Advice Living in Austin for a Bi-Racial Couple (Round Rock, Pflugerville: rental, crime)

[sftbll0820]

I will be moving to Austin in the near future and I am looking for advice on where to live. I am looking for an area that is not a horrible commute to work, and I also do not want to be around a lot of college students. My boyfriend and I are in our late 20's and I am white and he is black. In the past we have lived in areas that accepted our relationship and others that we felt like an outcast. Moving to Texas we are not sure what to expect. Some forums express how diverse Austin is and others contradict that statement. (I am a little overwhelmed by all the information at the moment.) I will be working near the airport, but I was told not to live East of I-35. Could anyone please help!

[UTHORNS96]

Nobody in Austin will really give you any grief about your relationship. East of I-35 is fine if you don't mind living amongst black people (which is what most people really mean when they say don't live east of I-35). I would suggest something in northeast Austin if you don't want to be by college students. Dessau Rd. and Howard ln. are good places to start your search. Also consider Pflugerville and Round Rock.

[riaelise]

There are a lot of IR couples of your variety here in Austin. In fact, I've seen more here in central TX than I've seen in the Northeast.

[RowdysMom]

If I worked near the airport, I would not live north of the river. Crossing the river everyday to go to and from work, is a pain. There are great places to live south of the river. And no, I doubt anyone will look twice at you and your boyfriend.

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by sftbll0820

I will be moving to Austin in the near future and I am looking for advice on where to live. I am looking for an area that is not a horrible commute to work, and I also do not want to be around a lot of college students. My boyfriend and I are in our late 20's and I am white and he is black. In the past we have lived in areas that accepted our relationship and others that we felt like an outcast. Moving to Texas we are not sure what to expect. Some forums express how diverse Austin is and others contradict that statement. (I am a little overwhelmed by all the information at the moment.) I will be working near the airport, but I was told not to live East of I-35. Could anyone please help!

What are you looking for? The fact that you are in a biracial relationship seems to be at the forefront of your decision making criteria, but that truly will not be an issue so it would be best to list more information about what you're looking for and what interests you. When you say you don't want to be around college students, I assume you mean undergrads? UT has nearly 10,000 grad students--usually about your age (some much older) that are not what you are likely avoiding. They tend to live throughout central Austin and give the city a lot of its vibrancy. If you're avoiding 20 year-old frat boys steer clear of West Campus.

[austinnerd]

Generally I have not found any issues with regards to most Austinites reacting to being a biracial couple, so I think things really just boil down to your other criteria. Living east of I35 can be fine and there are actually many neighborhoods that are getting quite expensive. Then again, there is also a lot of less expensive homes and neighborhoods that are not in very good condition (more so on the east than west) so you have lots of options depending on your budget. The arrival of the toll road has made commuting from northern Austin/RR/Pflugerville along the east to the airport much easier (though obviously spendier due to the toll).

[RevMen]

I can't imagine there being an issue with your relationship here. Our neighbor across the street is an old time, conservative Christian fellow in his 80s and he has nice things to say about the White/Asian couple a few doors down. "He's Oriental, but I don't know what kind," he told us when we first met him. Austin is a very live and let live type of place, on the whole.

[Spookmeister]

Even the cows in Bastrop, Buda and Kyle won't look at you funny. You'll be unique...Just like everybody else.

[tongpa-nyi]

Originally Posted by UTHORNS96

East of I-35 is fine if you don't mind living amongst black people (which is what most people really mean when they say don't live east of I-35). I would suggest something in northeast Austin if you don't want to be by college students. Dessau Rd. and Howard ln. are good places to start your search. Also consider Pflugerville and Round Rock.

I respectfully disagree with this post. East of 35 is very diverse and varies from one area to the next. Close to downtown there is a lot of very cool development happening east of 35 and it's less expensive than comparable places to the west while being a very good investment because east central will continue to develop.

As for ethnicity, it is quite mixed on the east side and isn't really worth talking about. If someone visits they can see for themselves.

A couple of my friends moved to a renovated house a block away from one of the most notorious intersections for drugs and prostitution in the Austin Metro area (12th and Chicon.) They have a daughter who was age 5 to 7 when they lived there. They're lily white. They would sometimes sit on their front porch and watch drug deals going down, prostitutes hopping in cars, and they didn't care. I understand why. I lived near a lot of that, especially crack addicts, for about 10 years and it was safer in terms of my house and person than many places on the west side.

The reason for this odd coincidence of personal safety in the midst of rampant crime is that nobody is interested in doing big burglaries or throwing down with people who aren't a part of their scene. The crime is mostly by criminals against criminals. Obviously if you leave a bicycle or lawnmower in the front yard it will be gone within an hour or two, taken primarily by addicts who are desperate for a rock or a hit. But those people aren't professional burglars such as the type who cleaned out my beautiful rental house on a gorgeous street on the west side in Travis Heights. The pros know they're not going to find much in the 'hood. But as the area gentrifies things will change in ways I cannot predict.

That's my take on East Austin and I stand by every word of it, from personal experience and from the experience of others.

[At1]

Originally Posted by Spookmeister

Even the cows in Bastrop, Buda and Kyle won't look at you funny. You'll be unique...Just like everybody else.

So true! We live out in Kyle, and have never had any problems.