Moving to Austin. Need your advice, please help (Highland Park, West: apartment complex, to rent)

[TZ78]

Hi there,

My husband just got a postdoc job at UT. We will move to Austin at end of February. We are going to rent a 2 bedroom apartment and need some help to find right area for us.

We have a 2 years old son with fragile X syndrome who has sensory problems and can't tolerate noise... So we need quiet place where we can go to walk and ride a stroller. We don't have a car yet and will need public transportation.
We can afford max $1200 per months...
Can you give me an advice which area to search? or maybe some of you can directly recommend apartment complex which will suit us?
I can't visit Austin before renting and it's difficult to make decision just based on their websites. Please help
Thanks

[pmiranda]

My first thought is to reach out to UT for help or advice.
Quiet, on public transport routes, and 2 bedrooms for $1200 sounds like a bit of a challenge but it should be possible.

[mark311]

The Far West and NorthWest Hills area is on the UT shuttle route. You should be able to find an apartment right at your price range. That would be my top choice. Of course whether the apartment complex is quiet or not is really hit or miss depending on who your immediate neighbors are. That area in general is very safe and is much quieter than areas closer to campus.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by mark311

The Far West and NorthWest Hills area is on the UT shuttle route. You should be able to find an apartment right at your price range. That would be my top choice. Of course whether the apartment complex is quiet or not is really hit or miss depending on who your immediate neighbors are. That area in general is very safe and is much quieter than areas closer to campus.

The Far West location is a good recommendation for young families such as yourselves, still involved with UT. It has a walk score of 86. Walk Score of 3742 Far W Blvd Austin TX 78731

As advised above, Far West has access to the UT Shuttle route, to and from UT. See its route and other UT Shuttle routes here. Capital Metro - Austin Public Transit It is free to UT students, faculty and staff but the public can ride for normal bus rates. Most Capital Metro buses have bike racks on the front of the bus, I assume that includes the UT Shuttles.

However, be warned that the UT Shuttles make very few stops in between the beginning and end of the route. If you are going to be reliant on public transportation you should study the route maps carefully when picking where you are going to live. There are several bus routes that service that area. Public Transit near 3742 Far W Blvd Austin TX 78731

Nevertheless you will want to get a car as soon as possible as Austin is not the best place to have to rely on public transportation. For one thing it is really hot and humid a lot of the year, so you can get to be a sweaty mess just waiting for a bus to arrive. When it does rain here it is often a deluge and there is often not much shade or shelter available when you need it at the bus stops.

[capcat]

You might also check in the highland park area (along Bull Creek and on Hancock drive). I say this for several reasons. One, it is fairly walkable and on public transportation routes. Second, there are some fairly quiet older apartments in that area, as well as duplexes (on Bull Creek). Finally, there is a facility nearby that offers speech/language intervention, and OT for his sensory issues. PT if he needs it. That facility is near Highland Park elementary. Good luck with the move.

[capcat]

One problem with that area though, are the fire/EMS stations. One on Balcones and a fire station on Hancock. Just thought about that. Bull Creek would probably be okay. There is also a preschool nearby that accepts children with special needs. Fragile X hasn't traditionally been part of it's mission, but programs evolve and there are a multitude of profiles within any given population. Speech/language, OT and PT are all available there. DM if you'd like the name.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

I liked the suggestion of getting info from UT. I would call campus housing and maybe you could find some housing on campus so you could walk to many things. Many times they know where the quiet sections are and often provide areas for that. (they did where I went anyway) Don't know how it is here in Texas. Universities are generally a wealth of information. I would start there.

Good luck and welcome to Texas.

[TZ78]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll make a call to UT and find out how they can help. Also will continue searching apartments in Far West.
After researching I realized that without a car will be difficult but at the beginning we have no choice but using public transportation. Right now we live in North Bethesda, MD and I will miss great public transportation service that we have here.

Originally Posted by capcat

Finally, there is a facility nearby that offers speech/language intervention, and OT for his sensory issues. PT if he needs it. That facility is near Highland Park elementary. Good luck with the move.

This is very important! He gets therapies at home 4 times a week and it would be good if he gets same kind of therapies in Austin. Thank you very much! If you can give me any information about therapists I would really appreciate it.

[capcat]

Originally Posted by TZ78

This is very important! He gets therapies at home 4 times a week and it would be good if he gets same kind of therapies in Austin. Thank you very much! If you can give me any information about therapists I would really appreciate it.

I sent two messages, so please check for both. Hope you find excellent services in Austin. Like everywhere, we have a lot of caring people. All the best to you in Austin.

[mlt50]

Check out Marquis at Great Hills. We live there for a year after we moved back to Austin. It was very quiet, never heard my neighbors. Variety of residents, several of my neighbors were grad student. There is a bus stop across the street. Plus you can walk to Target and Sprouts (grocery store). They also have a very nice pool area and a new clubhouse. We enjoyed living there.