Austin, TX

[GeoMex]

Hi all, anyone knows of good apartments in the range of 800-1100 dpm in the hyde park area?

I'm tempting by duval village and mint urban, but don't really know if they're as shown.

Any other recommendations?

[yoconman]

Hi all! I was just accepted to UT Austin and couldn't find a city guide here! Could anyone share some information with me about Austin? How is transportation? Any ideas on neighborhoods or areas to live in? Any other tips? How did you like living there, generally?

 

Austin is a great college town.  As a UT student, you will have free access to the city buses which are a great way to get around.  You probably won't need a car, unless you have to work at the UT Pickle campus, which is a real pain to get to by city bus from the main UT campus.  For living near the main campus, most students either live in West Campus or North Campus.  West Campus is far more active than North Campus, but much louder.  Most of the Greek system have their hoses in West Campus and it's typically more of an undergraduate area.  North Campus is much quieter and cheaper, probably more what you want as a grad student.

[Bacchanalia]

Yes! Austin is awesome! I love living here, but there are some things to be aware of....

 

1. We have some of the worst traffic in the country (SOURCE:http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45mihf/4-austin-tx/).This is largely due to the fact that Austin's population is rapidly expanding and the infrastructure is struggling to keep up. It's particularly bad right around the downtown/UT area, which means living closer to campus is definitely desirable, unless you just enjoy sitting in stop and go traffic... luckily UT busses are awesome and all the neighborhoods people want to live in already are pretty close to campus or at least have bus service

 

2. We have lots of good food. Like more than we have any right to. Check out local restaurants, food trucks, food trucks that have turned into restaurants, food trucks that refuse to turn into restaurants despite 2 hour lines every day they are open. For a mid-sized city our food scene is ridiculous, make sure you take advantage of it.

 

3. Ditto on the bar scene. For a trashy night out, go to dirty 6th or the warehouse district. For a classy/yuppy night out, go to W 6th, for a trendy/hipster night out go to E. 6th or Rainey St. All of these are a quick bus ride from campus and there is always something going on and live music is EVERYWHERE.

 

4. The people here are really nice, I moved from New York and it took me a while to adjust. Everyone is REALLY friendly, and it is not unusual for the clerk at a store to talk to you about your weekend/life or to give you personal details about themselves. That is just the way it works here, so don't fight the Southern Hospitality, just embrace it!

 

5. It gets HOT. This is not an exaggeration. During the Summer (which starts in April and ends in October) do not leave things that you hold dear in your car. Phones will explode, plastic things will melt, your groceries will get cooked. Fortunately, we have developed coping mechanisms. Barton Springs is beautiful and the water is always 68 degrees. Great for a quick cool down, bring a book (or a research journal) and jump in the water as needed. Also, air conditioning is a necessity, luckily it is everywhere. If you can't afford it in your apartment/house, find a cool coffee shop/library/lab where you can spend all of your time other than sleep time. 

 

Those are the main things off the top of my head, but if you have specific questions feel free to ask! People in Austin love talking about Austin!

Edited February 12, 2015 by Bacchanalia

[GeoMex]

Yes! Austin is awesome! I love living here, but there are some things to be aware of....

 

1. We have some of the worst traffic in the country (SOURCE:http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45mihf/4-austin-tx/).This is largely due to the fact that Austin's population is rapidly expanding and the infrastructure is struggling to keep up. It's particularly bad right around the downtown/UT area, which means living closer to campus is definitely desirable, unless you just enjoy sitting in stop and go traffic... luckily UT busses are awesome and all the neighborhoods people want to live in already are pretty close to campus or at least have bus service

 

2. We have lots of good food. Like more than we have any right to. Check out local restaurants, food trucks, food trucks that have turned into restaurants, food trucks that refuse to turn into restaurants despite 2 hour lines every day they are open. For a mid-sized city our food scene is ridiculous, make sure you take advantage of it.

 

3. Ditto on the bar scene. For a trashy night out, go to dirty 6th or the warehouse district. For a classy/yuppy night out, go to W 6th, for a trendy/hipster night out go to E. 6th or Rainey St. All of these are a quick bus ride from campus and there is always something going on and live music is EVERYWHERE.

 

4. The people here are really nice, I moved from New York and it took me a while to adjust. Everyone is REALLY friendly, and it is not unusual for the clerk at a store to talk to you about your weekend/life or to give you personal details about themselves. That is just the way it works here, so don't fight the Southern Hospitality, just embrace it!

