Possibly Moving to Austin (Alamo, Cesar Chavez: apartment complexes, to rent, HOA)

[LMNo1]

Hello! I’m looking at potentially moving to Austin. Where exactly should I live?? I’m single and in my mid-thirties. I’d like to live within walking distance to “stuff”, but I don’t think full-on downtown would be my vibe (unless it’s really safe and clean). I’ve been looking at some apartments in the Mueller area, but noticed a lot of the reviews complained about crime even thought the apartments are considered to be “luxury”. Any suggestions as to which areas would be the best and even specific apartment complexes would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[ashbeeigh]

That sounds like a good spot to be. I’m in my mid 30s and that’s my dream spot. Mueller is not necessarily surrounded by crime, but it’s central and with that you get central city “stuff.” There is a creek that is populated by homeless people and “camping” is not banned and you’ll see tents all along 35 in the area. Fwiw, it’s one area of the city where I feel safe running at night by myself (again, single mid thirties female here). Feel free to message me and I’ll share my experiences with you. I lived just outside of mueller in Windsor park for about two and a half years. I needed to be in a better location for my job, so I relocated. But, if traffic weren’t an issue I’d be trying really hard to make mueller affordable. Within the last few days I checked the prices of a few places and they seem reasonable, but be aware that they’ll jumó up a good $400 as it gets closer to the sumner.

The area around 78704 and 78745 may also be good, but depending if you want to be north or south of the river may make a difference for you. As I mentioned, I relocated to another part of the city to be closer to work. I was spending an hour in rush hour traffic and it really messed with my quality of life.

[GreenPlastic]

Might want to consider the Domain area. It’s not downtown, but you can walk to the “stuff” located in the Domain. Will you be working from home or have an office?

[LMNo1]

Originally Posted by GreenPlastic

Might want to consider the Domain area. It’s not downtown, but you can walk to the “stuff” located in the Domain. Will you be working from home or have an office?

I saw the Domain area, I wasn’t sure if it would feel too commercial so-to-speak. I don’t want to feel like I’m living in a mall. What do you think? I’ll be working from home so I’m very flexible on the location. I can actually live pretty much anywhere in the US as long as I’m somewhat close to an airport (after COVID I’ll need to start traveling again for my job). I had the location pretty much narrowed down to Austin because of the vibe, no state income tax, and mild weather. But I’m open to other places if you have a recommendation... but Austin seems like it may be pretty cool.

[LMNo1]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

That sounds like a good spot to be. I’m in my mid 30s and that’s my dream spot. Mueller is not necessarily surrounded by crime, but it’s central and with that you get central city “stuff.” There is a creek that is populated by homeless people and “camping” is not banned and you’ll see tents all along 35 in the area. Fwiw, it’s one area of the city where I feel safe running at night by myself (again, single mid thirties female here). Feel free to message me and I’ll share my experiences with you. I lived just outside of mueller in Windsor park for about two and a half years. I needed to be in a better location for my job, so I relocated. But, if traffic weren’t an issue I’d be trying really hard to make mueller affordable. Within the last few days I checked the prices of a few places and they seem reasonable, but be aware that they’ll jumó up a good $400 as it gets closer to the sumner.

The area around 78704 and 78745 may also be good, but depending if you want to be north or south of the river may make a difference for you. As I mentioned, I relocated to another part of the city to be closer to work. I was spending an hour in rush hour traffic and it really messed with my quality of life.

That’s good to hear about the Mueller area. I’m flexible on the location as I’ll be working from home, but I’ll need to be roughly 30-45 min away from the airport bc I’ll have to travel for work again after COVID. Is it a pretty area? How about the other 2 zip codes you mentioned... do the areas looks nice? I’d ideally like to live where there is a mix of nice scenery/green space and nicer looking buildings... nothing too gritty (which is why I assume downtown wouldn’t be for me). I saw some apartments adjacent to the river which may be cool, but I’m just unsure about what exact area near the river.

Others have also suggested the Zilker and East Cesar Chavez areas... safe, pretty? One of my friends is familiar with Austin and she also mentioned the Mueller area which is making me learn toward that. I’m actually looking to move in January so I guess my questions area a little last minute.

