Central neighborhoods for artist & social worker? (Austin, Clarksville: apartments, lease)

[losadair]

Hi everyone -

We're continuing to work on our research-and-hopefully-moving plans. Looking at moving to Austin from Minneapolis this spring.

We'll be in Austin again this Thurs-Mon do some more research. We're a social worker and artist, late 30's, no kids. We're planning to rent at first, and we're hoping to check out some potential neighborhoods this week.

Our priorities are: central/city location, reasonable public transit (we do have a car but prefer to bus/bike when possible), art studios for rent nearby, close to galleries, ideally within walkable/bikeable distance to shops, grocery store, cafe, etc. We're city folks and not especially fearful of crime, but would like to be able to walk around safely with just regular, sensible precautions. We are not big drinkers and don't want to be in the middle of a bar scene.

We now own a quaint 1920's Craftsman home and would like to rent the opposite: a modern, sleek condo or apartment, perhaps with fancy amenities like a pool or fitness center, where the landlord will not require any lawnmowing etc...and where we will have a real closet and bathroom for the first time in 15 years. We're looking for funky, but no more funky plumbing We could afford up to $1200-1500/month. We do have a (very small) dog.

Ideas for neighborhoods and/or buildings? The Central East Austin is often described as a possibility...but where, exactly? Are there newer buildings there, or mostly older homes for rent? Other neighborhoods?

Thanks for any help!

[mommatric]

A great location is the SOCO area. There are some new condo and apartment developments there. There are also remodeled apartments too.

[atxcio]

SoCo is a great suggestion, there is plenty of new/modern construction there. In east Austin, there are some new modern projects, but they don't seem to lease/rent for much less than projects in better (or at higher property value) neighborhoods like SoCo or Downtown. They are priced as though East Austin is already gentrified.

If it were me, I'd go for one of the new highrise downtown towers -- like the Legacy or Monarch. Both have stuff in your price range. They are on the east and west edges of downtown, respectively... so with Legacy you'd be close to the artist/funky community east of I-35. Monarch would be more of the Whole Foods/hipster crowd.

[TexasHorseLady]

I third SoCo for your requirements. Another possibility would be the South Lamar area.

[losadair]

Thanks for the ideas...I really appreciate this forum...to give a little clearer idea of my thinking, by "fancy" I mostly mean "modern, not a peeling, ramshackle hundred-year-old building like everywhere else I've lived. I want modern plumbing and I don't want to mow the lawn." A fitness room or pool isn't at all required (though would be pretty sweet); I care more about the neighborhood.

I looked at the Legacy and Monarch websites, and even if we could afford it (they look to be out of our price range,eg $2800 for a 2BR at Monarch) that's TOO fancy...our stuff would look sad, lonely and small in apartments like that, and we ourselves might be a bit too scruffy as well Great walkable location though.

So anyway, I was probably unclear...looking for modern, but maybe a little scruffy and artsy too, in a great, walkable neighborhood. Close to a place we could rent an art studio (or - dream of all dreams - an artist live/work space). Do such areas & apartments exist? I'm guessing that renting studio/work space in that Whole Foods-ish area would be very expensive...at least in other cities where I've lived, it's the neighborhoods near 'transitional' areas where you find studios for semi-reasonable rent.

Thanks again for the ideas -

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, with that, do check out South Lamar from the river down to Ben White.

[phil938]

If you've not looked at the light rail route map yet, you may want to check it out to see where the new light rail system stops are at - a lot of development will be cropping up around those stations. The light rail system is built and should start operating in the next couple of months. More info is at All Systems Go Long-Range Transit Plan - CapMetro

[arpee]

There's a handful of apartments in Clarksville/Old West Austin areas that may meet your requirements - modern yet not so fancy, village-like and walkable (to grocery store, drug store, coffee shop, dry cleaners and restaurants), practically IN downtown, at least 7 galleries in less than 1 square mile.