Chicago to Austin: A Young Family's Migration (Round Rock, Victoria: for rent, daycare)

[Rock 'n' Roll RN]

Sorry to bring this up again as I'm aware there are more than enough threads regarding relocation in this forum, but I was hoping to get some more answers to our specific quandary. My wife and I have been planning to move our family (we have two sons, one 6mos, and the other 3yrs) to Austin for sometime, as we're done with the sprawl, urban crime, insane taxes, cost of living, and most of all the WEATHER in the Chicagoland area. The green, eco-conscious, family friendly vibe of the city is very inviting to us. We are planning a trip down in July to scope out some potential areas as I've only been to Austin briefly via trips to An Antonio, and do not remember enough about it to know where to start other than what has been mentioned here and other websites.

We currently live in a nice smaller town (that unfortunately has boomed with gaudy tear downs and new construction to the point it has lost its farming community feel) with a nice little mainstreet, lots of parks, bike paths, and options for family outings. Not so many restaurants or bars, but that isn't really an issue. Granted I very much enjoy going out and being social, enjoying nightlife, etc., but that isn't the priority.

What we'd like to find in Austin, or the surrounding area, is a nice neighborhood, preferably a bit more mature, that has other young families, parks, playgrounds, maybe some hip storefronts, is only a bike's ride away from the local Tastee-Freeze or whatever the Texas equivalent is, and possibly has a bit of history to it. I do not mind living in urban areas, in fact I enjoy the activities and accessibility that allows, but I'm also very comfortable in more rural areas. I really enjoy the small town USA feel of a Mainstreet parade and a local high school pep-rally.

We also very much enjoy swimming, surfing, boating and other watersports immensely, and hope to capitalize on the opportunities local lakes and rivers, along with the (relative) nearness of the Gulf present us. Any pointers in that regard would be appreciated as well.

I would very much like my children to have a youth that is more focused around running through yards and over chain-link fences, getting ice cream after a bike ride, and watching fireworks at the beach, rather than keeping up with the Joneses. I think Austin will be able to provide this in a friendly, cost-effective way for us, more so than remaining in the cold white North.


So here's the kicker, I am currently the sole bread-winner, as my wife and I prefer her staying at home interacting with our sons rather than having daycare attendants raise them. This is not a dig at another person's choices or lifestyle, this is just how we chose to do it. Anyways, we will be looking to rent a home preferably with a cost of <$1500/month right off, then hopefully segue into buying once we're a bit more comfortable with the area, and preferring to keep the cost of the home under $200,000.

I know it is asking a lot, but we're hoping some of the more friendly, outgoing, and welcoming Austinites we've heard so many wonderful things about can point us in the right direction.

As far as where I'll be working, a hospital somewhere (along with waiting tables or bartending), but I do not want geography limiting our scope of investigation. Also, I am very familiar with hellish commutes, so a cross-town trip of 35-45 minutes really doesn't phase me. Ideally I'd shelve the car and bike it, but I'm willing to make concessions for the sake of my family.. Although being more centrally located or closer to destination areas might help with the secondary income.

So finally the question comes: Where to look?? Where should we be focusing when we're down there this summer?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

-D

[centralaustinite]

Allandale and Crestview would be where I would start. I have friends with a 3/2 for rent just south of Allandale for $1700. The area is central, quick drive downtown but with large flat lots, big park in the neighborhood, bikeable, and places to go (businesses, retail, restaurants on Burnet and Anderson, including Amy's ice cream) and the schools are very good. Feels kinda urban and surburban both.

Buying under $200,000 might be a stretch, but definitely doable at say $220,000.

[blakely]

While I'm not as much of an expert on all Austin neighborhoods as some on the board, I do think your quest of a home/neighborhood with a "bit of history" for < $200K is going to be a challenge here. Most of the older historical neighborhoods are going to cost a lot more to get into (I'm thinking of Barton Hills, Zilker area, Travis Heights, Tarrytown, Allandale, although that last one would be a little more affordable). These are the type of neighborhoods that you would be closer for walking/biking to local shops and having more history associated with them.

However, to get a home in your price point, you are more likely looking at suburban developments away from the heart of the city that are going to feel more generic/new, less historical.

Maybe there's some gem that I'm not thinking of, but if you want to be in the heart of the city, with an Austin "vibe", older homes, shops close by, it's going to cost more than $200K.

Are you willing to look at any suburban development areas?

[Rock 'n' Roll RN]

Thanks for the quick replies. I'm very willing to look at suburban areas. The historical aspect wasn't anything I was really hanging my hopes on. If I wanted historical, I'd stay up here in the cold with the late-1800s Victorians and early 20th century bungalows and tudors. I'm very open to new construction, just subdivisions that try to utilize the topography, not flatten it all and then plant little trees to replace the majestic ones they bulldozed.

[mlassoff]

Maybe you should move to the 1950's?

Just kidding. I have to concur. I currently live in northern Allandale (I think technically Allandale Estates) and while its a nice neighborhood, I don't think you get a lot for your money, and nothing I've seen is under $220K. It sounds like at your price point you'll be in Cedar Park, Round Rock, etc., which I'd hardly call historical.

However if getting away from the cold is your Maine goal, your coming in the right direction. I would advise you to come down here however, as the lifestyle is very different than Chicago. Eat something besides Mexican, visit the library, and whatever else you might normally do so there won't be unpleasant surprises when you move.

Good luck.

[HappyTexan]

You could take a look at Taylor, north and east of Austin. Some nice old homes, not a sprawl type of city. And a DQ in town. Dairy Queen rules in Texas You also have a nice new supermarket (HEB) and Walmart there in town.

[texastrigirl]

What about Georgetown?

[TexasHorseLady]

I'd say Georgetown, Taylor, maybe Lockhart or Bastrop, for what you're looking for.

[Rock 'n' Roll RN]

I appreciate the responses. Georgetown was definitely a place on my radar, and it seems to be very much under the umbrella of what I was looking for. What about Leander and Cedar Park? Are these more of less just swaths of subdivisions, or do they have downtown areas like Georgetown?

[TexasHorseLady]

Both of them are/were communities in their own right before the Austin Monster reached out and snagged them (and I say that loving Austin with all my heart, by the way), but I don't believe either of them has a downtown in the same way that Georgetown does - Georgetown is the county seat, after all, and has the courthouse square and all of that. But they're all nice communities for families.