So couldn't find a thread more so dedicated to Austin as a whole, so sorry if I missed it and this isn't the right place to ask this. I may be moving to Austin in a few weeks or a few months...depends how quickly I hear back from a few jobs and how things fall in place (currently residing in Dallas, more specifically Lewisville).
Anyone have any suggestions on good apartments/good areas to live? I currently pay about ~1500 total in rent+utilities, but I was hoping to cut that down to around 7-800 rent + whatever the rate is for utilities (250 or so I'd say?) just because I don't need to be living in as nice of a place as I currently do (waste of money - I'd rather buy a house and drop that kind of money on a mortgage tbh).
The potential jobs I have lined up are along or around i35, one is further north closer to Round Rock and the other is pretty much smack dead middle between Round Rock and Austin (if you look at google maps based off of where the city names appear - it's in the middle of those two).
I just turned 24 a few weeks ago and I'd really live to be around people in my age range as the places I've lived over the past few years have been mostly older people and it's harder to meet new people/make new friends/etc. So Austin-GAF, suggestions? Thanks; it'll be much appreciated!
First of all, happy belated birthday. Second, welcome to Austin!
You should have no trouble finding a single bedroom apartment in the 700 sq ft range for $700 - $800 anywhere in Austin as long as you stay away from the numbered streets and outside of downtown. Our apartment is 630 sq ft and we are paying around $1000 a month, rent and utilities combined. We live near Parmer & Anderson Mill, which is in Northwest Austin, almost in Cedar Park.
The major tech companies are clustered around the Duval and Mopac (aka Loop 1) intersection. Lots of singles and d.i.n.k.s. in that area. Things seem to be slowly centering around the "Domain", a large shopping and apartment living complex (actually it's more of a neighborhood now). IBM, National Instruments, and maybe even Samsung are roughly within walking distance. This area would also put you relatively close to the job sites you mentioned, but far enough away from the mess that is I35.
Traffic can be pretty rough everywhere in Austin so you may want to consider living close to where you will work. I wouldn't recommend commuting from one side of the city to the other. I work with a few South Austin residents and they claim hour+ commute times to and from our office in North Austin.
Once you figure out where you are going to move, contact an apartment locator. Austin has had an absurd influx of people over the last 5 or 6 years. Housing development (like roads and infrastructure) has fallen behind and the renters' market has been awkwardly picking up the slack. Finding vacancy may be difficult without an agent.
