I've recently got a new job and found out today that I can transfer to Austin if I wish. So naturally I got straight to looking for affordable apartments! For those who know the area well... Which areas are to be totally avoided? I've found a few 'nice looking ones' south of the lake between I35 and plesant valley. Is that area real bad? Thanks in advance!

iv been around the pleasent valley area and i didnt like the looks any. looked kinda run down.

Man, that would put you in carp fishing heaven. Hope it works out for you.

Yes it would be awesome. Carp fishing/chick heaven =) Just need to check the living costs but apart from that there is nothing stopping me.

I considered moving up there not long ago and it was the living costs that stopped me. Plenty of work in ATX but it doesn't pay much better than in DFW and the cost of living is much higher in nice areas.

I live up in NW Austin and I love it. You mainly want to stay out of east Austin and far south Austin. Living in the city can get pretty expensive but the entertainment is great. also the commute from cedar park or Leander isn't horrible and living in either is cheap. There are a lot of great suburbs north of Austin and the cost of living goes from cheap cheap cheap to outrageously expensive. Id suggest doin some looking around and research the surrounding areas I know my hometown has something that will suit your needs perfectly it will just take a littl ebit of looking.

Thanks my name. I've been doin a little research and found some reasonable places, just need to narrow it down to the better areas as I have no idea where these areas are! I don't have any kids so I don't need to worry about school districts or anything like that, I just don't want to get shot on my way to work!

avoid east austin around the area of 12th and chicon. anywhere else is pretty average. i have a friend who lives in the "city view" apartments on oltorf and its pretty nice. nice complex, gated, and the area isnt bad. its about 5 minutes from the lake, 5 minutes from downtown, and 5 minutes from i35. not ALL of east austin is bad, there's just a few places to be avoided. there's also a few other nice apartments on the same street, i think it would be worth looking into that specific area becasue of the location in referance to the lake, and the cost, very affordable! if you plan on living that close (within 5 minutes) to the lake on any other part of the lake you'de better have some serious cash flow!

if you dont mind living further away from the lake then you can find a nice apartment anywhere, but honestly, if i were still living in an apartment i would be in the city veiw apts! the ONLY downside is that your practically living downtown, and that means you have to deal with downtown traffic, although its only bad during rush hour. for me the traffic aint nothin'! im from the S.F. bay, you dont know what traffic is untill you've waited 2 hours to cross a single bridge! so to me the traffic part shouldnt even be of any concern, you'llhave to deal with it no matter where you live anyways!

if your looking to BUY a home, you can find pretty affordable prices outside the city. i live in manor, which is a 25 minute drive to the lake\downtown, and home prices here just dropped into the 80's. there aint nothin' out here though, just new homes...

you might want to consider finding an apartment finder that can find you what you are looking for, they can do the research to find the better areas.

Thanks for the info Chrismunn! Im not looking to buy a house yet as I have no credit here in the states yet, so Im looking to rent an apartment and enjoy some quality fishing time for a year or 2! Close to downtown would be ideal so I can hit the pubs without worring about driving.

oltorf and pleasants valley is where the apartments are.

Stay away from the 183 and Rundberg area also. Like advised look to someone that can find you a good safe place at a reasonable cost near downtown. Plenty of us down here to share the bank with now. Good luck and let us know what you find. Anyone else want to move down?

I think Ive found them online. Seems ok online but its always nice to hear from someone in the know.

well if your into hookers then rundberg might be the right place?

but if your not a total creep then you might wanna steer clear of the area all together!

this is the place im talking about, its really nice...

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?rlz=1T4GZAZ_enUS333US334&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=city+view+apartments+austin&fb=1&gl=us&hq=city+view+apartments&hnear=Austin,+TX&cid=1887260738671017484

you have to copy and paste that infi nto the adress bar, i dont know why it didnt turn into a link?