Austin, Texas

Thinking of moving there after i graduate. I know there are plenty of places to ride and the TSR is close, and the city is awesome. Are there any bad/sketchy areas in the city? I'm looking at apartments online and I have no idea about the surrounding areas. Anybody have a few names of apartments that are nice and in a good location of the city? I don't want to just choose a place and show up and have be in a crappy area. Just looking to gather some info. Posted this on the non-wakeboarding forum but no response yet, figured more people would see this thread. Thanks in advance.

D-Money,
You might try posting to the local Austin wakeboard BB - http://360wakeboard.com/board/

I live in Austin but do not rent. Great wakeboarding area.

i live in cedar park and it is a great place. you might try "the mansions" in cedar park which seems to be very popular. they are about 20 -25 mins away from lake travis. i dont know much about apartments since i am only 15 but i do know alot of people who live in the mansions.

Nick,
I don't mean to be negative, but Cedar Park is pretty far north of Austin and Lake Travis is not a great wakeboard lake - it is a great party lake though. Lake Austin and the Pedernales River are the hottest wakeboarding water. Also, if D Money is interested in TSR, something central to Austin would be better.

(Message edited by wakeshoe on August 15, 2004)

If wakeboarding is your priority, South or central Austin is definitely where you want to live and work if you can...closer to the good lakes.

hey man, no offense take, i can understand that the main part of CP is far away from the lakes, but where i live its alot closer. but early mornin runs on travis at Mansfield Dam are really sweet to say the least. another place to look at moving near would be the perdinales. that place is great too. but you are right on the lake travis thing. lake austin has a ton better places to ride.
edit: sry i didnt relaize that you had already mentioned the perd.

(Message edited by 512boarder on August 15, 2004)

"but early mornin runs on travis at Mansfield Dam are really sweet to say the least"

...except when there are some wally/newb/poser/whatever people jacking up the water with power turns and erratic paths, like there are probably half the time I go at 7am on weekends. If these people would just observe some lake etiquette (Don't power turn. Stick with a path parallel to the long South shore. Turn properly at the end of the "course," etc.), the water would stay great all morning. Usually, however, it becomes mediocre fairly quickly.

The funny thing is that half the time, these losers have much nicer boats than mine...Nautiques, Supras, Tiges, etc. vs. my I/0.

true, you are very correct. it especially ticks me off when the tubers come and start tubing right in your path

Glad to be a loser!

Se ya in my SANTE some day, I will be the one pulling a tube doing a powerturn.

Then I will ride away on my airchair.

Robert,

So, are you saying that you come out to the lake at 7am on weekends to zig-zag around and pull powerturns in front of everyone? If so, may I ask why?

I don't care if you ski, foil, tube, or board; as long as you're considerate of the other people on the lake.

Nope, I just think it is silly that some people get so worked up over other people having nicer boats, and screwing up "their" water. Last I checked travis was a public lake that anybody could use, and there is no regulated direction of travel. Nor any rules against turning while under power. The lake is also like 70 miles long with many coves. If you don't like my power turning go some where else, I certanly won't go into a cove where people are skiing to tube, surf, chair, or board. But then again, I would hope others would do the same to me, but some people think they own the river, and you should have no rights in their space.

I still don't know why the type of boat you have has any bearing on whether you have the right to "tear" up the water.

I do go out and tube, but not at no 7:00 AM.
Also, I rarly see the water at the mansfield dam smooth. That area is also so filled with wind jockeys, i don't know why any power junkies would want to go near.

I usually launch up near the Perd, just to stay out of all the wind lover's way.

D-Money, You would love Austin. It's got the best of every city but it's not like a big city at all. I work at Dell off Parmer Lane (up north) and live a mile from work. only in Austin can you have home, work, downtown, and the lake all within 25 minutes of each other. I do ride at Lake Austin about three mornings out of the week at 7am and two afternoons out of the week at 4:30. It's a really awesome city that most people don't know of, and we Austin-ites hope to keep it this way The north/Arboretum area is nice, anything too central is pricey. Good luck!

(Message edited by missjade on August 16, 2004)

Wow, Robert. Way to miss the point and fly off on a tangent. It sounds like you have issues.

Anyway, the issue is not one of rights. It is about knowledge, intelligence, and respect.

The funny part was that even some of the people who spend vast amounts of money on the boats don't know how to drive them. They tear up the water, not only for myself and others, but for themselves as well. It's ignorance, plain and simple. Why would they make things tougher on themselves and others? There is no logical reason.

The sad part is that many of these people will react to any criticism in a manner similar to that with which you have responded to my post. "Some dude in a cheap boat thinks he's better than us," they'll say, when all I want is for everyone to do what they can to make the lake a better place for EVERYONE.

hey man, i wasnt bashing people with nicer boats, but when you see someone with a nicer boat you kinda have a higer standard for them and their driving skills because alot of people today associate knowledge with nice stuff. when i say this i am meaning that when you see someone with a reallygreat boat, you are usually led to believe that that they would follow the few simple ideals to being courteous to other people on the lake, as well as preserving the water conditions by not power-turning etc. etc.

Pedernales is *THE* best place to wakeboard in Austin, hands down. You can find good water 95%+ of the time. Granted, it is about 45 minutes from Central Austin, but it is WELL worth the drive. Lake Austin is so crowed now (on weekends and after 5 on weekdays) that it isn't really even worth the effort in my opinion. There is usually some good water towards dark though and if you can get out during the day on the weekdays, it's killer. I can't speak to TSR as I haven't been down there...

