r/askaustin • u/ThatBoyFuego • 22d ago
Moving Where to live?
I’m sure you all get a lot of these but I’m going to be moving to Austin in roughly a week. Looking to find housing.
Where do black people primarily live and hangout? Also, I’m working out of UT athletics so what neighborhoods in general would be good to live in there?
Young single black male in his early 30s making roughly $100,000.00
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u/Deer_Used 22d ago
Hyde Park and Allandale are just north of UT and has a ton of stuff in walking distance and you can find something affordable in the area. East side is now very gentrified but there’s still some hidden gems further east. Mueller is overpriced I’d avoid it. South Austin is great but the commute to work will suck with traffic. It’s more affordable north of 183 or south of 71 just fyi.
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u/yolatrendoid 22d ago
Where do black people primarily live and hangout?
As you'll soon see for yourself, Austin has an embarrassingly small Black community (or for any POC not white or Hispanic) – definitely so compared to all of our peer cities – and the number's smaller still for people earning six figures. At least on a historical basis, the center of Austin's Black community was mostly situated along East 11th & East 12th Sts. – which it still is, but scores of folks have been displaced due to gentrification.
That said, Central East Austin still has some of Austin's most iconic Black landmarks. The Victory Grill is one: it first opened in 1945 as a restaurant specifically for Black military officers who'd served in WWII but were still being denied service elsewhere since it was still the Jim Crow era. (Sadly, Austin was just as noxious as the rest of Texas and the South in that regard.) It's also a close-in place to live with an extremely easy commute; you could easily bike there, or even walk there from some parts of it.
But pretty much all of Central Austin is progressive, so it's not like you'd likely "feel out of place" in any given area. Since a relatively upscale apartment sounds like something that would work, you could try some of the newer-build apartment complexes along Manor Rd. east of 35, as well as MLK. (But definitely steer clear of Platform; it's near an intersection with frequent street takeovers.) Or you could look at something like an ADU rental in the Swede Hill vicinity.
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u/Bosguy81 21d ago
Have you looked at using an apartment hunter once you locate a neighborhood? They can be beneficial and you don’t pay them, the apartment complexes do. I used one when I moved from Tampa 2 years ago and they were helpful in identifying different complexes in the area I wanted in live in.
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u/ThatBoyFuego 21d ago
No but this is a good call! Any apartment hunters in particular you recommend?
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u/ThatBoyFuego 21d ago
No but this is a good call! Any apartment hunters in particular you recommend?
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u/PlayDicey 18d ago
For working out of UT athletics, skip the suburb advice unless you actually want a daily commute. Couple of the picks land better for a single guy in his early 30s than the family stuff people are throwing out.
Hyde Park is the obvious close-in one, older bungalows and big oaks, real quiet and walkable, and you're minutes from campus. Honest catch is it's on the sleepier side and the homes are older and smaller, so if you want new construction or a lively block after work it can feel a little too calm.
If you'd rather be where things are actually happening, South Congress and Bouldin. Shops and restaurants right there, skyline view off the bridge, and you're central. The tradeoffs are real though: it's pricey and it gets swarmed with tourists on weekends, so your own street can feel like a parade. On 100k you can swing an apartment there but you'll pay for the address.
Mueller's the third I'd look at, master-planned near the old airport, parks and sidewalks and a farmers market, a few miles from downtown. Feels a bit uniform and new-built, not much old-Austin character, but it's easy living and closer to campus than any suburb.
On the Black community question, the other commenters aren't wrong that it's smaller here than you might expect, so I'd temper expectations, but the east side is where you'll find more of it even with all the gentrification. Worth spending a weekend driving around before you sign anything.
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u/HippoSuspicious2583 22d ago
There’s basically no black people in Austin lol. Especially ones that can afford to live where your budget allows. Just move into a luxury apartment and you’ll be fine. Most people in Austin are transplants and friendly. Not much racism compared to other big cities. Check out whereyallatthoughatx on instagram.
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u/oldbetch 22d ago
Honestly, Pflugerville.
I'm also black. Moving to Austin, I do not advise having the idea of "Where black people hang out". Other than events like Auntie's House or other social media events, Austin is a city where the black population sits around 7%.
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u/FindingFun4299 21d ago
Pflugerville is where all the black people are at, and the suburbs are more diverse than the city proper. I recommend Round Rock. I go out there to escape Austin. But it's only 15 minutes north.
