The Greater Austin area ranks high on the livability scale, which is why Austin frequently ranks high on national lists of Best Cities. In 2003, for example, Austin came in fourth on Travel & Leisure's list of best loved cities, first on Forbes' list of Best Cities for Singles, and third on Hispanic Magazine's list of Best Cities for Hispanics. In 2002, it was in the Money Magazine's Top 10 list of Best Places to Live. Lots of reasons are given-a cosmopolitan atmosphere without big city hassle, great scenery and recreational opportunities, a reasonable cost of living, a great music and cultural scene.
Austin is nestled among the rolling hills and lakes of Central Texas, the seat of state government, an educational Mecca with seven area universities and an entertainment complex that includes the best of live music, the arts and all the fun of the great outdoors.
This
guide has just about anything you would want to know! (pdf format)
This link also has more details.
Newcomer/Relocation Products - includes a bound magazine version of the pdf guide above
Housing
the median apartment rents in Austin:
1 bedroom: Austin - $686, US Metros - $564
2 bedroom: Austin - $914, US Metros - $702
3 bedroom: Austin - $1269, US Metros - $934
A place a lot of grad students live is
Far West/2222. Despite the name it is only 10 minutes or less to campus and is on the bus route. Most grad students I know buy or rent condos or townhomes. Since you will be here for a few years, they are a very good investment. And even if you don't stay in Austin, there is always a market to resell it or use it as a rental or vacation property.
I have a friend who went through the process of buying a condo in the Far West/2222 area a couple years ago while she was in her PhD program. She is moving to Oklahoma City in August for a year long intership at the Health Consortium there to fulfill her PhD requirements and will rent her condo out for the school year. If you would like, I can get you in touch with her and she can tell you about the graduate student culture at UT and tips on housing (all of her degress have been from UT-Austin, so she knows just about everything
And the current president of the
Austin Alumnae Panhellenic is a Pi Phi
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