As far as living arrangements in Austin, it really depends on what you're going to be doing. If you will be working somewhere Central, North, or West, you can't beat living Central (North of about 35th street). The traffic is always coming into town in the morning and going out in the evening, so if you can go the opposite way, you'll save TONS of time. Being central also puts you closer to 6th street or the Warehouse district. There are TONS are apparently complexes up in the Far West area that are decent and will have lots of college women. Stay away from Riverside or anything far south. Lots of people live down south because it is cheap, but it isn't for me... Any idea where you'll be working? That would help for recommendations.


(Message edited by torenzicht on August 17, 2004)

I would be working at one of the nicer hotel/resorts (hotel management degree) in the area. Not sure exactly where those are at but I imagine Central Austin. Apartment complexes that are nice with college women is right up my alley (I'm 24). Close the 6th street is a big plus as well cause I hear good things about that place. I was thinking of answering a few "room for rent" ads on 360 to meet a couple of guys that ride as well and get aquainted to the area before I went to get a place of my own. I will have my boat as well if I moved after graduation, so a house would probably be ideal to begin with. Again, this is all up in the air right now, but Austin is the only place I would consider leaving AZ for, I'm going to make that decision when the time comes. Just gathering info right now. Thanks everyone.

To all,

Right now I am looking to make the move for Cali to Austin. I have been looking near lake Travis (not knowing much about Austin) what I am looking for is a house close in not on a good wake boarding lake/river and a 40 min drive to work. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Mike,

I don't quite understand. Do you want a house that is:

1. Close in (to what? The city?)

2. Not on a good wakeboarding lake/river? (Did you mean to put NOT?!!!)

3. Less than 40 minute drive to work?

Sorry, Salmon Tacos to many things going on at work.

I would like a house close (mile or two) to a good wakeboarding lake/river and a 40 min or less drive to work (I am assuming the job to be in downtown Austin as I work in Computers). I hopes this make a litte more sences. Thanks for the input.

Mike Z

Mike,
It kind of depends on your price range on a house. A good location is somewhere off Bee Caves Road (FM 2244). If you can find something off Cuerna Vaca (which is off Bee Caves Road) that is a member of the homeowners group, one of the perks is a decent launch and trailer park area, just for residents right on Lake Austin. Also, from there to putting in to Lake Travis is only a 20-30 minute drive. And, if not in the homeowners group, you would still only be a 15-20 minute drive to putting in at the 360 bridge (for Lake Austin). And, finally, from that area to putting in on the Pedernales River at Mona's is only a 25-30 minute drive. Great central location for wakeboarding and you are only a 30-45 minute drive from downtown Austin, depending on traffic. Also, being in computers, you may actually find yourself working somewhere along the 360 corridor - that's where a lot of the software companies are.

And, last, from that area to Texas Ski Ranch is a 45 minute drive.

(Message edited by wakeshoe on August 17, 2004)

(Message edited by wakeshoe on August 17, 2004)

I would agree that the perd is the best place to find nice butter. That is where I am most of the time as it has so nice spots that you can beach and swim with very few people around, not much traffic, and is well away from the weekend walleys.

The mansville dam end of lake austin is the only part of that lake I would consider as the 360 bridge is just too darn busy.

However to slice it, Austin will cost more to live there than any other Texas city due to it's desirable attributes. I would not mind living there, but then again, it also has it's liberal wakos.

As a rule, the nice water will either be far from your work and home, or your commute to home will be long.

Lake austin is fairly dead during the work day if you can swing it then. Given your resort type work, you might be able to have different hours allowing some nice riding on Lake Austin when the other poor saps are at work.

Can you wakeboard year round in Austin? We live in Oregon and are looking for somewhere warmer to live in the winter months so we can have a longer season.

Chelsea, I know I started this thread cause I'm thinking about moving, but if you already have a boat, you can't beat AZ in the winter. Nov-Dec, wetsuits, Jan-Feb drysuit, March you can wear what ever you want but you can get away with nothing. The rest of the year its f-n hot. Its only "cold" 3 months out of the year. And those three months aren't bad at all compared to other places. 60-70's during the day in the winter. Why am I thinking of moving again?

Thanks D-Money, sounds nice compared to a foot of snow in the winter. AZ is another place we have been seriously considering moving. Where in AZ do you live and what lakes are good for wakeboarding? Yes we will be bringing our boat.

I ski/board year round here in Houston. I wear a dry suit in the "winter" and just installed a heater in the boat to keep the wife warm. I had a shower installed by the dealer before I took delivery so it would take the hurt out of the feet during the cold months. I don't know what I would do if my lake was covered in ice, I guess I would just go snow skiing.

You don`t want to move to Texas. It`s to hot, humid, rainy, etc. Your better off staying where your at.
Douglas Walter

Chelsea,
Austin temps sound very similar to how D-Money describes Arizona. Except, my sons only use wetsuits, no drysuits. They use full length wetsuits, mostly in Dec-Feb, then, depending on the weather, go with short wetsuits for March and part of April. However, it is more dependent on where they are boarding. For example, you need a wetsuit from Dec thru April if you're boarding in Lake Austin. But, if you're on the Pedernales River, you might get away with nothing as early as late March. The "Perd" is at least 10-15 degrees warmer than Lake Austin. And, if you're way north on Lake Austin, nearest to the Mansfield Dam, the water temp can be 10-15 degrees colder than on Lake Austin near the 360 bridge.

Chelsea,
I currently live in Chandler, AZ, have lived in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, its pretty much all the same place. "The Valley" We go to Saguaro, Bartlett a lot, they are very close and good places to ride during the week. A lot of people go to Pleasent as well.