austin neighborhoods (Georgetown, West: HOA, house, established neighborhood)

[rdking647]

we are considering a move from madison wisconsin to austin. we cant take winter here anymore. i have a couple of questions about neighborhoods.
we would be looking for 3-4 br 1.5 ba+ at least 1500 sq ft. nice kitchen.
we have alot of pets 3 dogs,4 cats so someplace without restrictions on the the number of pets is required. fenced yard is a big plus so is a 2 car garage. age of the home deosnt matter although if its an olde hoe hopefully it has been updated.
price range is up to 250k
we would like a safe neighborhood,nearby (20 min )to some good restaurants (especially asian)

in madison we live very near the university in a neighborhod of 70+ year old homes,a mixture of uw profs,medical professionals,and people that work for the university. were looking for a similar kind of neighbrohood feel.

I know austin is sometimes called the peoples republic of texas and madison is know as the peoples republic of wisconsin so i think the city will be a good fit

[TexasHorseLady]

Well, already, with the number of pets you have, I think you'll have to live outside the city limits of Austin (last I checked, there was a maximum number of cats and dogs you could have within the city limits, but I'd recommend checking on that as it's been a while). You might want to look at Georgetown, near Southwestern University. I've got to run out and show a house, but I'll do a bit of research when I get back and see what else pops up that might fit your requirements.

[CptnRn]

For the neighborhood you described you will want to look at the areas North and West of the University of Texas.

Here are links to the laws that I could find regarding animals in the City Limits.

City of Austin - Austin City Connection

I would not find any limitation in the ordinaces regarding the number of cats or dogs you can have.

But there is a new law that does not allow you to keep a dog chained up, they must be kept in fenced enclousures or in your home.

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/health/do...n_law_1007.pdf

[TexasHorseLady]

Interesting. When we lived in town proper, we were limited to 4 pets (dogs or cats). I wonder when that law changed?

[CptnRn]

Was it possibly an HOA restriction?

[TexasHorseLady]

Nope, it was a city law. (Never lived in an HOA neighborhood.) I remember when it was instituted, back when my now-36-year-old was little. Big fuss over it, because it put some people in the position of having to move out of the city limits or choose which pet to give up. And I know it was still in existence when we moved out of Austin 12 years ago. So something must have happened since then, if it has, indeed, been revoked.

It was something like 4 cats or 3 dogs or something like that.

[rdking647]

i read the austin animal laws http://www.amlegal.com/austin_nxt/gateway.dll/Texas/austin/title3animalregulation/chapter3-2restrictionsonanimals?f=templates$fn=default.htm$ 3.0$vid=amlegal:austin_tx$anc=JD_3-2-5
and i cant find ny limits on animals.

are the areas north or west of UT safe? ive just started looking at austin and dont really know my way around yet. we are planning a trip in june for a preliminary house hounting expedition

[TexasHorseLady]

West UT is definitely student-land. Lots of undergrads, LOTS of traffic on relatively narrow streets, fair amount of noise. Further west is more expensive than you'll want to spend.

North Campus and Hyde Park have students, but more likely to be grad students and professors and such. You might want to consider Allandale, Crestview, Hyde Park (though that last may be out of your price range).

[brattpowered]

It sounds like Hyde Park is the place for you. It's an established neighborhood with tree-lined streets just north of the university, with a good mix of students, professors, families and long-term residents. Plus a lot of olde hoes.

[txgal78]

Unfortunately, you won't find much (if anything) under $250k in the older, central neighborhoods that has been updated. If you're willing to do the work, you may find something in Allandale or Crestview under $250k. You might find something just east of I-35, but still close to the university, in French Place or Delwood.