Moving to Austin from San Francisco - Looking for Neighborhood Recs
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10/21/2006
Chris B. says:
My fiancee and I are planning to move to Austin in 2008 from San Francisco. Although we're both originally from Texas (me Dallas, her Houston), we've decided that Austin is the best fit for where we want to live (food, live music, politics, healthy lifestyle, etc). We visited recently for ACL, but are kind of clueless when it comes to best neighborhoods to live in. The downtown lofts & South Congress area seemed cool, but that's really all we had the chance to see. We live in Pacific Heights right now (for those who know SF), which is very central, walkable, with lots of cute little restaurants & cafes. We're looking for something similar in Austin, but aren't sure if it exists. Oh, and we'd ultimately like buy a house, and can probably afford up to 400k, but would certainly like to keep it lower, which is part of the reason we're moving in the first place. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
10/21/2006
badass P. says:
Please stay in San Francisco.
10/21/2006
Chris B. says:
As native Texans looking to move back, we're hoping the friendly place we left hasn't been overrun with smug twits like you while we were gone.
10/22/2006
Clarisa R. says:
South Congress is a little pricey, but the houses close to that area in Travis Heights and off of Bartons Springs are cute and very nice. I'm in a neighborhood off 1st street, parallel to SoCo, which has a lot of cute shops and restaurants - plus it's in walking and biking distance to most things. I hear Hyde Park has some nice deals, but there are a lot of college students there. I think the sketchiest (yet affordable) area is east of I-35.
10/22/2006
Catherine "Mclovin" D. says:
We will be theie house shopping in 2 weeks. We are currently working with a Realtor we really like named Micheal Riley.
His site is
www.greataustinpropert...
I have a similar thread to yours only Jonathon wasn't as polite on mine.
10/22/2006
La G. says:
I just moved to the south side of Austin and I love it. It takes about 15 mins for me to get to work right downtown and EVERYTHING is close by: An HEB, Wal mart, movie stores, gas stations, restaurants...the south side is really blowing up, commercially, and our rent is KILLER for Austin. We (my boyfriend and I) have a great little townhome. From what I hear about downtown area is that it is nice, if you can afford it.
10/25/2006
Jackson R. says:
I've lived in South Austin for 12 years now and love it. I'll sell you my house for 400K. It's easy on to I-35, 290 and Mopac and Ben White and is fairly centrally located.
Seriously though, you probably want to check out the Hyde Park area which is close to campus and has many historical houses. Another option for you would be the Bouldin Creek area, which is north of Oltorf and between Lamar and Congress. Also check out Barton Hills, which is west of Lamar to Zilker Park. If you want to email me I can give you Realtor information.
11/13/2006
Alexandra L. says:
I bought a house in 78745 two years ago (off Stassney and S. 1st), and I love it. Since you have a higher budget, I'd recommend the neighborhoods just south of Ben White, around St. Elmo.
11/13/2006
John D. says:
A lot of it will depend on where you end up working or going to school. Most of the tech jobs are north of 183, which means living down south would be a bit of a trek in the mornings. I live in Round Rock, which is urban-sprawl, but it's not as bad as similar spots in Houston or Dallas. South Congress and the Ben White area are nice as well, but many of the neighborhoods and houses are a little older.
There are lots of nice places to live all around town, and price becomes a real issue the further west or central you want to be. Where do you think you'll be spending most of your time (work/school/etc.)? That's going to play a big role in the house-selection process.
11/13/2006
Susie "likes waking up to progress" G. says:
I vote for Hyde park. It really has everything and you are ten minutes from every where. Although I have heard that for cheaper digs, south congress and the south side is where its at...
11/14/2006
John D. says:
The prices in Hyde Park are getting outrageous, in my opinion. I know a few folks who are leaving homes they rented there for years so they can be torn down and rebuilt as McMansions. However, if you can find a home there, it's a great spot and truly close to everything.
11/15/2006
Laura R. says:
Hyde park and travis heights are two of the few neighborhoods where you can walk to anything (depending on where you live in either)
"North campus" would be another area to check out, if you can deal with some UT students living nearby
11/15/2006
Chris B. says:
Thank you everyone for all of the recommendations! For what we're looking for, it seems like the South Congress & Travis Heights area might be a good bet.
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