 

5. It gets HOT. This is not an exaggeration. During the Summer (which starts in April and ends in October) do not leave things that you hold dear in your car. Phones will explode, plastic things will melt, your groceries will get cooked. Fortunately, we have developed coping mechanisms. Barton Springs is beautiful and the water is always 68 degrees. Great for a quick cool down, bring a book (or a research journal) and jump in the water as needed. Also, air conditioning is a necessity, luckily it is everywhere. If you can't afford it in your apartment/house, find a cool coffee shop/library/lab where you can spend all of your time other than sleep time. 

 

Those are the main things off the top of my head, but if you have specific questions feel free to ask! People in Austin love talking about Austin!

 

 

Hi, thanks for the post, I'm really excited to go study in Austin.

 

I just have a couple of questions regarding specific apartments buildings I've been looking, neighborhoods and the reviews of the apts. There's a lot of them and I've selected a few that kind of fit what I want, but I'm not sure about them, I could really use the word of someone already living in Austin.

Thanks

Could you help me out?

[Bacchanalia]

GeoMex,

 

I would be happy to help! Let me know what I can do.

[GeoMex]

GeoMex,

 

I would be happy to help! Let me know what I can do.

 

Thank you, I'm at my first filter for apartments/condos, so first I'd like to know what areas do you think are the best for graduate student to live?

I think I'll be mainly focused on my studies so I don't mind and actually prefer living in somehow quiet places, but not so boring that I can't go out to do something.

Preferably near some kind of grocery store. Safe place.

So far I've been checking sites like trulia, yelp, and other apartment finders.

Areas like hyde park/ n campus, northwest hills, zilker, arboretum and camino la costa have places that interest me but I'm not sure yet because if it's not a high price it's a shitty place or too far away, but there's always something to think about.

Of those places I've found that camino la costa have a fairly low price for what it seems great apartments, and is close to the UT campus, but I'm worried about safety.

Even though I'm coming from a violent mexican city, it's always different when you go somewhere you don't know.

I'm planning on maybe bringing my car but I'm worried about thieves, since I'm planning on only using my car to go grocery shopping, emergencies, and coming back to Mexico.

Also, do you know if it's too difficult to get a permit to drive my mexican car there? or if it's even possible?

[Bacchanalia]

I'm not familiar with Camino la costa specifically, but after googling it, it looks like it's close to the Highland Mall area. I've been told (by the same person for the past 4 years) that that area is "up and coming" it can be a little rough around the edges, but I have never felt unsafe there. I know a haunted house happens around there every year and every time there is some kind of fight that makes the news. 

 

As far as you car getting broken into, it is something that happens, I would just avoid leaving anything of value in  your car, particularly if it is not parked in a garage. Most apartment building in Austin do have parking available, just make sure it doesn't cost extra.  

 

Hyde Park, in my humble opinion, is your best bet. It can be a little pricey, more so recently, but it is easy to get to campus, quiet neighborhood with a lot of character, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. 

 

That is just my personal opinion, and others might tell you another story. I would look at information like crime statistics in the area and use google street view to get a feel for the neighborhood, see if it is somewhere you would want to be. 

[GeoMex]

I'm not familiar with Camino la costa specifically, but after googling it, it looks like it's close to the Highland Mall area. I've been told (by the same person for the past 4 years) that that area is "up and coming" it can be a little rough around the edges, but I have never felt unsafe there. I know a haunted house happens around there every year and every time there is some kind of fight that makes the news. 

 

As far as you car getting broken into, it is something that happens, I would just avoid leaving anything of value in  your car, particularly if it is not parked in a garage. Most apartment building in Austin do have parking available, just make sure it doesn't cost extra.  

 

Hyde Park, in my humble opinion, is your best bet. It can be a little pricey, more so recently, but it is easy to get to campus, quiet neighborhood with a lot of character, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. 

 

That is just my personal opinion, and others might tell you another story. I would look at information like crime statistics in the area and use google street view to get a feel for the neighborhood, see if it is somewhere you would want to be. 

 

Yeah, Hyde Park is actually one of my top choices, and the crime statistics are one of the reasons. It seems a quite and nice place, close to the UT and everything one could need. But besides a couple of places I can't seem to find what would be the right choice, mostly because reviews don't help much, because most of the buildings that seem fine at first end up having a bunch of bad reviews because of bad management or stuff like that.

Thank you for your help again!

[victorydance]

What's a good time to start looking for apartments in Austin? Do a lot of leases start on July 1st due to the large student population?

[er120]

Hey,

I will start my PHD in Austin this Aug. Any suggestion on housing parking? I am considering if I should drive my car down there this May  and leave it somewhere for summer. Also, any suggestions for individual housing?  I would be happy if someone is looking for a roommate as well.

Edited February 25, 2015 by er120

[WLC988]

Hey everyone. This forum has been useful thus far -- I've deduced that East and South Austin are two of the best areas to find affordable housing off campus, and I'll look into Cherrywood and Hyde Park specifically. Thanks! Just curious -- are group houses popular in Austin, or do most grad students look for apartments? Do most people post for rooms available on craigslist, university listservs, or elsewhere?

