Bangodard

Riverside and the surrounding streets are home to a huge number of apartment complexes marketed towards University of Texas students looking for cheaper rent. However, the area is definitely not worth the price. It may be cheap, but you'll be looking at a long bus ride to campus, with traffic bogging down I-35 for much of the day, or a car ride to campus followed by the inevitably difficult task of finding parking near campus. Save yourself the hassle and just live closer. While Riverside isn't necessarily a bad place to live, the complexes I've been at have mostly been pretty noisy and supposedly higher in crime than other parts of town. Not recommended.

Every weekend, South Congress sees swarms of visitors checking out the plethora of local shops and restaurants. Food options are varied and generally of quality, meaning plenty of good places to stop for food when you're tired of shopping. Stores of all kinds abound, with artisan markets selling locally made goods filling in space between shops. People interested in antiques, clothes, salons, and houseware should be able to find something to satisfy.

Quiet little street with plenty of apartments that is close to a lot of things. Mostly college students living here. The one problem if you're trying to get to the University of Texas is that it is definitely too far to walk. A bike is definitely needed, unless you're willing to ride the bus. Besides getting to campus, the street is in a great location. Easy access to both Guadalupe and Speedway, yet somewhat quiet. Just be careful that you're not living too close to either of these streets or you'll be dealing with a lot of noise.

Lamar is often a good alternative to Guadalupe, as they run parallel, but both streets are plagued by bad traffic. Lamar is especially bad down near Waterloo Records (worth facing the traffic for by the way), where cars get stuck in a bottleneck trying to get across the river. The road runs for a long ways and is home to a ton of great shops, but if you hit it at the wrong time of the day, you will be sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. Handy street to use at off hours, but avoid during rush hour.

51st street, while not necessarily the greatest street to live on, is definitely a great street to know when in Austin. It is fairly narrow and very well traveled, making it pretty busy during heavy traffic hours. However, it is an extremely quick way to traverse this area of the city, as it runs from Guadalupe all the way past Airport. Traffic and noise would probably rule out wanting to live actually on 51st, but if you are near it, you would be able to quickly get around town.

Anyone visiting Austin should definitely check out Guadalupe. This street runs alongside the University of Texas and is known as "the Drag." Long full of quirky local shops, these have largely been pushed out by the ever expanding University Co-op (great if you're looking for UT gear) and chain restaurants. However, it is still a bustling area worth visiting, and if you're willing to drive a few blocks, you can find some of the best shops in town. Toy Joy, the greatest toy shop in the state, is on Guadalupe, and across the street you can find local favorite video store I <3 Video. Regardless of its commercialization, still a must visit.

Duval Street is a great way to get around the North Campus area of Austin near the University of Texas. North Campus is typically home to graduate students, families, as well as some undergraduates, and is noticeably nicer than West Campus. The rental rates are typically higher, but the area is much quieter and more scenic, with plenty of tree cover. Local restaurants like Asta and Quack's bakery bring a nice local flair. Duval is a somewhat major road and as such is a good way to quickly get through this area of town.

I lived here during college and felt that it was a great location for college students wanting to live in West Campus. It's close enough to be able to easily walk to campus, yet far enough away that rental rates are reasonable. San Gabriel has a lot of apartments on it, and is a somewhat major through street running across the area. There isn't much as far as restaurants or businesses on the street itself, but plenty in the surrounding area. The traffic makes it not especially quiet, but its similar to other parts of west campus. Recommended for most college students.

If you're in Austin and driving around near the University of Texas, chances are you'll have to use 24th street at some point. It runs straight from Guadalupe (bordering the college) down past Mopac, making it one of the quickest ways to get to the freeway from campus. The street itself is pretty narrow and busy, with quite a bit of traffic during busy times of day. There are some cool shops near campus, like Momoko's bubble tea/gift shop, as well as restaurants and some apartments. A street that is absolutely necessary to use if driving around Austin near UT.

I lived here during college, and found that it was one of the best streets to live on in the West Campus area. Short walk to University of Texas and Pease Park, quiet during the day (though somewhat loud at night, but that's pretty much everywhere in West Campus), easy access to 24th St. Far enough from campus that rental rates are reasonable. Parking is an incredible pain unless you live here though, so visitors may have problems finding spots. In general, recommended for UT students, though not much to look at for visitors to the city.