Young professional moving from ATX to S.A. – Southtown vs. Pearl vs. Alamo Heights area? (Austin: real estate, apartments)

[AlphaMurdock]

I’m a young(ish) professional that just took a job at Rackspace and my wife and I (no kids) are considering relocating to S.A. to be closer to work and for a change of scenery. Central Austin is beginning to feel prohibitively expensive unless you're independently wealthy these days. We’d be looking to rent a 2BR or big 1BR, $1600 max price range.

This forum is super-helpful, so I was hoping to get some advice on where I should be looking for places. It looks like there are some great loft apartments in the Pearl Brewery area – Can Plant, 1221 Broadway and 1800, etc… -- but I’ve been told I should check out Southtown and Alamo Heights as well. I would like a safe area, a place I wouldn’t feel bad about walking around place with my wife at night.

I was wondering about the difference in lifestyles between these areas. I'm hoping for greater walkability that I have up here in Austin's suburbs — ie. the ability to get to places we like to hang out when not working like coffee shops, bars, good restaurants (not super-expensive touristy places, though) places to check out bands or theaters, cultural events, and so on. I’m also a runner and getting me close to some place with a jogging trail would be a positive, too. Not sure if there is anything like that in the area. Any recommendations about particular places we should be looking or just areas I should really consider will be much appreciated!

To make an Austin comparison, I’ve been told that Southtown is more like S. Congress and the Pearl Brewery area / North Downtown is more like Hyde Park.

I know absolutely nothing about Alamo Heights, but I’ve had multiple folks I know and trust tell me I should look there as well.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[sakssa]

Sounds like the Pearl would be great for you. There is nothing like taking a jog on the Riverwalk. There are plenty of restaurants at Pearl and they do have live music at the outdoor theater every so often. There is a farmers market on the weekends and there is just a great vibe. There in only one actual bar on the property but there will be one in the new hotel. Southtown is very nice as well but more of an artsy vibe and a bit cheaper on rents. Definitely more bars but I would say not as classy

[BoerneMan]

I would stick with the Pearl area or Southtown for walkability. Both are adjacent to beautiful, non-touristy sections of the Riverwalk that are great for jogging or biking. Both are safe at night in my mind. Both also have some great local restaurants and bars to explore. There is not nearly as much live music here as in Austin, but both areas are also near a few good spots to check out local and regional bands.

The Southtown/South Congress comparison is probably fair, although South Congress is much further along in its evolution than Southtown. To me Southtown is the creative arts district while the Pearl is more urban professional.

You're on the right track with apartments to explore around the Pearl (I would also add the Mosaic), and others here can offer suggestions in Southtown. You could check out the 3 or so best complexes in both areas over the course of a day, so consider making a weekend of it and get to know the area.

[smuboy86]

I would also take a look at legacy heights and the 1111 Austin highway. Both are a bit closer to rackspace. Also both are close to the salado creek trail.

[justiciability]

Considering everything you've mentioned, look at no place other than Pearl.

[staunchcharacter]

TONS of threads on this already, and I'd suggest reading through this one first:

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...xes-there.html

The Pearl, IMO, is cramped and for what you pay, you get very little. If living around a noisy and near-constant trafficked highway is your idea of a dream, far be it from me to stand in your way.

I'd look into Southtown, King William and Downtown proper.

[TXEX06]

Spend a weekend in both areas and see
which one would be the best fit for you.

[SA Highlander]

For $1,600 a month you can rent a house with a yard for a dog in Southtown, and if you want to invest, you can buy a home in Highland Park (next to southtown) for about $75K, that being around $680 a month. If you decide to move in the future, you can sell your house and get your money back, or rent it and let it pay itself. Highland Park is a close bike ride/drive to Southtown and Mission Reach trail for outdoor activities (they should be adding kayaking soon.) Also, you are close to southside lions park/Lower Salado Creek Trail to the east with more restaurants (the Smokehouse, Big Lou's Pizza, Caparelli's Italian on E. Southcross..). Plenty of local restaurants in Highland Park too (Patty's Taco House, Brown's Mexican Food, Little Red Barn, Taco Haven (on Gevers and on S. Presa) and soon to open Freetail Brewing located at 2000 S. Presa nearby...

[Chaka]

All true but I'd hold off on buying until you've been here awhile.

Re: Alamo Heights, it's suburban. Not like outer loop suburban, but housing is mostly suburban and unless you live close to the main strip on Broadway, there's not a whole lot to walk to. That said, there's a nice nature trail in AH (but I wouldn't do it at night).

Both the Pearl and Southtown area are good options. Staunch already posted the link that listed many. I think if you like brand new/very pristine, stick with Pearl. A bit edgier and with a variety of options, head to Southtown. Both are easy access to the river, with Southtown adjacent to the Mission Reach (miles and miles of trail).

There are other areas I'd consider buying, but think it's best to spend time living here before you decide what works for you.

[TurtleGirlSA]

Sorry for the delayed response, just created a profile. Having lived in SA for 15 years, I recently moved to ATX near the new boardwalk on LadyBird Johnson, I decided to move back to SAT. I didn't like the congestion and stress from dense population, but loved the lifestyle. I'm also a real estate agent so I have a pretty good idea about rents and home prices. I agree with those who said Pearl would be a good option, and its no more noisy than E Riverside, but the culture of SouthTown is more closely related to S. Congress, while the Pearl is more like 2nd street as far as lifestyle goes. SouthTown is gentrified with a latin flair. Pearl is revitalized as well, but the housing is all new. Much more dense. Alamo Heights is a more mature market with a mean age of 40, and is close in price to ATX housing, where Pearl and SouthTown is a much younger population. Hopefully this is still helpful, even though 3 months late.