Moving to Austin: 101

I'll post a little bit about my first week here, not beause finding a place to live and spending over six hours at IKEA is something I want to re-live, but because I think I might be able to connect with someone via Google or the blogsphere who has the do the same thing I did -- pick up and move to Austin, Texas!

Welcome to "Moving to Austin 101." As people like to say, "I wasn't born here, but I got here as soon as I could."


I think this process generally applies to ALL cities, but there are a few things Austin-specific that might assist the newcomer:


How do I find an apartment?
Use an apartment locating service, especially if you're short on time. I used Greenlight Locating and was pleased with the experience.

Basically, you feed them your preferences: neighborhood, price, amenities, and anything else you can imagine. For free, an agent will drive you all around town to show you apartments.

Use Craigslist. Sparingly. It's full of stuff the apartment locators have on file already -- but, you can send the links to your agent to give them an idea of what you'd like, AND they'll contact the property and give you a tour.

Coming from California, and having always done my own footwork in findng a place, all of this was a totally foreign concept to me. Why would someone want to drive me (picky 'ol me) around in a car all day, showing me properties? The answer, of course: $$$. The locators get paid a commission by the apartment complex you end up choosing. The big benefit, then, of spending some time on Craiglist, is to hunt down places not managed by private companies, but by landlords.

The other strategy? Cruise around neighborhoods, looking for FOR RENT signs. There are lots -- but it takes more time to set it all up yourself. Given all of this, make sure you find a place you like -- don't feel pressured by the locator or apartment staff (beware the "look and lease" same day discounts) to sign a contract right away. There are some gnarly apartments out there, and there are some great finds, too!

Update (10/30/13): Apartment locators are great when you are unfamiliar with a city, but Craigslist is an excellent resource -- just be smart about it. Avoid listings that are too good to be true, and follow-up on promising listings right away!


What neighborhood should I live in?
There are two schools of thought, as I quickly learned from the locals. The epic battle of 

North Austin vs. South Austin.

Things I heard about the North:
"Ooh, they're really stuffy up there." / "I don't really go to bars or shows that often, but the drive isn't very long to South Austin when I want to. They have a TGI Friday's. Oh, and my apartment complex has a gate, so it's safe." / "You can walk around by yourself at night and not worry." / "It's not really that far from South Austin. There are a lot of nice places." / "Traffic is horrible."

Things I heard about the South:
"You have to be careful about which neighborhood you live in." / "It's near EVERYTHING." / "I wouldn't live anywhere but South Austin." / "I'd do anything to move there, but I can't afford it right now." / "South Congress, Lamar, Town Lake, downtown... it's all great." / "Traffic is horrible."

Okay, so traffic is horrible no matter where you live.

The map above shows the general areas recommended to me: stay north of I-290/I-71/Ben White Blvd. and west of I-35. If you go north of Parmer Lane, you're starting to edge out of the main city area.

Oh, and there's one place you probably shouldn't live (unless you're going to school there): near the UT campus. Unless you really, really miss your college days.

I decided on South Austin, for a few reasons:
Yes, it is near everything! Popular clubs and local restaurants, South Congress restaurants and shops (aka Hipsterville), the airstream trailer cafes, Town Lake, lululemon athletica yoga store, the flagship Whole Foods, two farmers markets, Zilker Park and Barton Springs Pool. It's somewhat walkable and bikeable. I'm a $5 cab ride from downtown. I'm just five minutes from the freeway that takes me to work.

Does the north have anything to offer? Absolutely! But my overall impression was that if I chose a place in the north, I'd be more car-dependent and more likely to visit a chain restaurant/big box store. And I'd need to drive to downtown more or less everytime I wanted to see a live show or visit Barton Springs or lululemon or Central Market. I could be wrong, but so far I'm extremely happy with my place and my neighborhood.

There are many lovely neighborhoods in Austin (well over 50) and zillions of apartment complexes (over 700 to be exact), and tons of apartment locating agencies. If you have the time, look at lots of places 'til you find one that feels right. Oh, and one rule of thumb: the farther away the aparment is from downtown, the cheaper it will be.

Update (10/30/13): I loved my South Austin apartment, but by the the time I left Austin, I'd learned that there is more to the city than north vs. south. I also lived on the east side (near Airport Blvd. and MLK) and five minutes from campus. The east side is up-and-coming and rapidly gentrifying. I think my apartment locator was skeptical of the east side because some consider the area to be "less safe" (a veiled admonition that the area is home to a large percent of the city's people of color -- more on the history of the city's racial divide here).  Anyone who has ever lived in an urban city will not be uncomfortable on the east side; in fact, I found the diversity and sense of community to be much stronger than any other neighborhoods in Austin. Give the east side a good look, for sure. 

When should I move to Austin?
When it's not hot and humid! October through March is a good bet. The peak moving time is August, when I'm told students (and seemingly everyone else) do the annual Austin shuffe.


How far should I live from my job? How bad IS the commute?
Ah, yes, the only downside to living in the South and working in the North! Yes, I have a "long" commute. Twenty minutes in the morning, and 30-60 minutes in the evening. (But even now, after a couple weeks of commuting, I kind of want to say, "really, Texans? Suck it up. Haven't you ever been to California?" People traveling 101 on a weekend or I-80 to or from SF on a weekday will catch my drift.) If you can't handle driving, yes, live close to your job! It you don't mind, it's worth the trade off.

What should I do while I'm looking for an apartment?

• Stay with a friend!
• Priceline a hotel (my mom and I stayed at the Residence Inn for five nights for only $45 a night!)

Either way, give yourself as much time as possible and find somewhere affordable.


Should I bring a car? Any funny Texas business with the title and the DMV?

Yes, yes, yes! It's a car-centric town, and I'm still not sure how I'd survive without one. Per Texas law, you have to register your car in the state within 30 days, and get a driver's license within 90. When I arrived with Bettina the Wonder Corolla, my mom and I had to (in this order)...

• Get 'er insured. We went with State Farm.
• Get 'er inspected. Jiffy Lube (and many other mechanics) can do this in about 10-20 minutes, for a fee of $30 (pass or fail). You must show proof of insurance to get the car inspected!
• Get the title transferred. In Texas, the business of titles and registration has been privatized. It's much speedier to go through one of these private businesses than through the state (which also offers the service). At Fry's Auto Titles, for $130 in Texas State fees and $35 in private fees, we transferred the title from my dad to me, got our registration sticker, and (on the spot!) two new license plates. Wowzer.
• Get 'er registered and slap on some plates. See above (yes, my plates had numbers, but I edited them out because this blog is public).
• Get your license. Go to DPS (Dept. of Public Safety, aka the DMV), bring all the necessary documents, and get a license.

Where should I get...?
Furniture and housewares:

• On a budget? Check out IKEA, Target, Costco or Hobby Lobby. Craigslist, too!
  IKEA delivers to any Austin address for just $50!!
• Splurge: Visit one of these spiffy stores.

Internet:

• On a budget? Too bad. Time Warner Cable or AT&T are your only options. Grande is local, but serves limited areas.

Groceries:

• On a budget? HEB! Food prices are soooo much lower here than in California.
• Splurge: Oh, wait, did I said food prices were lower? Definitely not at Whole Foods. Or Central Market.

What the heck am I thinking, moving to Austin, Texas?
Don't worry -- you've chosen a fantastic city.

More soon!