Is the Rundberg area really that bad? (Dallas, Austin: houses, neighborhoods)

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by sabrina1013

If you look at the statistics (as everyone likes to mention) actually East 8th and Chicon had the highest crime rate in Austin last year. Also most major crime in Austin has been statistically proven to be Domestic in nature. I lived for many years in NYC and know what a dangerous neighborhood feels like and this is not one of them. We hope to see you as neighbors soon!

I don't know where you are getting these statistics. No question that Rundberg is safer then parts of New York or Chicago. But here is what the APD statistics are for violent crime around Rundberg and 8th & Chicon. I have not been able to get the tabulated numbers from APD since 2010, but here is what the 2010 data says. The documents published for 2007-2009 are all similar.

Rundberg Lane, zip code 78741
year, murder, rape, robbery, agg assault, total crimes
2010, ......3, ...35, .....187, .......262,..........14,254

8th & Chicon zip code 78702
year, murder, rape, robbery, agg assault, total crimes
2010, ......1, ...12, .....114, .......120,...........9,163

Also there are six zip codes with higher numbers of total crimes then 78702. 78741 does in fact have the highest numbers of total crimes and has the highest numbers in all violent crime categories.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by blueskies85

I agree that the low rent complexes do bring down the neighborhood somewhat, but I am guessing that's probably also what is bringing down the other areas I mentioned ie. the areas around Manor and Rogge and also 12th and Chicon. But people still have no trouble recommending those neighborhoods, with the caveat to avoid the rough pockets. The whole neighborhoods are not written off like I see with Rundberg.

Parmer and mopac has a ton of nice housing that I think doesnt have the crime problems. It is a pocket that for some reason is very affordable, but also has easy access to mopac to head downtown. I would buy in that area over rundberg.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Acuda

What were those directions again?

pics?

[FueledByBlueBell]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

It is not an area of Austin I know well, but friends just moved there, and while my partner's brother who is a cop was horrified, I was kinda pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood (north of 183, east of Lamar, south of Rundberg, west of 35, east of Lamar.) You do indeed see working girls at all times of day and night wandering down Powell and Georgian, but Walnut Creek meanders through the neighborhood, the lots look large, the houses are mostly 60s and 70s ranch houses. It is leafier than much of Austin, and in parts, feels almost rural, and it is unbelievably cheap!

I don't think it is going to turn into a white middle-class family neighborhood anytime soon, but it is not that far from desirable central Austin neighborhoods. It has proximity to some of the best Asian and Latin American food in Austin, and the holdouts of an earlier incarnation of Austin weird and cool on North Burnett: Poodle Dog Lounge and the quite sublime Lala's etc, and as artists and musicians, long priced out of South Congress and increasingly priced out of the happening parts of East Austin look to move, I have a hunch that this could be the next holdout of Austin cool.

My friends' house backs up to the creek. The house is a classic sixties rambler with a huge yard and towering Pecan trees. The neighbors on the one side are quite sweet Honduran prostitutes. It is not a neighborhood for the risk averse, but I don't feel unsafe there, and there is quite a lot to like. It could quite easily follow classic gentrification patterns: sex-workers, followed by gays and artists, followed by yuppies, though it lacks the historic urban infrastructure of SoCo and the east 6th, 7th and 11th street corridors of East Austin, which all followed this exact pattern.

It has a certain risqué charm. Get in while you can.

But artists, prostitutes, gays-- look at the Meatpacking district in NYC in 1999. How that has changed! You've almost sold me on the area (except there isn't a downtown, and there is an interstate with truck stops...) APGs can certainly be a good sign for an upcoming neighborhood. I'm looking in south Austin and it is so expensive- expensive like $499k for a total tear down on .10 acres...

Crime has to go somewhere, however, and give the price south-central I think that is where it is moving. It may get worse before it gets better.

[ITO]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

It is not an area of Austin I know well, but friends just moved there, and while my partner's brother who is a cop was horrified, I was kinda pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood (north of 183, east of Lamar, south of Rundberg, west of 35, east of Lamar.) You do indeed see working girls at all times of day and night wandering down Powell and Georgian, but Walnut Creek meanders through the neighborhood, the lots look large, the houses are mostly 60s and 70s ranch houses. It is leafier than much of Austin, and in parts, feels almost rural, and it is unbelievably cheap!

I don't think it is going to turn into a white middle-class family neighborhood anytime soon, but it is not that far from desirable central Austin neighborhoods. It has proximity to some of the best Asian and Latin American food in Austin, and the holdouts of an earlier incarnation of Austin weird and cool on North Burnett: Poodle Dog Lounge and the quite sublime Lala's etc, and as artists and musicians, long priced out of South Congress and increasingly priced out of the happening parts of East Austin look to move, I have a hunch that this could be the next holdout of Austin cool.

