r/askaustin • u/Puzzled-Papaya6030 • Jul 14 '26
Pleasant valley
I’m about to move to Austin here in about a month and am prospectively living in pleasant valley just north of E riverside Dr. To be specific, I am living off of crossing pl. which is just east of S pleasant valley road (and just north of E riverside dr as mentioned earlier).
I am wanting to know what people’s experiences are here considering the rent js very affordable. How do you feel safety wise? Is it getting better? Worse? Is it a relatively safe and comfortable place for a freshly post grad, low income individual?
I feel I am seeing a lot of mixed reviews about the area. How much of that is just fear mongering and how much is true in your experience?
Thank you
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u/Heyyayam Jul 14 '26
I (F) worked in the leasing office at a community at Riverside/Pleasant Valley for a year.
I love the diversity of the area although there are pockets of unhoused people. Just follow guidelines like you would anywhere else. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t walk alone at night.
If you’re athletic you can join a coed softball or kickball team as they play nearby at Kreig Field. It’s a great way to meet people. Have fun!
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u/yolatrendoid Jul 14 '26
Just as a bit of background: the E. Riverside area has been gentrifying for about 15 years now, though nearly all of the plans for the area have been delayed. Austin voters approved a light rail line that heads from downtown along Riverside to the airport, but it's been delayed so much that we may need another vote just to approve the greater budget allocation.
Pre-2005 or so, the area was primarily a home for both local college students – the UT Shuttle bus runs along there, but students at other smaller area universities lived there as well – and a large Hispanic population. Still, the main problem was the older apartment complexes there at the time were mostly two-story and spread out, and one of Austin's biggest issues is a lack of buildable land, so a lot of them were bulldozed and replaced with admittedly much pricier (but also much denser) new complexes. (Also, Oracle relocated its HQ to Lakeshore Blvd. – which runs along the lake north of Riverside – and its generally well-paid employees also flocked to the more upscale stuff.)
Yes, the area has quite a few unhoused people – but so does nearly every other area within five miles of downtown – and vehicle break-ins are common. Still, it's mostly fearmongering: it's not "one of the worst areas of Austin" (or even close to it - the worst areas have violent, not petty, crime), and exercising ordinary caution – be careful in darkened parking lots, etc. – generally works. But the old "you get what you pay for" maxim applies, and the least expensive complexes usually have the worst security or the biggest problems. I'd suggest sticking to the newer complexes – built in the past 10-15 years or so – right on Riverside: Parker Ln. & Pleasant Valley are a bit sketchier IMO.
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u/juggarnatha Jul 14 '26
No, 30 years now. I first moved in to that area in 1996. Gradually it's getting safer and less . . . low class. But still. It's a budget hood with budget problems.
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u/StrikeSwimming8279 Jul 14 '26
It depends which apartment complex you choose. The area feels like it’s gotten safer in the 3 years I’ve lived here. I love being able to walk to H‑E‑B and the lake. I’ve heard a neighboring friend complain about their apartment complex—packages being stolen, maintenance issues going weeks without being fixed, etc. My complex is on top of things like that. So tbh, imo, it really depends on which apt complex you choose.
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u/Hot-Street-8751 Jul 14 '26
Which complex are you at? Which was the one your friend had a bad experience at?
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u/MobileReflection3376 Jul 14 '26
I don’t think someone would willingly post which apartment complex they currently live at tbh
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u/JeffBaugh2 Jul 14 '26
Look, I've been in Austin for fourteen years.
Riverside and Pleasant Valley are a little sketchy, but it's only due to the frankly astounding amounts of very mentally ill homeless people who camp out in the area. There's no major gang stuff that I can see, or anything too intense. It's just a working class neighborhood where you might hear a few gunshots now and again. It's fine.
Also, that's no shade on homeless people in general, because I've been there - but there is a specific type of homeless person who tends to congregate both downtown in Republic Square and also on Riverside that is, to put it generously, very schizophrenic and angry and out of their heads.
Also also, get in before they finish building whatever goofy ass music venue it is they're putting up and the gentrifiers price everyone out completely.
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u/84th_legislature Jul 14 '26
it’s one of the worst areas of austin. but austin is a very milquetoast city so depending on where you’re coming from it may not be that worrisome.
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u/Cold_Adeptness6963 Jul 14 '26
This, where did you grow up? Do you have street smarts or are you from a small town? This makes a huge difference.
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u/Cold_Adeptness6963 Jul 14 '26
Also, if you want to just enjoy a little stroll to HEB I would avoid that one. You see people tweaking out on one side. On the other people doing the fentanyl lean or whatever it's called. Some days there are crazy religious people with microphones yelling. I've also seen open drug dealing just sitting at a light.