[Trainwreck20]

Mild WINTER weather

[ashbeeigh]

Mueller is pretty. It's a master-planned community developed by Catellus. I know from someone who worked on developing the area that the HOA is strong. If you're living in an apartment (unless it's a garage apartment) I don't know if you'll be affected by the HOA. You'll be about a 18-20 minute drive from the airport. Mueller is literally on Airport Blvd. FWIW, the Mueller area is built on what used to be the Austin airport before it moved out to where it is now. FWIW, I have a friend in her mid twenties that I run with once a week in Mueller and she said one night that Mueller is a quieter Domain and she felt like she liked it more for that reason. To be fair, I don't know too much about the Domain, but I feel like Mueller is a bit more residential. It has a few pockets of shopping, but they aren't big-name retail, their local or restaurants. There is a fair share of business in Mueller, with the city utilities moving into a big new building soon.

Downtown proper, in some of the new ritzy buildings, would not be bad. They are very pricey, though. Living on Riverside, unless between 35 and Mopac is a bit questionable. As I mentioned, there is no "camping" ban, and homeless people frequent Riverside Drive east of 35. The median between Riverside near Pleasant Valley is literally a homeless village. I make a point of going to the grocery store on 7th, Mueller or even 41st (I have a part-time job right nearby and go there after my shifts). There is a new complex going up right across the street and I have no earthly idea how they're actually going to rent out the units. I would avoid Riverside east of Lakeshore and west of Montopolis. The area between Montopolis and 71 is a bit better, but again, it's not what you're looking for.

Zilker is in 78704. That area is gorgeous. I went to see a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse on a Friday pre-covid and it overwhelmed me with the number of people out and about and the small area. If you want really crowds that would be okay, I guess. But, I don't think there's a grocery store within walking distance unless you count Whole Foods on 6th and Lamar. 78745 borders 78704 and is pretty similar. It's a bit more residential, with older single-family homes. Honestly, if I were going to buy a house I'd look here or just outside Mueller in the aforementioned Windsor Park. I think walking distance and things you'd be close to Central Market.

East Cesar Chavez is open to interpretation. I'd recommend you make a decision on whether you want to live over there or not. Currently, the city houses the Community Court which does case management for the homeless population from a church on Cesar Chavez. Many tents line Cesar Chavez in that area and property crime is high. (I see this on my Nextdoor all the time).

I know I bring up homelessness, and I didn't really think it was that big of a deal, but I am a social worker and recognize these things pretty easily. There are a few threads on it if you want to look up the history.

Have you been here before? Come and visit and see the areas first before deciding.

[LMNo1]

Thanks for all the info. This is really helpful. After the holidays, I plan to stay in an AirBnB for a week or two while I look at some apartments, but I wanted to narrow down the areas beforehand as much as possible.

Aside from crime and the general look of the area, my other fear is that I may accidentally end up in an apartment filled with college kids haha. I’d really like to live in an area that has stuff going on, but not just for 20 somethings. Do you think Mueller and Zilker are ok age-wise? On the flip side, I’m definitely not ready to banish myself to the burbs just yet.

I’m curious about the “ritzy buildings” you mentioned in downtown proper. I saw a couple places that may be good... SEVEN Apartments and Camden Rainey Street Apartments. Do you think those areas are ok in terms of safety? Also, It looks like the nearby “stuff” may just be a bunch of bars... I may be wrong? What do you think? Any other parts of downtown you think may be good?

[ashbeeigh]

You’ll be. Ore likely to run into college kids and “young” professionals (e.g-recent grads who party) on Rainey, the Domain and Zilker then mueller. Mueller is more family oriented. As far as ritzy buildings I just mean apartment complexes that have rent that starts at $2500 a month.

Come stay in your air bnb and get a locator/realtor. You’ll be fine.

[LMNo1]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

You’ll be. Ore likely to run into college kids and “young” professionals (e.g-recent grads who party) on Rainey, the Domain and Zilker then mueller. Mueller is more family oriented. As far as ritzy buildings I just mean apartment complexes that have rent that starts at $2500 a month.

Come stay in your air bnb and get a locator/realtor. You’ll be fine.

Ok. Thanks again for the help!