Another grad student moving, but with specific questions... (Austin, Pecan Grove: apartment complexes, crime)

[peacelover74]

Hi there,
I had researched through all the other posts, but still have a few questions about specific areas of town and apartment complexes. If anyone could give any assistance, I would so appreciate it. I'm moving from out of state, have never been to Austin before and will be moving alone for the first six months!

I am looking at the following complexes (mainly due to transport to UT as I will be without a car):
Pecan Grove
Cameron Greens
Trestles
Wildwood
Northwest Hills

Anything else on the UT shuttle line that is under $600? I've searched for a month! I saw more apartments in the Riverside/Oltorf (sp?) area, but have heard that it's not a safe area for a single female. Is there anything unsafe about the areas listed above?

Thank you!

[centralaustinite]

I live in the Riverside/Oltorf area and did so as a grad student. There are some great complexes and some to avoid. Generally everywhere in Austin is safe.

Nearly rented a place at Pecan Grove myself when I was a new grad student, ended up going east of campus for a cheaper place. PG is nice, not over-run with undergrads. Can you make a quick trip here to see these complexes in person? Everyone has different preferences.

Also, what school or department at UT? That can make a difference on where you want to live.

good luck!

[thesonofgray]

Originally Posted by peacelover74

Hi there,
I had researched through all the other posts, but still have a few questions about specific areas of town and apartment complexes. If anyone could give any assistance, I would so appreciate it. I'm moving from out of state, have never been to Austin before and will be moving alone for the first six months!

I am looking at the following complexes (mainly due to transport to UT as I will be without a car):
Pecan Grove
Cameron Greens
Trestles
Wildwood
Northwest Hills

Anything else on the UT shuttle line that is under $600? I've searched for a month! I saw more apartments in the Riverside/Oltorf (sp?) area, but have heard that it's not a safe area for a single female. Is there anything unsafe about the areas listed above?

Thank you!

1. Stay away from the Riverside/Oltorf area. You're correct - it's not safe. It's actually one of the most violent zip codes in Austin. I lived there for a year in "Crossing Place Apartments" and police helicopter search lights hovering over the parking lot was commonplace. Plus I-35 traffic back and forth to campus is hell....a fiery miserable hell.

2. Far West (shuttle route by the same name) is a good area if you don't mind old crappy apartments (some really aren't that bad - but they're all old). There's also some very decent (meaning safe and clean) shopping within walking distance to most apartment complexes. The Far West shuttle stops on Dean Keeton at the TOP of the hill, which is an absolute BLESSING if you've ever made the trek from the stadium area to Guadalupe every single friggin weekday (Forty Acres is just too damn busy to wait for).

3. There might be some efficiencies (studios...whatever they call them) in North Campus or West Campus that might bill you at $600/mo (not including utilities). I lived (a year ago) in a decent "studio" apartment in West Campus that cost me $595 before they jacked the rate to $650 at re-leasing. Once you've lived within walking distance to campus, you will truly despise commuting to school ever again.

4. Check out apartmentratings.com if you haven't already. You'll see mostly negative comments (who reviews apartment experiences that they actually LIKE?), but it's a good way to see if there's anything specific that bothers you (like thin walls or a bug problem or crappy water heating) and it gives you a list of things to check out when you actually visit the complex.

I didn't comment on any of the complexes you listed because I have never lived there (although I've heard of a few in brief - nothing worth mentioning). If you "pre-lease" early enough they usually have some pretty sweet deals that either reduce your first month's rent, reduce your monthly bill, or throw in freebies (like covered parking or something).

If you have any more questions, just ask. And hook'em!

[atxcio]

By all means, stay away from Cameron Greens or any of those other complexes near the Cameron Rd area -- now THAT is a really bad area. Seems like Trestles and Wildwood are also in that area. Don't even consider those.

East Riverside is pretty safe by comparison, due to the sheer number of students there... but it's near some shady areas and certain complexes are not good.

Pecan Grove and Northwest Hills are on another level in terms of safety, with Northwest Hills probably being in the safest area. Northwest Hills would be walking distance to the Far West shuttle, and Pecan Grove to the IM Intramural Fields shuttle (I think).

[austin_mommy]

I would recommend Far west. There are some good apartments there too. And it is a really nice area. Safe too. The other option might be Red River.

[ATX Homeboy]

Yeah, Far West is going to be the safest and the shuttles run pretty quick.

I don't know if you're stuck to a tight budget. But, if you have to make a decision based on economics and have to choose between Riverside and Cameron Rd, anything on Riverside is far safer than Cameron Rd. Riverside will certainly have more UT students in those apartments, there are parks close by, the river is close, busses are crowded but usually run 15 min. apart, and shopping is close.

Good Luck at UT.
What are you/will be studying? Just curious.

[CptnRn]

The amount of crime in Austin is pretty low compared to other Cities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_..._by_crime_rate

You can see the crime statistics per zip code with the links below.

zip code map
The Most Accurate Free USPS Zip Code Map Anywhere!

Austin crime stats listed by zip code
http://malford.ci.austin.tx.us/police/zipcode/zipcode/zip_2008.pdf (broken link)

[peacelover74]

thank you so much. this really helps. i did find a lot of places on riverside, but got scared away! i'm a social worker in buffalo, ny so i am used to really bad areas, but being there alone makes me want to be on the safe side!

ps. i will be studying library and information science at the ischool =)