 

As a separate question, does anyone know about Austin's house show scene? I'm moving from D.C., which has a vibrant house show community (over 36 venues and counting). I've found that this is something I value greatly in D.C., and I'm hoping to learn where similar DIY artistic hubs might be in Austin. Any ideas? 

[eescoba]

I'm moving out of Austin, but some advice:

Leases start year round, most in May, but usually places only require 30 days notice if you're not renewing or breaking lease.

Hyde Park is cute and really safe, but housing is relatively expensive, but think of it as a cheap version of organic white lifestyle blog paradise that is "the 78704." The unsafe parts are really the old apartment complexes along Airport Blvd that are actually somewhat affordable for students and crackheads (I dated a guy who lived at one and visit the neighborhood often).

Riverside area: undergrad central for UT students and run of the mill pot dealers, not reccomended for grad students.

78704 zip code: lmao come visit some time but you probably can't afford to live here, and if you can, then thanks for driving up our rents and sucking our city services. I've been working here for years and believe me, if you're a rich out of towner, this is where you'll live, and you'll buy a dumpy little bungalow to pretend you're a poor stylish little bohemian in and that you're so different than the next import trying to "Keep Austin Weird."

East side of IH 35: no you probably won't be robbed/murdered, please get over yourself and maybe learn how to protect yourself from being victimized (like maybe lock your doors or hide your valuables).

That's the extent of my advice, I'll stop now before I rub off too much more of my jaded bitterness about the corporate mecca the city's become in the past few years.

[ucdude]

(Where) can you live comfortably on a ~20k salary? 

 

Are there any apartment complexes that offer pre-furnished apartments? If so, what are they called and what is their rent? I'm looking/hoping to get a one bed apartment, I don't know how much they typically run for.

[er120]

On 3/3/2015 at 1:34 PM, ucdude said:

(Where) can you live comfortably on a ~20k salary? 

 

Are there any apartment complexes that offer pre-furnished apartments? If so, what are they called and what is their rent? I'm looking/hoping to get a one bed apartment, I don't know how much they typically run for.

I actually have the same question~ anyone can help with that?

[Bacchanalia]

@ucdude and @er120

 

I don't know a lot about apartment buildings that are pre-furnished, but there are a lot of houses that you could rent with a roommate or two and could be really affordable. Apartments are just now starting to go up all over Austin (like in the past 5 years) and houses are still the most readily available option. Also, the last time I heard a news story about this (maybe 6 months ago) Austin was at 98% occupancy, meaning only 2% of housing in the city was vacant. This is apparently a crazy high occupancy rate, so since then there has been a lot of new construction. I would keep checking on whats available online in the area you want to live. 20k is a lot more doable here with a roommate.

[amg1322]

Hi all, 

 

Anyone out there from Austin or the Austin area (San Marcos) ??

I am seriously considering both UT Austin and Texas state for grad journalism programs. I have visited Austin and loved it. But does anyone truly live in the area and have any advice for moving to the city? or any advice on the two colleges and their campus/campus life and all that?

 

I would really appreciate any help, thank you! 

[themittn]

Hi all, 

 

Anyone out there from Austin or the Austin area (San Marcos) ??

I am seriously considering both UT Austin and Texas state for grad journalism programs. I have visited Austin and loved it. But does anyone truly live in the area and have any advice for moving to the city? or any advice on the two colleges and their campus/campus life and all that?

 

I would really appreciate any help, thank you! 

 

Current UT grad student:

As far as living in Austin, there are many places grad students live. Hyde Park which is about 1.5-2 miles north of campus is a popular neighborhood for grad students with easy bus transit to campus and the city. It has a mixture of affordable apartments and houses with families. Far West is another area I've been told is popular for housing, but it's further removed from town and campus. East Austin is a very growing, but gentrifying, artsy neighborhood with new residences, but costs are going up there. West Campus, where undergrads tend to live is probably a place to avoid as it's particularly expensive and noisier.

 

One of the best first steps is to contact an apartment/property finder here, there are a lot of them to choose from. Providing them your needs (furnished; bedrooms/efficiency, etc) and price range, they can find a few suitable locations with no commitment (they get paid through leasing office if you sign). Also have known students finding housing and roommates through Craigslist, but that requires a little more effort and forethought. While one can find affordable single-person apartments, the majority of people elect to have a roommate to split costs with and rent come out a little under living alone.

 

There's a lot to see and do in Austin; there are graduate student organizations, but not too many. Met other students primarily through just going to campus events and through cohort and also volunteering in the city.

