Best Places to Live in Hyde Park (Austin, Center: apartment complexes, rentals)

[hluthy]

Hello!

Wow...this forum is really incredible! There is so much great information on here that you all have supplied, I'm really thankful that I ran across this site. I'm hoping some of you might be able to help me as I attempt to do the seemingly impossible...find a place to live in Austin without actually being there yet! I will be moving to Austin from Seattle later this month, but I won't have a lot of turnaround before starting a new job there, so I really need to have a place ready. My job is over on Guadalupe, so the west side of Hyde Park would be great, but I could definitely do the east side as well, it seems like a pretty cool area. Realistically, it's all pretty much within a mile or so walking distance, so I'm not too worried about which part of Hyde Park I'm in. I have ruled the Craigslist roommate situation out for now, as most people (understandably) want to meet their new roommate before they agree to let them move in, so what I'm looking for is a one-bedroom or efficiency-type apartment. Here's the thing I don't really understand about the Austin housing market...it seems like the vast majority of apartment complexes are just that...really big complexes. I hear that there are some funky old apartments in Hyde Park, but I am having a really hard time finding information on any of them. I would much prefer to live in a small apartment building with some character and hopefully some community than in a big complex with a pool and tanning beds. If anyone could provide me with some specific names of cool places in Hyde Park that I could get in contact with (as well as any other tips for my housing search!) I would be endlessly thankful.

I'm really excited to be joining you all in Austin very soon, even more so after reading so many of these posts and getting a feel for the great people who live there already. Thanks so much for your help!

[jco]

Have you looked into just north of Hyde Park? The houses are a little more affordable, and there are some really cool carriage houses between 600 and 700 square feet that have the character you're looking for without the attached neighbors!

[scongress1234]

I would highly recommend staying at a cheap hotel on the outskirts of Austin and giving yourself a few days to check out apartments in person. I tried doing what you're doing and moved too fast, locking myself into a mega-apartment lease. Better to spend 60 bucks a night at a cheap hotel while you look, even if it takes a week. Austin is a tough city to find something sight unseen, as there are so many diverse areas. You seem to be fixated on hyde park, which, while it indeed is a great area, might not be what you think it is once you get there. There are mostly mega-apartment complexes in hyde park as well, many full of students, which can be on the rowdy side. If you are over 25, you may find it a little college-y for your taste to share a complex with kids living away from home for the first time. Austin doesn't have many traditional apt. complexes like you see in Chicago, Seattle, and other cities. It's really a Texas thing as well. You see a huge communal mailbox area, pools, clubhouses and such. Lots of people pulling in and out at all hours all over, and a very transient atmosphere. I would recommend, if you can commute a few miles away, south congress and thereabouts. Prob the only area in Austin with few mega-complexes. For sure, avoid anything north of the university, as you will see NOTHING but mega-complexes. If you see few options per smaller free-standing apt. buildings, the megas are not really that bad. They are pretty reasonable, do have nice pools and facilities, and you CAN get to know people if you try. I could think of far worse places. Again, go out there first, before you contact anyone, drive the areas, and see what you think. No doubt there are some awesome older areas near 'lupe. If you don't mind roommates, many people in the area rent out rooms as well in older homes, which might be a decent way of getting to know the area and people. March, AP, and may are prob the best months for festivals, so make sure you check out south by southwest, eeyore's birthday in peace park, and the pecan festival on 6th street......enjoy....

[brattpowered]

Your best bets for finding a smaller, funky complex are looking in Craigslist and driving around. Most of the small complexes don't advertise on the big apartment websites, so you may need to show up and drive around the area looking for "for lease" signs.

[Trainwreck20]

This site has a search for apartments that you can limit to Hyde park. These are all pretty small and msot definitely have character.
Hyde Park Neighborhood in Austin | Small Planet Guide

It is definitely not complete, since the little 14 or 15 unit place off of 43rd and Ave B. is not listed, and that is where I lived for a year in college. There are a few across Guadalupe, too...

Edit: while trying to find that apartment name (why? dunno...), I came across this photoblog that has some pictures of Hyde Park (select the tag 'Hyde Park' and search). Austin, Texas Daily Photo

[abe1492]

Hyde Park is a great place to live for newcomers to Austin. As a new resident 2 years ago, I couldn't have picked a better place and was happy to make it my home in an apartment there for the first year. Plenty of parks, friendly people young and old, bars and restaurants, UT, all within walking distance. Great first place for any new Austinite. Apartments can be found at or under $600 for a small one bedroom. And a local site, Abe's Apartments, is the best place to find small complexes unique to Hyde Park. [URL="http://www.abesapartments.com"]www.abesapartments.com[/URL].

[sanmiguel]

There is a small complex on 45th (Siesta Apts) with rates about $500 for 1 Bdrm. It is next to the new Buddhist Center between Duval and Caswell. Good for one person.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by abe1492

Hyde Park is a great place to live for newcomers to Austin. As a new resident 2 years ago, I couldn't have picked a better place and was happy to make it my home in an apartment there for the first year. Plenty of parks, friendly people young and old, bars and restaurants, UT, all within walking distance. Great first place for any new Austinite. Apartments can be found at or under $600 for a small one bedroom. And a local site, Abe's Apartments, is the best place to find small complexes unique to Hyde Park. www.ments.com.

Nice first-post advertisement, Abe...might want to tag on to a thread that's not 2 years old