For those of you in Austin, how did you go about looking for an apartment? I'm about to graduate from UT and have a consulting job in Austin. I'm looking for a place in North Austin, but I don't have a lot of knowledge about the area (apartments v. other housing options, traffic, bad parts of town, bus/rail transit, etc.), especially since I'm originally from Houston. I'm currently considering apartment complexes such as The Triangle, Midtown Commons at Crestview Station, Post West Austin, and the Mosaic at Mueller. I'd definitely love to get the Austin crowds' opinion on the best places to live. Thanks in advance! (Sorry if it's a redundant thread. I cannot find the search forum tools.)
The Triangle has an excellent location. You could get fat eating Italian at Mandola's (and good vino!). You might have a concern about the traffic, which is something you should check at all of the options. I don't have a problem driving around there when I happen to, but it can get busy. All of the places you mentioned are pretty good. Some have a bit better location, depending on what you like to do, but might cost more. You're lucky to have a job in Austin, straight out of UT. Congratulations. -
I just signed a lease for an apartment in Austin after not knowing the area as well. Here were some the places others have recommended: Gables grandview, mosaic at muller, preserve at travis creek, marquis at treetops, marquis at caprock, villages of bella vista. All of those places are around 1100+ for a 1/1 not including water/electricity. I'd recommend finding an agent to tour you around and find a place that suits your needs. If you want to go that route, I can recommend the realtor who helped me with that. I eventually went with an apartment called Argosy at Crestview which was cheaper and still pretty nice to me. I have a friend who lives at Midtown Commons who likes it. It's very modernized but they're also spiking their price next year so I didn't choose that one. Also, the walls were thin so your experience may depend on your neighbors more... If you've got the bank though, I'd recommend checking out the ones I listed at the top.
The Triangle is a nice area, still close to everything, but far enough from Campus that you're not dealing with drunken frat boys. Lots of rich hotties live there. South Austin has some pretty nice complexes as does North Austin up by Parmer. I would try to stay central Austin if you want to do anything. I used to live by campus and I drove to work on Parmer & 35 everyday, not fun. Austin traffic is the worst so I would try to stay as close to work/school/fun as possible.
I live in Mueller (but not in Mosaic) and have heard some not so great things about Mosaic (in terms of quality of construction), though admittedly, it is in a great location and awesome neighborhood. Triangle can be cool, if the high-density aspect of it, but driving up/ down 45th to get to either 35 or Mopac can add a few minutes to your commute (unlike Mosaic). After graduating, I lived in far NW Austin, which was/ is exploding in growth and can have some nice apartments, but it's away from the city. A lot depends on what you're looking for in a place to live and how much you're willing to spend.
The Triangle is a great location if you're into being close to the action. I think I would prefer Crestview Station as it sits right at a MetroRail stop and has Black Star Coop on the premises.
I am moving in a few weeks to a house I'm going to be leasing in Crestview, right near the station. I don't know the area all that well, but I'm hopeful that me and the wife will enjoy it. Right now we live near downtown which is awesome, but really sucks when I have to drive to work in Round Rock. I love the Triangle area. Flying Saucer and Mandola's are both a win.
My last apartment was in The Arboretum area. I loved it there. Easy access to pretty much everywhere in Austin. Plenty of food and shopping. Not too expensive, either.
Another vote for the Triangle. Central location, short cab ride from downtown, Flying Saucer, and near the IM fields. When I graduated from UT (2002) my buddy and I moved to 360 and 222 in the hills. Beautiful location, but those were some dangerous drives home from 6th Street. Don't do that. Stay central. My favorite address in Austin was when I lived off South Congress (Camden) when I was in b-school from '06-'08. Great spot: walk to 6th, Lady Bird Lake running trail, Doc's, Magnolia Cafe and lots of tail. Wish I still lived there sometimes.
I live in the neighborhood adjacent to The Triangle (Hyde Park), and have for 10+ years. It's a great area, easy to get to anything, and has a very low crime rate considering how close it is to downtown. I've worked all over Austin from one end to the other while I've lived here and it's never taken me more than 20 minutes to get to and from work. Mueller wouldn't be a bad place either, but they're beginning work on the "Upper Airport Boulevard Initiative" sometime this year - which will make the area nicer, but could cause some inconvenience due to construction. Same goes for Midtown Commons at Crestview, because the area of gentrification on Airport Blvd. stretches exactly from Mueller to Crestview. Post West is in a decent area, and it's right on Mopac...but it's also right on top of Camp Mabry and some cluster**** traffic at 45th & Mopac/Shoal Creek. And it's far enough away from things that you'd have to take Mopac to get anywhere cool rather than just surface streets. Oh, and Deck is right about Mandola's...I just got back from Italy, and their Italian food is almost as good as Mandola's
Thanks everyone for the great information! I'm looking into this Upper Airport Boulevard Initiative, which looks like it could bring a lot of development into the North/Central area I was looking into for an apartment. Good and bad that come with that too. By the way, I'll have a roommate, so we're looking at the 2BD/2BR floorplans. Also, with the consulting job, there's a lot of local projects around the 183/Cameron Rd area. However, I'll be downtown on Fridays and possibly have to travel, so it's great getting ya'll feedback on the commute times to different areas.
I'm moving to Austin this summer. Any current UT students know a relatively cheap place to live? I don't mind living in an area that isn't considered fancy, but nothing that is terribad. Looking for something in the $700-900 range. It's gonna be my first time moving out and first place.
There are 3 main places where most of the student live that come with UT shuttle buses and all: Riverside West Campus Far West Riverside qualifies as terribad, IMO, especially after I spent the last year managing a shop there. West Campus is precluded by your price range. Far West is a very nice area, though, with several 1 Bedrooms in that price range. Additionally, any apartments on or around North or South Lamar or S. Congress have very steady bus routes, typically every 10 minutes on the weekdays. It's not very feasible to drive to and from school, which is why I keep harping on the buses. The areas within walking distance (West Campus is one) are almost all in the $1200+ price range, bare minimum. The rare exception are these kitschy little co-ops and garage apartments that you'll find here and there in the North Campus area. Overall, I'd say your best bet is Far West.
Thanks for the information. I appreciate it. Yeah, riding the bus is probably going to be my best option. Parking pass alone is expensive as hell lol. Austin seems like a pretty cool place to live from what I've seen of it