 

Hope this helps answer some of you questions.

Edited March 21, 2015 by themittn

[victorydance]

When I was there not too long ago Hyde Park seemed kind of shit in my opinion. I don't understand why anyone would pay premium rent to live in a residential neighbourhood. I mean, yeah it's close to campus and nice enough (but nothing special either), but there are relatively no restaurants, grocery stores, or any other type of amenities at all. No idea what the hype is about.  

 

I am more looking at the Hancock and East Side region, where you can get way lower rent and actually are in much better proximity to more services and amenities. 

Edited March 23, 2015 by victorydance

[amg1322]

Current UT grad student:

As far as living in Austin, there are many places grad students live. Hyde Park which is about 1.5-2 miles north of campus is a popular neighborhood for grad students with easy bus transit to campus and the city. It has a mixture of affordable apartments and houses with families. Far West is another area I've been told is popular for housing, but it's further removed from town and campus. East Austin is a very growing, but gentrifying, artsy neighborhood with new residences, but costs are going up there. West Campus, where undergrads tend to live is probably a place to avoid as it's particularly expensive and noisier.

 

One of the best first steps is to contact an apartment/property finder here, there are a lot of them to choose from. Providing them your needs (furnished; bedrooms/efficiency, etc) and price range, they can find a few suitable locations with no commitment (they get paid through leasing office if you sign). Also have known students finding housing and roommates through Craigslist, but that requires a little more effort and forethought. While one can find affordable single-person apartments, the majority of people elect to have a roommate to split costs with and rent come out a little under living alone.

 

There's a lot to see and do in Austin; there are graduate student organizations, but not too many. Met other students primarily through just going to campus events and through cohort and also volunteering in the city.

 

Hope this helps answer some of you questions.

 

Thank you so much for your response! I have been reading through the whole thread and it has been very helpful but has truly left me very overwhelmed. I am very excited about coming to ut austin and joining the graduate community. 

 

I have read in a couple places to use an apartment/property finder. can anyone recommend one? where do i go about finding a good one? I will not need a roommate as I am moving to austin with someone and with our dog. we have a monthly rent budget of about $1000-1200 From what I have been reading that should be able to find a nice apartment, even if it just a one bedroom, but when i search the internet what I find is way above that. Perhaps I am just searching the wrong neighborhoods. 

 

Also, does anyone know of any buildings or places that have lofts for rent? I would absolutely love to find a loft rental for apartment use. I will be bringing a car, but would love to live somewhere that I can bike sometimes to things, even if it's not everyday but at least sometimes. I am moving from Miami and I can't do anything without getting in my car, I would love to be able to walk or bike or even take the bus sometimes instead. 

[EastCoasting]

Far West is great. Myself and many others I know live there now, and intend to continue living there for the remainder of our studies/post docs

[GeoMex]

Far West is great. Myself and many others I know live there now, and intend to continue living there for the remainder of our studies/post docs

I've been tempted by far west, but I really don't like that I'd do 40 minutes commure or more to my school at the UT.

Is google maps right or is it just in the worst case scenario?

Also, how difficult really is to find parking near the UT (UT pass), is there any schedules where you can find one spot easily or is it always full?

[amg1322]

On 3/24/2015 at 11:31 PM, GeoMex said:

I've been tempted by far west, but I really don't like that I'd do 40 minutes commure or more to my school at the UT.

Is google maps right or is it just in the worst case scenario?

Also, how difficult really is to find parking near the UT (UT pass), is there any schedules where you can find one spot easily or is it always full?

 

yea i don't mind having a bit of a commute. but I really would prefer not to have to commute 40 minutes to get to school.

[MPPgal]

On 3/24/2015 at 11:31 PM, GeoMex said:

I've been tempted by far west, but I really don't like that I'd do 40 minutes commure or more to my school at the UT.

Is google maps right or is it just in the worst case scenario?

Also, how difficult really is to find parking near the UT (UT pass), is there any schedules where you can find one spot easily or is it always full?

Far west is nice but bad for having a social life I recommend the East side more, parking at UT is a mess and they have recently closed many parking spots due to construction so it is hard.

[Iceiceice]

Hi,

 

I have received a masters admit in UT Austin civil engineering without any funding offer.

If I do a masters with thesis option, may I get some funding when I do my thesis courses i.e CE698A and CE698B.

I will also like to know how hard is it to find a decent job after completion of my degree as an international student?

 

Thanks.

[autumn]

Hi all! Well, late notice, but I'll be attending UT Austin this fall. Yay!

 

I know that Hyde Park and Far West are the general grad places. Does anyone have specific recommendations for complexes and/or rental brokers?

 

Not having a place to live is really unsettling for me so I'd love to get the ball rolling here. Thanks in advance!