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This Trullia crime heat map indicates that crime is relatively low in that immediate area. Crime Map Beta - Trulia
Looking at the houses in the area just NW of 183/MLK most of the houses and yards look clean and nicely maintained, which reflects positively on the kinds of people who live there. Sadly quite a few homes have burglar bars on the windows, which tells you that many of the occupants do not feel safe there. Go take your dogs for a walk around the neighborhood and see how it feels before making a commitment.
I used to live two miles North of there, near Springdale Road and Manor Road. Which I definitely do not recommend to anyone.
One thing to consider is that when you are driving into downtown, depending on where you are going, you could be passing through some rough areas, where it would be unfortunate to have a vehicle breakdown or flat tire.
In all honestly looking at the crime heat map, there are areas like Downtown Austin and around U.T. that are very high crime, where I feel perfectly safe. But there are parts of East Austin which statistically have much lower crime rates, where I do not feel safe, largely because I feel like I have a target painted on my back. As a white person I felt that I stand out among the local populace and that made me a more likely target for a robbery or mugging. When I lived up near Manor & Springdale, I often felt a lot of hostility from the locals in the area regardless of how friendly I tried to be. It did not feel safe.
As I find ignorance, but, I have been raised to know that alone does not seem to stop people from making 'politically incorrect' statements. In fact (due to the rise of the internet), being politically incorrect is becoming more and more in vogue. [But, alas, I think I am saying something you already know.]
To clarify: my comment was a sarcastic response to the previous comments which indicated it was dangerous, but produced no statistics to back it up.
The previous comments also go along with a misguided mythology which intrinsically ties the demographics of neighborhoods (ie, ethnicity, race) along with higher crime rates (whether proven or not). Traditional east Austin has unfairly suffered because of that uniquely 'American' correlation.
Anyway, let's get back to helping this young woman. OK?
And sadly, the crime is spreading into other areas of Austin as well. While downtown a few months back, for (ironically) a Peace Officer's Memorial for those killed in the line of duty, we were walking from the Capitol down Congress to our car at 7th. It was 8pm and two thugs approached us on the sidewalk; I had my camera, so I'm sure we looked like tourists. I truly thought they were going to try to rob us, based on the looks they were giving us and their general manner (many, many years of interacting with criminals here).
We made direct eye contact with them and then turned to watch them (watching us!) as they passed. Luckily nothing happened but if it had, they would have had a shock to find that we weren't tourists but instead my husband was armed - an off-duty Game Warden! But it just made me think about the safety around Austin in general and how things have changed over the years. BE SAFE AND AWARE WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!
Thank you all for your input. I didn't end up going with that house due to a poor fit with the existing roommates, but I did drive through and it didn't seem that bad. I really appreciate all the help/opinions given here- these forums are such a useful resource!
And sadly, the crime is spreading into other areas of Austin as well. While downtown a few months back, for (ironically) a Peace Officer's Memorial for those killed in the line of duty, we were walking from the Capitol down Congress to our car at 7th. It was 8pm and two thugs approached us on the sidewalk; I had my camera, so I'm sure we looked like tourists. I truly thought they were going to try to rob us, based on the looks they were giving us and their general manner (many, many years of interacting with criminals here).
We made direct eye contact with them and then turned to watch them (watching us!) as they passed. Luckily nothing happened but if it had, they would have had a shock to find that we weren't tourists but instead my husband was armed - an off-duty Game Warden! But it just made me think about the safety around Austin in general and how things have changed over the years. BE SAFE AND AWARE WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!
So your many years of experience in the criminal justice system allows you determine a criminal by looking at him? Have you ever been to a city larger than Austin. My guess you wouldn't walk a block without having a similar experience.
There was a map reflecting planned growth for Austin over the next few decades but I cannot find it. Much of the planned growth was focused on the east side.
Traveling alone in Europe isn't at all comparable to choosing to live in a major US city with little or no gun control. I also travelled in Europe with a few friends, stayed in hostels and slept in parks. Take a look at the statistics--not at all comparable!
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