The realities of living here without a car.... (Austin, West: apartment complexes, rent)

[justanothercalifornian]

Is this possible? We will eventually get one after our move to Austin, but it would be nice not to HAVE to. I'm a stay at home mom so I would be taking my toddler out and about often. Where should we rent an apartment if we want to be near public transportation or even better, within walking distance to things? Our budget is rock bottom but we do not care about amenities or schools at this point. Will we have to get a car sooner than later?

[brattpowered]

You may want to reconsider moving anywhere in Texas. This is car country, ya'll. Yee-haw!

[achtungpv]

I don't recommend any city in TX as being viable w/o a car especially with a toddler. Bus service in Austin is thin and erratic. I can't imagine hanging out with a toddler at a bus stop for up to 30 minutes waiting for a late bus and then spending 1 1/2 hours on it to get across town, then get dropped off at stop with no sidewalks (pretty common here). Ain't worth the heartache but people do it i guess.

[twange]

If you live in Central Austin, close to jobs it's possible. The closer in the better(DT, South Austin north of Ben White, East Austin, University area). My wife and I share a car, but I work at home. If I need to go out, I ride my bike. We take the bus a lot, and have found it reasonably convenient depending on where we want to go and when. There are a lot of things within walking distance as well.

It really depends on where you or you or spouse will be working. Keep in mind that the closer into the city you are, the more expensive it becomes.

[tibbar]

Check out Capitol Metro bus service. This page will let you open up the route map and you can enlarge it very well. Use google maps to find a location and the stores near it and compare with the map. For example I once lived on Cockburn just off Westgate. The bus stop was a couple blocks away (on westgate bus 338) and I could get anywhere I wanted....it just took time.
http://www.capmetro.org/dumpthepump.asp (broken link)

[twange]

Originally Posted by achtungpv

then get dropped off at stop with no sidewalks (pretty common here)

Don't get me started on the sidewalk issue. Wait, you just did

My heartburn is back now.

[love roses]

I'm not sure how you'd get by without a car for too long, unless you live exactly in or very near downtown. I can get by without one for certain things, but not all where I'm at. Any of the outlying suburbs it will be difficult.

[atxcio]

Besides the central Austin neighborhoods twange mentioned, the NW Hills neighborhood right around Far West and Mopac is a walkable area. Banks, restaurants, grocery stores, post office, retail, parks all within walking distance from several apartment complexes. Some older ones are pretty reasonably priced. Bus stops are everywhere so you can get around to other parts of town. There are a lot of students living there, but it's not like West Campus or other university areas.

That said, I do think you will eventually need a car. Luckily owning a car is relatively cheap here.

[ramones85]

I live in Hyde Park and I don't drive...but my boyfriend does. I work fairly close to home, so walking to work isn't too much trouble (except days like today when it's cold and wet outside)...but I wouldn't be able to get much done like grocery shopping or laundry without him.
I'd recommend that you have at least one car, especially with a toddler, in case of an emergency. I thought walking and riding my bike would be suitable, but in reality, the city just isn't super-walkable. I've purchased a scooter for errands, but even then, when it's raining, I'm kind of house-bound.
You can totally make do with one car, but I doubt either of you will be happy without at least that.
Good luck!

P.S....public transit in this city sucks, counting on your own two feet is a better idea

[HappyTexan]

You may be able to get to work and possibly a few other places but IMO you really do need a car. This is a sprawled out city and even though we have buses, it's nothing like big cities up north. You would most certainly be spending money on cabs to get places.