My friends' house backs up to the creek. The house is a classic sixties rambler with a huge yard and towering Pecan trees. The neighbors on the one side are quite sweet Honduran prostitutes. It is not a neighborhood for the risk averse, but I don't feel unsafe there, and there is quite a lot to like. It could quite easily follow classic gentrification patterns: sex-workers, followed by gays and artists, followed by yuppies, though it lacks the historic urban infrastructure of SoCo and the east 6th, 7th and 11th street corridors of East Austin, which all followed this exact pattern.

It has a certain risqué charm. Get in while you can.

After reading that and knowing well the area you are talking about I cant help but to think you are a relator. Its called Georgian Acres, and you forgot to mention that Powell and Wonsley are notorious for street walkers, (AKA Crack Whor....) and that the Project housing at Powell and Georgian and the Section 8 apartments are pretty much a neighborhood killer. When the neighborhood laundry mat has a 8' chain link fence and barbed wire fence around it, it should be a clue as to what else you can expect.

[blueskies85]

If you are the OP and you think its fine, then why even post?

If you would read the thread, I wanted to hear from people familiar with the area about their experiences there, as I had none. I think it's appropriate to post a follow-up after I moved and share my own thoughts and experiences.

I was kinda pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood (north of 183, east of Lamar, south of Rundberg, west of 35, east of Lamar.)

I have driven through this neighborhood before - you are right it is even cheaper over there. I have been looking mainly west of Lamar though, as I have heard about the notorious Powell/Georgian area. I read an article somewhere they were trying to clean up that area but sounds like it's still a kind of a hub. There are some decent houses over there though and it did seem surprisingly rural in places.

You're right about the crime, but 78741 is the Riverside Dr. area...it's on the other side of the city. I am talking about 78758. There is updated 2011 crime data as well - I posted it on this thread and it's also on the city website.

[ITO]

Take a look at the neighborhood on the N/E corner of Lamar and Breaker, in between Lamar and IH35. It is a real gem, in a bad school district, which keeps the price down. Beautiful old houses with lots of big trees.

[RowdysMom]

Originally Posted by ITO

Take a look at the neighborhood on the N/E corner of Lamar and Breaker, in between Lamar and IH35. It is a real gem, in a bad school district, which keeps the price down. Beautiful old houses with lots of big trees.

Yes, beautiful trees and some nice old houses in that area. I have a friend who's parents have lived there for 40+ years with no problems. I think I mentioned earlier in this thread that I lived for 25 years west of Lamar, east of Metric, between Braker and Kramer. Never had a break in, nor car break in and all vehicles were parked outside, one in the street. Never felt unsafe, or threatened. but I can totally understand people who wouldn't want to live in that area. Of course, I was pretty far north of Rundberg.

[capcat]

The area at the northeast corner of Braker Ln and N. Lamar is called Eubank Acres. I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread and thought it might be easier to give it a name than describe location. Over the years, many friends and family members of mine have lived there. It's the Austin I knew and was very comfortable with in my time here. We lived in Georgian Acres in an apt that is now Section 8, and was on a sliding income scale back then, and considered buying a house on Georgian several years later. I still like that house and think of it from time to time...a small, red brick ranch house with lots of oak trees. The drawback for me was that it had a septic tank, which I didn't want at the time. Anyway, the N Lamar area has always had much diversity (cultural and economic) in close proximity. Somewhat like my experiences living in a small town. I wish the crime hot spots there could be cleaned up for the residents, because it's an interesting and comfortable place to live and one with which I'm fairly
familiar. Sad to see the little "ranchettes" off Kramer slowly being replaced by new houses. It has only been a few months ago that people were still keeping horses on their property. Upward mobility for us back then was moving into a duplex off Kramer. Even among the likes of Dobermans chained up in the front yard across the street, it felt fairly safe. It was a different time.

[ITO]

When I lived Georgian, I had a chain link fence all the way around the property, with a gate that I had to unlock and open to drive into the driveway. In the fence I had two very loud dogs that spooked easily; even with the fence and the dogs it still did not feel safe. There are folks who have lived on that street for many years and feel safe and just deal with the hookers, other riff raff that seems pretty constant in the area, and if it were not for my kids I might still be there.


Copy Cat, Thanks...... Eubank Acres
I used to live in a house on Tedford too, and I still love that neighborhood.