Questions About Bastrop (San Antonio, Austin, Kyle: crime rate, how much, house)

[Mntnrydr48]

Hi All, my husband’s job is relocating us to the Austin area. We recently spent a weekend scoping out the area. We liked so many areas but loved Bastrop due to the beautiful trees and the affordability. We would like a little land for chickens and such. I have 5 kids so need the space. My question is how is this area for raising a family? The neighborhoods seemed great when driving through but after doing research I am slightly disturbed by the high crime rate and am wondering how this affects people? I homeschool so am not too concerned by schools in the area. We are just wanting a good, safe, family vibe. Also, about how much is the commute to Austin (all over for construction) using toll roads? We aren’t familiar with toll roads. Lastly, how are the water utility costs? I’ve read that water bills in Kyle and Buda can be extremely high. Thanks!!

[DashRiprock]

I can't help you with the utility costs but I have relatives who live near there and I think it would be a great place to live if you didn't have to commute to Austin. Like everywhere, traffic has steadily gotten worse to the point where I think it would be unbearable for me. There's a lot of construction currently around the airport and 183; what the future holds I don't know. I would imagine the long term plan would be to construct overpasses at the various nuisance lights on 71 but I don't really know. It's going to be rough for a long time, I think.

For tolls, afaik, if you're going downtown the only toll you have to deal with right now is the flyover at 71 and 130. I think it's like $.85? Not sure. It's relatively easy to bypass, though, if you're willing to sit through a couple of lights. If you have to get on 130 either way that can get costly depending on where you get off.

I'm not aware that Bastrop has a high crime rate. Where are you seeing that?

I don't know where you're coming from but you should know that Texas in general and Austin/Bastrop in particular has lots of rattlesnakes, scorpions, gun owners and people who drive pickup trucks. The Bastrop pines are nice but prone to horrible wildfires, and it's going to be 102 for the next three days. As always, it's probably best to stay where you are.

[Mntnrydr48]

Thanks for your response. I really appreciate it. My husbands job is moving him so we don’t really have a choice in that. We are just trying to find the best place around Austin. I found the crime info at http://www.city-data.com/city/Bastrop-Texas.html, and also on websites like Areavibe and niche. I’m glad to hear you haven’t heard that. Maybe it’s not that big of an issue.
So are rattlesnakes all over the Austin area? We may just have to deal with that since we want a house with land. It does make me nervous, though.
Again, thanks for your help.

[ashbeeigh]

Rattle snakes are a Texas thing. Period. In the thirty years I have been here I have never seen one. My parents’ dog had a run in with one years ago. They do live behind a green belt though. They’ve lived in that house for almost twenty years and have only once seen a rattle snake. I have heard a story of a doctor in San Antonio coming cactos one in San Antonio and being bit by one. Thank goodness he was a doctor, knew exactly what to do and was within feet if a hospital. Read up on snake safety and you’ll be fine.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

Rattle snakes are a Texas thing. Period. In the thirty years I have been here I have never seen one. My parents’ dog had a run in with one years ago. They do live behind a green belt though. They’ve lived in that house for almost twenty years and have only once seen a rattle snake. I have heard a story of a doctor in San Antonio coming cactos one in San Antonio and being bit by one. Thank goodness he was a doctor, knew exactly what to do and was within feet if a hospital. Read up on snake safety and you’ll be fine.

Ive been here for 20 years and seen 1 also. Ive lived on a greenbelt almost the whole time and am in the greenbelt almost everyday.

[centralaustinite]

OP here are some threads on Bastrop!


Bastrop -- a quick review


Place Between Bastrop and Georgetown


Bastrop- is it good for kids


Family-friendly, under 200k(Elgin, Leander, Buda, Dripping Springs, Bastrop)???

[Mntnrydr48]

Ok, good to know about he snakes! I’ll do my research. Being in a more rural place we will probably have lots of different critters!
Thanks for the Bastrop posts! I haven’t seen some of those so that’s a big help!

[maksidaa]

Hi OP! I live in Bastrop, and while there is some traffic between Austin and Bastrop, it's usually not too bad. Like anywhere around Austin, there are certain times of day when it is worse than others. There is a large home school community in Bastrop as well, so you'll have that going for you.

I've lived here for 5 years and have not had or heard of anyone experiencing issues with crime. I'm sure there are things that go on around here, but i feel safe raising a family here, and the most frightening thing we experience on any given day is driving on and exiting from Highway 71.

We live near the river off a dirt road, and we have encountered a couple of rattle snakes and a coral snake in 5 years. The snakes are by far more afraid of us than we are of them, and of the stories we've heard of people being snake bit, they've all been minor. We've seen a few scorpions, but we have a lot more wasps than anything else. We have a pest control company come spray every 3 months.

No matter where you go in the Austin area, there are trade offs to be had (high cost of living, traffic, snakes, etc), but for my family Bastrop has been a nice mix of quiet rural living, with close proximity to all the fun things Austin has to offer. You can have your chickens and your horses and your acreage (although land around here is getting expensive fast), and as long as you don't mind the heat you can be outside walking or riding bikes or playing in the yard year round.

[eirenecat]

The more rural you live, the more you will be likely to see rattlesnakes. Bastrop will most certainly have them, particularly if you want to live on land.

I've lived in Austin for 35+ years all over (Oak Hill, rural Manor, central Austin, Northwest Austin) and have seen several rattlesnakes. When we lived in Manor we lived near a new-ish quarry and we had multiple rattlers in our yard yearly because they were being displaced by the quarry. My late German Shepherd got bitten badly by one in our yard and nearly died. Several thousands of dollars in vet bills later, I learned that I personally never, ever, ever want to get bitten by one. If the venom doesn't kill you, the necrosis that sets in the tissue afterwards can be disfiguring.

Even in suburban Northwest Austin where I now live, we had a baby copperhead in our sideyard a year ago. Texas has poisonous snakes. It's just how it is.

[michaeltx9412]

Originally Posted by eirenecat

The more rural you live, the more you will be likely to see rattlesnakes. Bastrop will most certainly have them, particularly if you want to live on land.

I've lived in Austin for 35+ years all over (Oak Hill, rural Manor, central Austin, Northwest Austin) and have seen several rattlesnakes. When we lived in Manor we lived near a new-ish quarry and we had multiple rattlers in our yard yearly because they were being displaced by the quarry. My late German Shepherd got bitten badly by one in our yard and nearly died. Several thousands of dollars in vet bills later, I learned that I personally never, ever, ever want to get bitten by one. If the venom doesn't kill you, the necrosis that sets in the tissue afterwards can be disfiguring.

Even in suburban Northwest Austin where I now live, we had a baby copperhead in our sideyard a year ago. Texas has poisonous snakes. It's just how it is.

Not to mention all those little lizards and, of course, giant roaches and crickets. I have never seen so many kinds of creatures in my life. Hornets and wasps are also another thing.