Moving from San Francisco to Austin (Crockett, Post: apartment complexes, rentals, co-op)

[SFOtoAUS]

Hi,

I'm relocating from San Francisco to Austin in September and have no idea where to live. I'll be working from home, so I'm more concerned about a commute to the coffee shop than to the corporate office. I've been living in SF for ten years in a 400 sf apartment that is walking distance to anything I could ever need. I would like to maintain somewhat of a pedestrian lifestyle, but don't want to live downtown.

I am far more yuppie than hippie. I'm in my early 30's and am not terribly keen on living near college kids. My household is just me and my pup.

I would love ANY advice on areas that might suit me. Help!

1) What is your budget? Ideally $1200 spend $2000 in SF now.
2) How large of a house do you need? what kind of views? what size lot? how old? updated? style? HOA? Looking to rent a 1br apartment for now. I would prefer some green space and really despise high rise apartments.
3) What part of town is your job? What type of job (planning for the next job) I'll be working remotely (from home) for a software company
4) What kind of commute is acceptable? n/a
5) What kind of schools are you looking for? n/a
6) What hobbies do you/kids have?I am very active - running, hiking, yoga, SUP.
7) What kind of entertainment are you looking for? I prefer shopping and eating locally over big boxes and chains. I much prefer tasty food and a great wine list of bar hopping and clubs.
8) What kind of food preferences do you have? I'm a classified foodie. I love a good hole in the wall or random food truck.


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[steve78757]

Check out the lower half of the Brentwood neighborhood. Lots of small apartment complexes and relatively close to coffee shops, etc. Also, Hyde Park though there would be more students there.

[mayfair44]

Originally Posted by SFOtoAUS

Hi,

I'm relocating from San Francisco to Austin in September and have no idea where to live. I'll be working from home, so I'm more concerned about a commute to the coffee shop than to the corporate office. I've been living in SF for ten years in a 400 sf apartment that is walking distance to anything I could ever need. I would like to maintain somewhat of a pedestrian lifestyle, but don't want to live downtown.

I am far more yuppie than hippie. I'm in my early 30's and am not terribly keen on living near college kids. My household is just me and my pup.

I would love ANY advice on areas that might suit me. Help!

1) What is your budget? Ideally $1200 spend $2000 in SF now.
2) How large of a house do you need? what kind of views? what size lot? how old? updated? style? HOA? Looking to rent a 1br apartment for now. I would prefer some green space and really despise high rise apartments.
3) What part of town is your job? What type of job (planning for the next job) I'll be working remotely (from home) for a software company
4) What kind of commute is acceptable? n/a
5) What kind of schools are you looking for? n/a
6) What hobbies do you/kids have?I am very active - running, hiking, yoga, SUP.
7) What kind of entertainment are you looking for? I prefer shopping and eating locally over big boxes and chains. I much prefer tasty food and a great wine list of bar hopping and clubs.
8) What kind of food preferences do you have? I'm a classified foodie. I love a good hole in the wall or random food truck.


Read more: //www.city-data.com/forum/austi...#ixzz2U46S7uEz

If it were me, I'd take a map of Austin and draw about a three mile radius around the center of DT (Congress/6th?) and shoot for within. Big red X from MLK to Lamar to 29th to Guadalupe- West Campus 99% undergrad students. With your budget, you've got options in town.

Had to look up "SUP." Yeah, the stand up scene is blowing up here, so big asterisk on Ladybird lake/Lake Austin for that:

SUP ATX | Stand Up Paddle Austin Texas. Paddle Board Sales, Rentals & Free Demos in Austin. SUP Austin!

Grab a flight, scout the town, and settle on a place in person, rather than sight unseen, if you can.

[mark311]

It's tough because it sounds like downtown would actually fit best, but it's out of your price range. If you want a newer apartment then The Triangle or Mosaic at Mueller would probably work, but are in the $1300 range. If you're alright with a bit older then Hyde Park or those apartments around the north Central Market in Rosedale would be worth looking at (not sure of the price range). Hyde Park is more grad students in their late 20's than undergrads. You could walk to a lot of good local restaurants including Central Market. SoCo might be too hippie for your tastes in my opinion.

