*gger. I guess it looked close to the other bad word...

[three_fish]

Well, since my wife grew up in Indianapolis, and I grew up in Wisconsin, I think we'll be fine. I'm sure we'll miss parts of our NYC life, but we're both ready to kick back a little. While I'm not looking to live life as "basically nondescript and humdrum", I'm pretty cool with eating out, shopping, hanging out in the house and raising a family. We're both pretty social people, so we are hoping to make enough $ on the sale of our NYC place to be able to join the River Place country club just for the social opportunities (and some tennis and golf when the mood strikes).

I think what we might miss most is being able to order delivery of just about any type of food you can imagine at almost any time of day/night. But as long as I can get some good Tex/Mex w/out much hassel, I'm pretty sure I'll be ok.

[scongress1234]

Originally Posted by three_fish

Well, since my wife grew up in Indianapolis, and I grew up in Wisconsin, I think we'll be fine. I'm sure we'll miss parts of our NYC life, but we're both ready to kick back a little. While I'm not looking to live life as "basically nondescript and humdrum", I'm pretty cool with eating out, shopping, hanging out in the house and raising a family. We're both pretty social people, so we are hoping to make enough $ on the sale of our NYC place to be able to join the River Place country club just for the social opportunities (and some tennis and golf when the mood strikes).

I think what we might miss most is being able to order delivery of just about any type of food you can imagine and almost any time of day/night. But as long as I can get some good Tex/Mex w/out much hassel, I'm pretty sure I'll be ok.

I truly think you folks will like it. I came from Chicago, and spent a lot of time
complaining about what it wasn't. Sounds like you guys are open minded enough to adapt quite well....best of luck to you both!

[mwv]

NW Austin is purely suburban. The complexes there are new-ish, but there's nothing around them of any note.

Everything that's "unique" about Austin is in Central Austin, roughly 51st street down to Oltorf. Once you get north or south of this area, you quickly run into anywhere-America suburb or too much Texas (or Mexico.)

Hyde Park has a lot of older apartment buildings that are funky if a bit small and old, yet affordable--- although not nearly as cheap as they were just a couple of years ago.

South Congress is good too, but pricey. East Austin (East of Downtown) has possibilities, but you need know the area better probably before moving there, as some areas aren't safe.

I don't really agree with soncongress1234's comments, at least not regarding the central areas. Superficially, Austin is a medium sized city that has some resemblance to Indianapolis and Columbus. An important quality is that people are very different. Austin attracts, in large numbers, people from all over the country and has a far more dynamic economy. Education attainment is significantly higher than those of the two cities cited. A lot of people move to Austin because they're searching for a special kind of mojo. Some find it, some don't. There are only few cities that draw a nation-wide pull like this however... NY, SF, Portland, Austin.. perhaps a couple of others.

Many people I think miss out on daily lived experience of Austin because they live in outlying areas that are droll suburbs that could be interchanged with almost anywhere else the country. To make an analogy, if a bit overstated, living in Bayside Queens is rather different than living in Greenwich Village.

[scongress1234]

I do think Austin is a great place, but truly the unique, funky areas are few and far between. I thought most of the city was like that, and was surprised that just a small central area had that vibe. I also think there is much to be desired per public libraries, park systems, city-wide jogging and bike trails(In Indianapolis, the monon trail goes 25 miles smack through the entire city), and family friendly amenities(no amusement parks, reconstructed villages(again, conner prairie in Indy is a replica 19th century village) or decent family museums(not one children's museum, let alone natural history or planetarium museums). I think they need far more shopping downtown, along with more live theater and such. Finally, they need more common spaces for folks to meet and mingle in the north and NW, along with places to stroll. I'm sure Austin will be working on these things in the future, and I expect a far different
city in 3-5 years.