Nightlife in surrounding areas (Austin, Round Rock: apartment, rental, crime rates)

[Aaarrrggg]

We're hoping to move to Austin from the UK in a month and currently have a great chap at HabitatHunters looking for a house for us to rent (we want to get a feel for the place before we buy in 6-9mths time.)

I've been focusing my attention on north central Austin to be within 20mins of the downtown nightlife but I'm wondering if I'm missing out on some great looking houses further out. We're not crazy party people, but one of the reasons we're moving to Austin is to be able to randomly meet media / music people while out and about. My eyesight isn't good enough to drive so it will be all on my husband to get us around, and he is very much against drinking and driving, so if we go out to drink we'll always have to take a cab... hence the 20mins from the center hook.

We'd definitely be interested in being further out if there were some local bars we could go to. Do places like Cedar Park / Leander / Round Rock have central hubs with bars and restaurants? It might be quite nice to have some quieter local bars, and then have the option of going out to central Austin at the weekends or something.

Any input would be much appreciated as all my Austin knowledge is based on a 10 day visit 2yrs ago and what I can learn from Google Maps!

[mark311]

Originally Posted by Aaarrrggg

We're hoping to move to Austin from the UK in a month and currently have a great chap at HabitatHunters looking for a house for us to rent (we want to get a feel for the place before we buy in 6-9mths time.)

I've been focusing my attention on north central Austin to be within 20mins of the downtown nightlife but I'm wondering if I'm missing out on some great looking houses further out. We're not crazy party people, but one of the reasons we're moving to Austin is to be able to randomly meet media / music people while out and about. My eyesight isn't good enough to drive so it will be all on my husband to get us around, and he is very much against drinking and driving, so if we go out to drink we'll always have to take a cab... hence the 20mins from the center hook.

We'd definitely be interested in being further out if there were some local bars we could go to. Do places like Cedar Park / Leander / Round Rock have central hubs with bars and restaurants? It might be quite nice to have some quieter local bars, and then have the option of going out to central Austin at the weekends or something.

Any input would be much appreciated as all my Austin knowledge is based on a 10 day visit 2yrs ago and what I can learn from Google Maps!

Since one of your goals is to meet media/music people while out and about, you're really best off living as close to downtown as possible. Since you're renting for 6-9 months first, I would actually consider finding an apartment in or near downtown if you can't afford a house. Then you can check out the outlying areas on the weekends. Taking cabs from downtown to Cedar Park/Leander/Round Rock would be very expensive and a great hassle. This isn't a big city where you can just flag a cab down on the street. Those outlying suburbs are great for families with kids, but I would definitely live near downtown if I was in your situation.

There really aren't a lot of bars in those outlying areas for a few reasons. One of them being that real bars aren't really wanted in the outlying suburban family friendly cities. You'll find "bars" as parts of restaurants, but you'll find more "Mom's Night Out" groups having margaritas at those than anything else.

[atxcio]

I agree with mark311. There may be some local clubs in Round Rock and Cedar Park, but they would be few and far between. No comparison on that front with central Austin.

It's a trade off, though. Good schools and newer/bigger housing in the suburbs vs. the entertainment and relative walkability of central Austin. If schools are not a priority, and entertainment is, then you'd be much happier in central Austin (not that Austin doesn't have some great schools, though! Just not as uniformly good as some of the burbs).

A visit is the best way to find out what you'll like better, but google street view is an amazing invention! Map a route from your potential suburban home to a local bar, restaurant, grocery store, etc... then street view it!

[Aaarrrggg]

The other hitch that I should have mentioned is we have 4 dogs... little ones, but 4 nonetheless! So we're trying to find a house with a nice enclosed yard... which is why the searches have been coming back with so many out of town places.

North Central houses have been popping up, but they're not as nice as what we could get further out.

Thanks for your input, it looks like I might have been right in thinking within Austin would be best. We've only been searching for a week so who knows what might turn up within the month? *fingers crossed*

[jobert]

Originally Posted by Aaarrrggg

North Central houses have been popping up, but they're not as nice as what we could get further out. *

"Ay, there's the rub".

I would try North Loop as a compromise if you are set on north Austin. Most people end up throwing in the towel and moving to the northern suburbs for that reason.

[Aaarrrggg]

Oh wow the north loop would be amazing! None have turned up in searches from there; do they have houses or is it just apts? (Edit: forgot I could check myself on streeview, dur! Ooo there are houses there! Interesting...!)

We've mainly been looking at ones in "North Austin Civic Assoc" and "North Lamar", upto the Walnut Creek park. What are those areas like? They look ok on streetview.

Ideally we'd like to come over and have a look ourselves, but it would just be too pricey with flights, kennels and general expenses. Plus at the moment neither of us drive so the taxis add up! My husband has learnt already and plans to take a 'crash' course/test as soon as we get over there... but in the meantime it doesn't make house hunting on foot very easy! So glad we're not buying off that bat, it would be impossible!

[mark311]

Originally Posted by Aaarrrggg

We've mainly been looking at ones in "North Austin Civic Assoc" and "North Lamar", upto the Walnut Creek park. What are those areas like? They look ok on streetview.

Hmmm. Well, I think you would be better off closer to Walnut Creek Park up by Parmer. Is the "North Austin Civic Assoc" the area around Rundberg and Lamar? That is not a place that I would want to live especially if you will be walking around at night. Of course, if you're up by Parmer, then you're even further away from night life. However, I don't think you would want to be a part of the type of night life that goes on in the Lamar/Rundberg area.

I know people have posted websites where you can look up crime statistics in different neighborhoods on here. I would definitely find one of those sites since it sounds like you're looking for a house rental in those areas. Is it your price range that is pointing you towards those areas?

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Aaarrrggg

We've mainly been looking at ones in "North Austin Civic Assoc" and "North Lamar", upto the Walnut Creek park. What are those areas like? They look ok on streetview.

Ok, I'm the one who suggested street view, so I guess I better backtrack a bit. The neighborhoods you listed are not so good, and you won't be able to see that from street view. Esp like mark311 said, the area around Rundberg and Lamar is one of the worst in the whole city.

Basically, stay south of 183 and west of the train tracks that parallel Airport blvd for awhile (you'll see them on google maps). If you go far enough north of 183 (like by Walnut Creek park), things start to get better, but still transitional. And that puts you out of the central part of the city, even though it's technically still the city limits.

Best option (if you can afford it), is basically pick a central neighborhood no farther north than Crestview, Allandale, or North Loop.

[Aaarrrggg]

Oh yikes! We don't want to be anywhere dangerous! I'd thought things only got bad east of the I-35? The house we were just looking at was in a rd called 'Indianhead Drive' which is between N Lamar and Walnut Creek park. Smeg, this throws a spanner in the works! Still, better to know sooner rather than later!

Just found a map that shows crime rates;
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed
Eek! Thanks for the advice! I might try looking further west by Mo-Pac

[atxcio]

You can get full crime statistics here:
City of Austin - Austin Police Department Viewer

However, perhaps this snapshot would help. It's only murders, not property crime, but surprisingly it pretty much tells the story of crime distribution in Austin.