Austin may be my next destination (Greenville, Atlanta: fit in, apartments, to rent) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

Tania1976 · 03-28-2014, 10:25 PM

Hello. Well I'm one of those free spirits that moves around quite a bit and Austin has been on my mind. I'm currently in WA state and am having a really hard time with the lack of sunshine. Before WA, I was in Atlanta, GA and Greenville, SC but am originally from RI. I'm wondering what areas are reasonably priced and close to things to do? I'm 37 and single, so want to be in a quite neighborhood that's around people and action. I love mature trees, parks, cafes, farmers markets and live music. I will be moving down with some savings with the hope of finding a job. I'm a dental assistant, former Whole Foods whole body team member and waitress/ bartender...so shouldn't have a problem finding something. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.

~Tania

Tania1976 · 03-29-2014, 01:14 AM

I will add that I will be finding a room to rent on CL temporarily. I'm just unfamiliar with the areas. I have already looked through other posts and saw that downtown and soco were recommended but wanted more options, so I can check Craigslist.

MovingAloha · 03-30-2014, 04:02 PM

You didn't state your price point. I think you're doing the right thing by renting a temp place so you can really look around before settling.
You said you wanted a "quite" place, I'm going to guess you meant quiet and suggest you keep in mind that many of the complexes near the various schools are heavily occupied by college students. If you are somewhat familiar with Austin, you know that UT is the big gorilla and there are a few other colleges in the immediate Austin area. However, some of the nicer, tree-lined areas, farmer's markets, etc are near those schools. So you may need to do a trade-off.
You didn't mention a job, so that needs to be a big consideration, because of the heavy traffic, although Austin does have public transportation.

Tania1976 · 03-31-2014, 01:59 AM

Yes, I meant quiet. Stupid auto correct. Lol I will rent a room for no more than $500/ month... That shouldn't be hard. I'm a dental assistant, so will probably start looking for offices close to where I end up residing. I don't necessarily have to be at a complex but if I was close to trees, parks and farmers markets, I could deal with some noise. I have a year to finish my PSY degree, so will be attending college after I establish residency. Which nice areas were you mentioning in your post? I plan on couchsurfing in Austin soon. Looking forward to visiting.

Thanks for the reply.

Trainwreck20 · 03-31-2014, 09:59 AM

There is a 'cluster' of dental offices off of the Far West Blvd area and some not bad areas to rent around there.

If you are really interested in a room, I have a co-worker (female (I am assuming you are?), about your age) that is looking to rent out a room in here house (her last roommate for the past couple of years just moved out). She has a cat (two, maybe) but would likely make an excellent roommate. She is in South Austin somewhere off of Manchaca, which may or may not fit your bill, though. I would have to check what she is proposing to charge and, ofc, it would depend on when you are coming down as to whether it was still available....

Just checked, she is asking$650/month all bills included.

Tania1976 · 03-31-2014, 04:58 PM

Hi. Thanks for the response. I won't be there any time soon. I'm saving money and I will hopefully be able to move down at the summer's end. I'm just asking about areas to live, so I can have enough saved for 5 months of bills.

Your friend's place is too expensive. I'm looking for something cheaper, since I will be paying for a storage unit until I figure out where I will be for the long-term. When I go down it will be me, my cat and whatever I can fit in my car.

RoadWarrior12 · 03-31-2014, 06:04 PM

You are going to be extremely hard pressed to find a room for $500 that meets half of what you're looking for, and that's without the cat - with it? Darn near impossible.

That said, if it's something you're dead-set on doing, look for anything south of 183/Mopac, west of 35, unless it's between 290 and 6th, take out 78753, try to stay north of Slaughter.

Good luck.

MovingAloha · 03-31-2014, 06:23 PM

The Far West area along with the Arboretum area might be a good fit for you and if you can rent a room in one of the apartments, then I think those areas will fit into your budget. It is also close to shopping and office complexes.

DCtoTejas · 04-01-2014, 09:03 AM

I think you're going to have to compromise on some of your desires - quiet yet near action, mature trees, parks, cafes, farmers markets and live music - sounds a lot like SoCo 78704. If $650 with all utilities included is too expensive, you will be hard pressed to find anything in the neighborhoods you desire, 900 sq ft tear down bungalows are going for about $300k in 78704 and rent on small houses is $2k+...good luck on your search.