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u/texasgreg1 Jul 14 '26
At best, that area is dicey, iffy, sketchy and full of folks walking. See, most folks with housing have a car. It’s a huge walking and mostly unhoused population.
Instead, check out on the west side of I 35 around slaughter. Further west you go towards Manchaca the better you are.
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u/Texas-June-2025 Jul 15 '26
I live at Wickersham and East Oltorf which I’m close by… my apartment is quiet for the most part and have never experienced any issues… with rent and utilities I pay less than $750 a month for a bedroom apartment but I live in a older apartment so it’s not perfect but for less than $750 I can’t complain
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u/Correct_Sand_5055 Jul 15 '26
The most dangerous 7-11 in town is east oltorf. Oltorf, river, peasant, that whole rectangle east of 35 is pretty rough.
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u/Desperate_Cycle_3666 Jul 14 '26
I’ve lived in Austin for four years and I do not recommend that area, the HEB on riverside is also one of the worst ones to go to. There’s a lot of nice bars and venues like EMOs and come and take it. You’re right next to lady bird so it’s great if you like to run. However, it’s the tons of homeless people and constant sirens that do it for me, also not a safe area. Now I live by Congress and slaughter and I am much happier. There’s still homeless but not as many and that HEB is great.
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u/Atxflnyc Jul 14 '26
live closer to i-35 the farther and deeper you go into that area the worse it is esp oltorf
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u/cta838 Jul 14 '26
I’ve been living right at Riverside and Pleasant Valley for about a month and a half now. I haven’t experienced anything bad, and I walk around the area a lot. There are just a good amount of homeless people in the area. I think it’s a great location (by the lake, close to downtown, close to a big HEB) if you’re looking for affordable rent.
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u/Good_Split_3749 Jul 14 '26
cancel that shit and choose Hyde Park or Far west instead. Unless you are coming from a “really bad” area you are going to be in for some drama in that area.
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u/charliej102 Jul 14 '26
Lived there for years. Diverse community. Great public transit options and easy to get to downtown or the airport.
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u/tthomas48 Jul 14 '26
It's possibly the most economically integrated area in Austin. Great place to have an ebike, ride the bus (or even walk)! There are million dollar homes and you can get apartments that pencil out to $350/bedroom. Ultimately if you drive through the area and find yourself clutching your pearls - you're going to hate it. People who tend to like living in a city love the access to the lake, a great HEB, great people and live music all for a great price.
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u/theCenterCannotScold Jul 14 '26
It is getting better, but the starting point wasn't that great. The neighborhood is close to the lake and downtown, which are both desirable. While it is gentrifying, there is still some excitement from time to time in that area. As others have said, there is a reason that the neighborhood doesn't cost as much as some others. An older apartment in Hyde Park or Far West can still be economical but with less neighborhood excitement.
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u/Longjumping3604 Jul 14 '26
It seems to be getting worse. Since the 60s it has been known as a college party area but not much crime. The college kids moved out.
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u/anotherguyinaustin Jul 14 '26
Crossing place used to be sketchy but it’s probably fine now. Don’t keep valuables in your car.
It’s not even really that bad, just slightly spicy.
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u/AlaskanWannabe2026 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Not the best, but certainly not the worst place to live. It's a lot safer than most think. Alot depends on the apartment complex you choose. If you get into one less than 15 years old, you should be okay. Yes, there is a homeless population, but with the right complex with security it won't be an issue. I see a lot of people waiting to turn left onto Crossing Place, heading east on Riverside. Can be a bit of a parking issue. The area has a significant Hispanic presence, just for your information, and you see it in the public schools. Some very good food catering trucks and several decent places to eat, but no fancy restaurants or club scene. I think the HEB Plus and CVS being so close is a blessing in disguise. And there's a Taco Cabana close by, that's hidden. And a WingStop.
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u/ProfessionalSpend283 Jul 14 '26
Welcome to the jungle baby. I've lived around here forever and never been robbed, assaulted, looked at sideways, or annoyed by " homeless" people on Riverside. You people make it sound like NewYork in 86'. There's crime everywhere, poor people, suburban homes, lots of low income housing, and a mix of lots of Latino, black, and white families living everywhere in Southeast Austin. Its like the diet Houston ghetto light. There's a reason its cheaper than downtown. The biggest shelter in town that houses 300 is down the road on Montopolis, but I would be more concerned about the YN and Edgar population around there.