Moving to Austin / Neighborhood + Snake Advice (Spring, Kyle: house, roofing, kitchen cabinets)

[haiderva]

Dash, the job is off Research blvd, not downtown.

[ScoPro]

I've lived in the Austin & Round Rock areas for 59 years and have only seen a couple of little garden snakes outside in the neighborhoods. Never have seen a rattler even out at family "ranchette" lands.

[riaelise]

Speaking of snakes, saw a small rat snake right outside of our garage tonight. about a foot and a half long and thin as a pencil. would have missed him had I not been looking down, he was just there, for lack of a better word. Hanging out. Non-threatening. We did have to kill the guy though because he made a bee line into our garage and we couldn't get him out :/ we feel badly for doing that. (Not like I want to see any more of them)

LIke I said, my area is populated but is wooded, next to a creek and has lots of foliage. Right next to our subdivision is a huge ranch. So, it doesn't surprise me.

[mingna]

*Moseying on over to the other snake thread...*

I don't think your wife or kids should have any real concerns regarding encountering snakes regularly in their daily activities.

Snakes are attracted to areas where their prey are found, water (if none is available for them in their natural habitat), cool, shady areas in the summer, and warm, sunny areas in the winter. They prefer less trafficked areas, and those who don't are usually removed from the population pool via human-propelled Darwinism.

What you are more likely to encounter if out gardening is the harmless garter-type snake. But, I've never seen one either. Now, I will add I have seen one lying along a bike trail, or on the hiking path in other areas of Texas, but that is par for the course for this whole Texas region. You can lesson your chances of encountering one by minimizing the conditions that attract them around your yard. Many locals also keep outdoor cats for this reason. Making a lot of rustling noise, or hiking while tapping a stick will give them enough advance notice to avoid you.


I've hiked the local woodland trails and parks and have never encountered a snake. Personally, I would not let that concern influence my home selection. If given a choice between a house backing to a woodland nature park and one not, I would choose the former for privacy and aesthetic preference.

If your work is around Research Blvd., you might consider living in the neighborhoods surrounding it in northern Austin. It's a very nice area for families, and will have all the amenities you would need, including parks, outdoor activities access, and shopping. And, of high importance, a reasonable commute. Anderson Mill, Cedar Park, Jollyville are nice areas.


Btw, I would not recommend having a bird bath or open compost bin in your yard (enclosed, barrel kind is better).

[Trainwreck20]

Lots of options, relatively speaking, if you are working along Research (aka 183) in north Austin. Crime right along 183 used to be pretty high compared to a lot of the city, not sure if it still is. I lived just off of 183 for many years, a bit west of Lamar, and crime was common along there. The typical 'target' for that price and work location would probably be just NW along 183 somewhere, which is much lower crime. I think there are some rentals in Angus Valley and Mesa Park (and surrounding neighborhoods) that might fall into your price range, albeit on the 'smaller' side and all generally older (70s and 80s). The schools for those areas tend to be very good, though - Davis Elementary and Summit Elementary are both fairly well regarded still. I wouldn't worry too much about the middle and high schools yet, as you will be renting for now and those years are a long ways away.

The snakes comments that appear every now and then do make me smile. Just as a baseline, I have lived in Texas well over 50 years and many of those years very rural (snake country) and have NEVER seen a snake in anyone's house. I am sure it has happened, but in the area you are looking you are probably more likely to have a satellite fall on you or something. The snakes that are (infrequently) seen in those areas are usually varieties of harmless snakes. Cats WILL clear those out if you are really worried, but they are much more harmless than the other critters you might encounter in an urban area - fire ants at the top of the list, followed by wasps, mosquitoes, or centipedes. Kids can get cross-wise with some general innocuous animals, though, and get bitten - possums come to mind.

Edit: Looks like there are 7 houses in 78759 for rent under $2000. All are under 1,700 sf.

This one is just about three houses down from where I rented a house for almost 5 years. I loved this little neighborhood. Very quite streets as there is no 'through' traffic. The railroad to the east was far enough that it never bothered us. The neighborhood does look a bit 'weathered' after years and years of many rentals, but still great location.
http://www.austinhomesearch.com/rent...8759-237961196

[mingna]

^^^Don't forget biting midges, giant tree roaches, and dessert plate-sized spiders. LOL

...Or don't y'all get those in Austin?

[riaelise]

I think snakes are around more than one would like to think. it's just most times paths don't cross. yesterday our paths crossed. I do see more weird insects than snakes, though.

[RunninJT]

Originally Posted by mingna

^^^Don't forget biting midges, giant tree roaches, and dessert plate-sized spiders. LOL

...Or don't y'all get those in Austin?

We have plenty of Chiggers, Yes we have giant tree roaches galore and of course lots and lots of Tarantulas.

I come across Brown Recluses pretty frequently in rural areas and occasionally even in Windsor Hills, but rare. I have seen one Black Widow here, but lots of brown widows which eat black widows for breakfast, literally. Ecosystems can be weird, if you have lots of fire ants (which can be incredibly annoying) then you will likely not have a lot of scorpions or other insects since the fire ants will not tolerate them around. Kill off the fire ants and you might have scorpions move in to take up residence since they are likely tolerant of the poisons that killed the ants.

I have been bitten plenty of times by both, I would rather deal with the ants to be honest. Scorpion stings will make ya jump and hurts for hours.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by RunninJT

We have plenty of Chiggers, Yes we have giant tree roaches galore and of course lots and lots of Tarantulas.

I come across Brown Recluses pretty frequently in rural areas and occasionally even in Windsor Hills, but rare. I have seen one Black Widow here, but lots of brown widows which eat black widows for breakfast, literally. Ecosystems can be weird, if you have lots of fire ants (which can be incredibly annoying) then you will likely not have a lot of scorpions or other insects since the fire ants will not tolerate them around. Kill off the fire ants and you might have scorpions move in to take up residence since they are likely tolerant of the poisons that killed the ants.

I have been bitten plenty of times by both, I would rather deal with the ants to be honest. Scorpion stings will make ya jump and hurts for hours.

And tarantulas. Lots of tarantulas west of Mopac in the more wooded areas and near the lake.

[77030]

Snakes are awesome!

Here is my daughter feeding hers the other day...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1KuY5S9qKY&t=26s