Howdy Ags!
Congrats on your new career and city destination of Austin!!
Once you get over the fact that a certain other school Aggies love to hate is located there, you have to admit that Austin can be quite the fun place for a new Aggie Grad. Austin is great about tech opportunities and there are a lot of super fun things to do all around. In particular, the natural beauty and attractions of Austin (Ladybird Lake, Bee Cave and many more) are reasons you will really enjoy Austin.
But, similar to Houston, you HAVE to know that Austin is a VERY ODD city for housing! Personal opinion, but for me it’s kind of like College Station… bear with me on this. College Station has a lot of older neighborhoods. Some are fun, some are a little scar-ey! And some are meant to only enjoy attractions at – not necessarily to live there – I’m talking about YOU, Northgate! College Station is also starting to get some pretty gorgeous apartments and high rises especially lately. And living near the campus comes at a premium price!
Well, take the same analogy, but put in Austin Downtown in place of our campus! Living close to downtown Austin is SUPER pricey, and it’s even gone down a little bit from a year ago, but it’s still like WOW how are you getting away with charging this?? And there’s a lot of sketch areas around the city but also a lot of gem areas too .
Below is a short guide to the GOOD areas! Not meant to be comprehensive, but it’s a good start!
And: Text me anytime for more info here: 214-492-9791
TOP FIVE AUSTIN HOUSING AREAS for AGGIE GRADS
1. Just South of Downtown!! – Ags, the areas that are just south of the Downtown area tend the be the most desirable areas! This would include Zilker Park, Barton Hills, South Lamar and nearby. This would include all the way down to Highway 71. This area in many cases is walkable to downtown and the beautiful Lady Bird Lake. And beautiful parks too! It gives you quick access to many of the companies that are located downtown without having to live in Downtown.
2. Downtown – Ags, Downtown Austin is definitely super popular! But it can also be VERY pricey, in fact it’s the most pricey area of town for grads. There’s ease of access to many companies you might have office time in. And plenty of things to do.
3. Arboretum / Domain – this north Austin area is like a master planned community for shops and restaurants, with many apartments nearby. Beautiful buildings and lots to do. But if you have to drive to Downtown Austin a lot, this can be a big pain!
4. Mueller – No, I didn’t say BUELLER, BUELLER. I said MUELLER. haha! This area is in East Austin and is a good alternative to Downtown. Less expensive too.
5. South Austin – The areas that are south and east of the first area I mentioned, I’m going to call South Austin. It’s not an actual area…it’s a collection of areas. There’s a lot of newer buildings there that might be worth your consideration. Newer building, lower cost!
Other areas I have not mentioned but that might be worth your consideration are: Pflugerville, Round Rock and Bee Cave. Only if you don’t need to go into the office much, because they are a bear to drive to work from!
Ags, this is just an overview of the area. I hope this helps! I really just say text me so I can give you a better feel of what you need! Text me here: 2144929791 This is a free service, can’t wait to help!
– Grant “Howdy” Bynum, Current Student of Texas A&M – Gig ’em Ags!