Looking for apartment in austin any tips? (Houston, Dallas: to rent, living)

[alexismbrown]

My boyfriend and I are moving from Toledo, OH to Austin. We are currently looking for an apartment to rent and we were wondering a few things:

1. What parts of Austin are safer than others, which parts should we avoid?

2. How is the weather ( we are used to snow/cold from nov.-april, then HOT and muggy)?

3. What types of activites are there to do during the day?

4. What types of activities are ther to do at night?

[JustTheTemp]

1. What parts of Austin are safer than others, which parts should we avoid?

There really aren't that many parts of town that are so dangerous that you'd feel unsafe living there. Used to be east of downtown, but that's quickly becoming gentrified. Most of Austin is quite safe, but I'd say the safest places to live would be Westlake/Rollingwood (78746) or Old West Austin (78703).

2. How is the weather ( we are used to snow/cold from nov.-april, then HOT and muggy)?

October through June is really quite nice. Winter is really weird -- one day it'll be freezing cold, then the next a moderate 65 degrees. That'll sort of throw you. July, August and September are pretty hellish -- 90's, 100's. Ow. I grew up in Texas, and I still never managed to acclimate to those months.

3. What types of activites are there to do during the day?

If you're the outdoors type, there are SOOOO many things -- Zilker Park, Barton Springs, Town Lake (canoeing, rowing, kayaking), Lake Travis (skiing, boating, sailing, SCUBA), Taniguchi Gardens (part of Zilker), museums of all types, shopping, meeting friends at quirky little cafes and coffeeshops, opera, symphony, special events at UT (debates and guest speakers), not to mention the variety of music and street festivals. The music scene is awesome. You won't be lacking for entertainment, that's for sure!

4. What types of activities are ther to do at night?

Again, lots. Moreso than Houston or Dallas because of the live music scene and club scene and the large single population. Sixth street is more for people in their 20's; Fourth Street caters to the 30+ crowd -- martini and tapas bars, etc. It's a little more laid back. Everything is very central, so when you go out, you don't have to drive all over the place. Park, walk.

I think you'll like it here!

[TexasHorseLady]

What's your budget and what do you like to do? That'll make it easier to point you in the right direction in both cases.