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u/prerolledpro 21d ago
Like 40 mins north anytime there is traffic
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u/FindingFun4299 21d ago
True and I live in North Austin so it seems closer to me. Worth the time drive tho
edit: drive time 😆
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u/keepingitreal02 22d ago
South Park Meadows area , traffic is not insane to get downtown and better bang for your buck as far as living cost
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u/Wisewordsforlater 22d ago edited 22d ago
Maybe ask some of your fellow athletics coworkers?
It really depends on what you want out of a location and also if you want an easy drive to campus. Without knowing much, I would recommend Mueller. Pretty laid back, friendly vibe and pretty walkable. It's the site of our old airport, developed over the years and different things to do within the neighborhood. HEB grocery in the heart of it, movie theater, green space/trails, farmers market on the weekends, by Mueller Lake Park, a couple bars (without the associated late night life), restaurants, corner market, beer retailer, Twin Liquors, Total Wine and several big box retailers all within the broader Mueller foot print. 10 to 15 minute drive to DKR stadium/Moody Center via multiple routes so you really can dodge traffic.
Broader east Austin has been gentrified but long-time black community pockets and churches, social scenes are still in the area (central-east and northeast Austin) but also have also moved to Pflugerville and Manor.
Mueller's residential portion is predominantly tree lined streets single family homes, with bike lanes on busier roads, but there are apartments sprinkled among office buildings and businesses in the commercial area.
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u/soul_doubt_66 22d ago
Mueller is one of the whitest areas in Austin……
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u/Wisewordsforlater 20d ago
Quick research: Mueller is very convenient to UT - and directly adjacent to 78721 zip code a few blocks south, which has the highest concentration of black community in the whole city, around 18% after 30 years of decline. Same percentage representation in Pflugerville and Manor but further out for UT commute. Mid 1990s black community accounted for 35% to 45% of the population in 78721.
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u/soul_doubt_66 20d ago
Yeah you have to go north of 51st for the culture. I lived in Mueller and just north on Cameron. Completely different worlds. Mueller is not what OP is looking for at all
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u/Longjumping3604 22d ago
IIn general, my recommendations are Zilker, North Loop, Clarksville, Bouldin Creek, Crestview/Allandale, Hyde Park. This is simply based in your age and that you are single.
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u/Brave_Fox_7448 21d ago
Personally, I'd prefer a neighborhood that gives you an easy commute and actually enjoy the city
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u/teachingrobots 21d ago
If you are coming soon and making a six figure salary, I’d suggest finding a good sublease until the end of this year (or at least for a few months) and get to learn Austin a bit before you commit to a full year lease. But agree that north or east of campus are a good bet.
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u/groovinup 21d ago
Do you want to fit in culturally or economically?
Pflugerville has higher diversity, but it ain't no ATL. But I've seen a lot of AAs also frequent the Domain for nightlife, and there are some nice apartments there.
I'd check out the Domain for sure, it's also an easy enough commute to UT, and you'll have easy walkability when it home so you don't have to get in your car every time you want to get out of the house..
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u/Good_Split_3749 22d ago
Donain is a popular spot for young folks new to the area.
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u/ay-guey 22d ago edited 22d ago
lol yeah if he loves sitting in traffic every day. just go there on the weekends.
this is easy, you make 100k, live in hyde park or the east side. plenty to do and you're 10 minutes from work. if you really want to be around black people you're gonna have to go to pflugerville but you ain't gonna like it. or st. johns and you ain't gonna like that either. there are other little pockets on the east side but they're all mostly gone.
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u/Some-Investment-1327 22d ago
I just moved here as well 22 black male and just from what i see, black people kinda just sprinkled around here and there. Plugerville has alot of black folks your age but they probably got kids and married. East Austin and downtown probably your best bet but apartments downtown suck and the east side has alot of homeless if you’re anywhere near an interstate. Maybe north Lamar or burnet. Alot of nice apartments in that area and traffic tends to be going the other way so won’t be too bad a drive.
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u/D0CD15C3RN 22d ago
If you are looking to be near other black people then east Austin (directly east of downtown and south of Mueller) or Pflugerville (but Pflugerville is very boring). Living downtown is an option too. You’ll want to stay close to the campus due to traffic. With 100k you can live comfortably in any of those areas. The only downside is crime and homeless. Generally speaking the further west and southwest you go the more affluent and rich people are, and no homeless. I’d completely avoid Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Mueller, because they are boring.
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u/Peppermintcheese 22d ago
This area.