Barrio vs. Suburb

Right off the bat I know that this is a great problem to have.  Being in a position to be looking for a house is such a blessing and one that many don’t have at the moment so I promise I’m not complaining.  I just have no idea what to do.

So we’ve been looking for a house for a month and half and we’ve looked at tons online and a lot in person not the mention the countless times we’ve just driven aimlessly through neighborhoods hoping the perfect house would show up on sale.

We are quickly realizing that we’re not going to find a house in 78704 like we hoped so we’ve started looking at other parts of Austin.  It’s tough because we have gotten so spoiled.  We can walk anywhere and it’s so important to us to be able to walk somewhere.  Even just to a park or to some shops or restaurants. 

Here’s what we’re really trying to discern.  We have found some great houses in the Mueller development and we may have found a few good ones on the east side off of Fiesta Gardens.  Mueller is so convenient and the houses are new and there are parks and pools and a great, close-knit community, it’s super safe but it is a suburb.  It seems a little forced, fake.  The east side on the other hand is just “real”.  We wouldn’t be living in a homogeneous place.  It would be very diverse.  The Squeaker would know people from all walks of life but safety is more of a concern.  Would we be comfortable walking at night?  The house we would live in would be nicer than others on the block.  Would we be paranoid about being targeted for break-ins?

We just can’t figure out what the best thing for our family would be.  We’re open to suggestions/advice if you got ’em.