Downtown Apartments & Rentals

Downtown Austin apartments situate you high above one of the most entertaining, energetic central business districts in the United States. While many American downtown areas devote themselves wholly to the power lunch crowd, that's not how it is in Austin. Here, mixed in with the moneymakers, you'll find plenty looking to shake their moneymakers. Live music, fine dining, luxury apartments, first class entertainment, and riverside parks all make Downtown Austin a desirable place to call home. It's pricey, and it can get loud when the Longhorns win, but that's the cost of living in the thick of things.

Way back in 1830, when Texas was a republic and not one of the United States, Edwin Waller chose this bluff above the Colorado River for a new town. He set out a city grid of 14 square blocks-much of which continues to make up modern Austin. The wide Congress Avenue leads from Lady Bird Lake to the State Capitol building. Around this central strip, you'll find high-rises, government offices, residential buildings, and pretty much everything a hip, trendy Texan could wish for.

Sixth Street is definitely Downtown Austin's entertainment area. Here's where you'll find bars, restaurants, and live music venues. This strip gets blocked to traffic frequently so festivals and revelers can have free reign. It turns into a bit of a carnival sometimes. Second Street and Rainey Street are also good places if you want a bite to eat or a quieter drink. Downtown you'll find the iconic Paramount Theater and Alamo Drafthouse cinemas, the Austin Museum of Art, and other tourist attractions.

Whether you want a cocktail dress, a printer, or a can of olives, downtown is well stocked with shopping opportunities. There's even a Whole Foods grocery on 6^th and Lamar. Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail follows the shoreline for 10 miles and there are other small area parks as well.

There are historic houses in the Bremond Block, and multi-family and student housing on Judges Hill, but most Downtown rentals are luxury condos and upscale apartments. New buildings are going up at a rapid rate, too. Residents here tend to be hip urban professionals. A two-bedroom apartment Downtown rents for an average of $2,569 a month.

Commuting via Capital Metro bus and rail lines couldn't be easier from Downtown. That's good news as parking in the neighborhood is expensive and traffic doesn't move fast.

The United States Postal Service operates the Downtown Austin Post Office. The Faulk Central Library of the Austin Public Library system is on Guadalupe and 8^th streets. The Austin City Council has seven members, including the mayor. Councilmen and women are elected at large by city voters.