[10scoachrick]

Dang...I guess I just don't fully appreciate how simple my life is since I don't drink coffee.

[mayfair44]

Originally Posted by mark311

It's tough because it sounds like downtown would actually fit best, but it's out of your price range. If you want a newer apartment then The Triangle or Mosaic at Mueller would probably work, but are in the $1300 range. If you're alright with a bit older then Hyde Park or those apartments around the north Central Market in Rosedale would be worth looking at (not sure of the price range). Hyde Park is more grad students in their late 20's than undergrads. You could walk to a lot of good local restaurants including Central Market. SoCo might be too hippie for your tastes in my opinion.

Rent is steep DT proper, esp in the newer properties. Still, closer to $1200 is doable close in. Can def beat $2k rent OP's paying now!

I haven't compared myself in awhile.

Apartments for rent in 78701 | Gables offers Apartments for Rent, including Luxury, Furnished, Unfurnished Apartments and Corporate Housing

[LiveUrban]

Ideally, you'll want to live downtown but the prices might be a bit higher than your range. Austin's downtown is a bit different than SF's. Austin's dt is where all the main action is and where a lot of "yuppies" live. The epicenter of yuppie Austin is probably the 2nd Street District where there are several boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, and the Violet Crown Theater (dinner and a movie concept: http://www.violetcrowncinema.com/). Rainey Street and 6th Street are both nightlife districts located dt. As is the Whole Foods flagship store.

Other areas of Austin you might look at are S. Lamar Blvd. and Riverside Dr. There are a lot of new apartment complexes being constructed along both of those streets.

Here's an example of a new place on S. Lamar: Post Properties
S. Lamar is quickly becoming a hot foodie corridor. A Spanish tapas bar recently opened up and Crocketts Bar is planned for the Lamar Plaza redevelopment. They join established restaurants like Uchi (modern Japanese), Barley Swine (gastropub), Gourdoughs Public House, Black Sheep Lodge (Burger bar), Olivia (new American) and many more. Wheatsville Food Co-op (grocery store) is planned to open in July on S. Lamar: 4001 South Lamar Opening in July | Wheatsville Co-op

The street isn't so walkable at the moment but will drastically change within a year or so after all the construction is complete. Easy access into downtown (by bike/bus) and to other foodie hotspots like SoCo. Also within proximity to hike and bike trails along the Colorado River.

Oh and one more thing, since you're a foodie, you'll want to check out this yearly festival when you get here: http://www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/

Welcome to Austin

[AustinGuy]

If you aren't interested in DT, I say check into the Rosedale neighborhood. Not a ton of rentals, but you might find one in your price range.

[SFOtoAUS]

Thanks for all the suggestions. You guys are so great!

I really could push my budget (which it sounds like I would need to do for a place downtown) but I'm looking to buy a place in the not-so-long term and would prefer to not to spend so much on rent in the meantime.

I'm gonna come out for a scouting trip and I'm no longer going to rule out downtown. It sounds like it might surprise me. I also won't rule out Hyde Park but I'll look carefully. The rest of your recommendations are Lower Brentwood, Mosaic & Mueller, S Lamar, and Riverside. Am I missing anything?

And thanks for all the foodie suggestions! I think knowing where those spots are will help me narrow down my search....or at least find a good meal while I search.

[RicochetShaw]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the Manor Rd area. The street, between I-35 and Airport Blvd is pretty active with coffee shops, restaurants, and theatre. There's some very reasonably priced ($800ish) apartments on the street which would mean walking distance to all of that stuff, and as for the rest of the city, you're pretty centrally located.

Another area that sounds like it would fit your needs is the East 11th street neighborhood. I don't know much about the rentals there, but I know they'll be cheaper than DT, and it's even more centrally located, also with plenty of restaurants/coffee shops.