Family Living in the City? (Austin, Round Rock: wood floors, apartment complex, rental)

[TexasHorseLady]

There ARE houses closer in for less than $270,000 - I know of several in Crestview, for example, ranging in price from $199,900 to $264,500, with several of those $255,000 or less.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

There ARE houses closer in for less than $270,000 - I know of several in Crestview, for example, ranging in price from $199,900 to $264,500, with several of those $255,000 or less.

Crestview seems like 1950s suburbs to me. Some people may call it central but as Captain Ron said, a good deal of the neighborhoods in Austin proper are older suburbs.

[centralaustinite]

Well, yes. There is nothing like a true dense urban core because Austin was a small town for a very long time. Even in 1950, there were big frame houses on single lots just a block off of Congress Avenue downtown! Those houses are mainly gone now (and there were some beautiful ones) but even in the downtown blocks of Austin historically there was never any sort of "urban" residential pattern.

So, yes. All central city neighborhoods contain primarily single-family houses and many like Hyde Park and Travis Heights were built as suburbs in 1918 and 1928 respectively. Back then E. Live Oak marked the southern boundary of "town" and 35th/38th Street the northern boundary.

To some (like my siblings who live in huge urban areas) everywhere in Austin is a suburb. But living in Crestview is very different than living in a master-planned community like Steiner or Circle C. The biggest difference (look at zipskinny for stats) is the greater diversity of income levels.

[waitnolonger]

Honestly, a neighborhood like Crestview is kind of what I was looking at, at least for starters. I was also thinking about some South Austin neighborhoods, but wasn't really sure if they were necessarily anymore affordable than a neighborhood like Crestview. I don't expect to move into my dream home here. The best I dared to hope for was a small house in a safe neighborhood that would save me from a terribly long commute if I worked in Austin, for as much under $1000/month as possible. I have no real idea if that's even remotely possible though.

I will say this though - this has indeed told me that finding a family-friendly neighborhood at some point in a relatively central area of Austin is doable, so hopefully by the time my son is starting school we can get into a neighborhood we like and want to put roots down in. In the meantime though, we may spend a lot of time in traffic.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Well, yes. There is nothing like a true dense urban core because Austin was a small town for a very long time. Even in 1950, there were big frame houses on single lots just a block off of Congress Avenue downtown! Those houses are mainly gone now (and there were some beautiful ones) but even in the downtown blocks of Austin historically there was never any sort of "urban" residential pattern.

So, yes. All central city neighborhoods contain primarily single-family houses and many like Hyde Park and Travis Heights were built as suburbs in 1918 and 1928 respectively. Back then E. Live Oak marked the southern boundary of "town" and 35th/38th Street the northern boundary.

To some (like my siblings who live in huge urban areas) everywhere in Austin is a suburb. But living in Crestview is very different than living in a master-planned community like Steiner or Circle C. The biggest difference (look at zipskinny for stats) is the greater diversity of income levels.

When I think of in-city neighborhoods I think of the ones bordering the university and the downtown area and just south of the river. Once you get north of 2222, it just seems like suburbs, all cookie cutter houses, albeit from a different era (ranch houses from the fifties).

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

When I think of in-city neighborhoods I think of the ones bordering the university and the downtown area and just south of the river. Once you get north of 2222, it just seems like suburbs, all cookie cutter houses, albeit from a different era (ranch houses from the fifties).

FAR from "cookie cutter", for the simple reason that even if they were similar when built (and they were not as similar as what's built as "cookie cutter" now), due to the lack of HOA controls, they've been allowed to change and grow and each house and each neighborhood develop its own personality.

I used to have that "if it's not right next to the University or the Capitol, it's the boonies" mentality - heck, I can remember when 2222 and Mopac was a country road and a railroad and WAS the boonies, out in the country and halfway to the lake. But that doesn't make the houses there cookie cutter, today or, often, even when built.

[senormatt]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

When I think of in-city neighborhoods I think of the ones bordering the university and the downtown area and just south of the river. Once you get north of 2222, it just seems like suburbs, all cookie cutter houses, albeit from a different era (ranch houses from the fifties).

I agree... What works well for me to differentiate is whether there is a neighborhood entrance. No neighborhood entrance = central Austin. Neighborhood entrance = suburbs. Most of the downtown/hyde park/clarksville/78704 areas are definitely more urban and have more character than most of the standard neighborhoods you see as you get further away from downtown.

[NakedApe]

Yes, don't miss the Crestview neighborhood entrance arch. Or all the ranch style houses. North of 2222 looks so different than south, it's just crazy. :-)

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Well, yes. There is nothing like a true dense urban core because Austin was a small town for a very long time. Even in 1950, there were big frame houses on single lots just a block off of Congress Avenue downtown! Those houses are mainly gone now (and there were some beautiful ones) but even in the downtown blocks of Austin historically there was never any sort of "urban" residential pattern.
.

every city was like this at one point. Years ago greenwich village in NYC was a "suburb" - a hamlet of new york city. To TXHL, increasing density has been repeated over and over in history. It is one of the inevitable patterns of humanity

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

FAR from "cookie cutter", for the simple reason that even if they were similar when built (and they were not as similar as what's built as "cookie cutter" now), due to the lack of HOA controls, they've been allowed to change and grow and each house and each neighborhood develop its own personality.

I used to have that "if it's not right next to the University or the Capitol, it's the boonies" mentality - heck, I can remember when 2222 and Mopac was a country road and a railroad and WAS the boonies, out in the country and halfway to the lake. But that doesn't make the houses there cookie cutter, today or, often, even when built.

They still look like cookie cutter ranch houses to me, even if you have the occasional addition that breaks up there box like quality.