artist moving to austin - need info (Round Rock, Spring: apartment, rental)

[griffininsight]

i am a 29 year old artist / freelancer and am considering moving to the atx.
i am still at a semi-basic stage in my planning and have come across these questions that im hoping the members of this very cool forum can answer.

after my first (and at this point, only) trip to austin i noticed a considerable demographic change around the city. i am looking to experience life and what austin really has to offer, and i want to pick a good area to match my needs. i definately do not want to be communting, or stuck in a bad part of town (if austin has those.) what is a good neighborhood and what should i look for? whats the deal with pflugerville. is that considered austin?

also wondering about the creative climate. is there a large or prominent art scene? i know its the music city, but i have to say i was very impressed in the galleries (several-volitant,arthouse,ok mtn,+) and musuems (blanton,amoa) on my visit, which implies that its a community supported intrest. do you as austinites care about art or get into this?

last question is concerning jobs. as i mentioned that i am an artist/freelancer which in reality = relatively poor. im not a professional looking for a 400k house on lake travis (although one day i aspire to be one) im an artist looking for a .5k apartment. i am not above taking on a part-time job if theres not enough freelance, ive worked as a server or bartender for many years along the way. what is anyones opinion on the difficulty of finding work? i do have a bachelors degree, something id love to put to use.

sorry this has turned into a book, but i am quite excited to finally found a place that i feel might match me (this is after having lived in new orleans, philadelphia, nyc, rome, and most recently roanoke, virginia!(?) i thank anyone for their time in reading this and response!

[AustinTraveler]

What is a .5K apartment?

[griffininsight]

an attempt at humor?
if 400k is $400,000, i guessed .5k would be its numerical equivalent.
an apartment in the $500 range!

[plaidmom]

I no longer live in Austin, but since no one else answered...

As a painter who lived in Austin for many years, I'd recommend you stay within "Central Austin"--north or south of the river or possibly even slightly to the east of I-35. These areas probably won't be cheap (? not up on current rents?) and you may need to resort to co-housing (co-op?) or a roommate situation.

Austin has a very active and stimulating visual arts scene.
You might want to check out :
http://www.avaaonline.org/index.html
as a starting point.

The suburbs (Pflugerville, Round Rock, Cedar Park etc.) are kind of like a cultural wasteland for visual artists (NO OFFENSE to the suburban dwellers, those may be excellent places to raise children...but the OP didn't mention children )

Another option would be to go "further out" into the Hill Country. Wimberley for instance has an "artists' colony" vibe and has (had?) and active art league.

Personally, if I ever return to TX it will be way way way west...Alpine or Marfa or Fort Davis. The really great scenery is all out that-a-way.


Best wishes in making your decision!

[AustinTraveler]

Originally Posted by griffininsight

an attempt at humor?
if 400k is $400,000, i guessed .5k would be its numerical equivalent.
an apartment in the $500 range!

Sorry, guess I didn't catch that!

I agree with plaidmom that you will want to be located near downtown. Pflugerville is a suburb and not really where I would think you would want to be, although it will definitely be cheaper than Central Austin. My guess is you would enjoy areas such as Travis Heights, Barton Springs, Hyde Park, and Clarksville. Unfortunately $500 is not going to get you much in those areas. You should look at craigslist or statesman.com to get a feel for rental prices.

Art is definitely big in Austin. I'm sorry I can't answer your questions about finding work in your field. Maybe someone else will chime in about that. You definitely won't have a problem finding work as a server or bartender.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by griffininsight

i am a 29 year old artist / freelancer and am considering moving to the atx.
i am still at a semi-basic stage in my planning and have come across these questions that im hoping the members of this very cool forum can answer.

after my first (and at this point, only) trip to austin i noticed a considerable demographic change around the city. i am looking to experience life and what austin really has to offer, and i want to pick a good area to match my needs. i definately do not want to be communting, or stuck in a bad part of town (if austin has those.) what is a good neighborhood and what should i look for? whats the deal with pflugerville. is that considered austin?

also wondering about the creative climate. is there a large or prominent art scene? i know its the music city, but i have to say i was very impressed in the galleries (several-volitant,arthouse,ok mtn,+) and musuems (blanton,amoa) on my visit, which implies that its a community supported intrest. do you as austinites care about art or get into this?

last question is concerning jobs. as i mentioned that i am an artist/freelancer which in reality = relatively poor. im not a professional looking for a 400k house on lake travis (although one day i aspire to be one) im an artist looking for a .5k apartment. i am not above taking on a part-time job if theres not enough freelance, ive worked as a server or bartender for many years along the way. what is anyones opinion on the difficulty of finding work? i do have a bachelors degree, something id love to put to use.

sorry this has turned into a book, but i am quite excited to finally found a place that i feel might match me (this is after having lived in new orleans, philadelphia, nyc, rome, and most recently roanoke, virginia!(?) i thank anyone for their time in reading this and response!

The reason why south congress and south austin in general is experiencing a revitalization is exactly because of people like you. Check out east of I35 or south of the river. As you get away from congress south of the river, things get a lot less expensive. I am seeing 2 and 3 bedroom houses renting for 1200-1500 which is in your price range.

[griffininsight]

thanks for your kind words austin97! i def will look into south congress ave or east of 95 via craigslist (thanks austin trav! great site)
plaidmom if youre still out there i was wondering where to and why did you move from austin?
thanks to everybody for your info, it is very appreciated!

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