safest areas of austin tx? (ie north, northeast, south etc)?

While Northeast and East Austin do have some hidden gems, the overwhelming majority of these neighborhoods are bad (high rates of poverty, homelessness, crime, pollution, etc.).

North, Northwest, and Central Austin neighborhoods are typically much nicer than those mentioned above, but the crime rates in these areas are some of the highest in the city.

South and Southwest Austin are two of the safest options in town. These parts of Austin are also more diverse, offer more of the Austin culture/community vibe, and have more options for affordable housing.

West Austin is another safe part of town, but because of the cost of living there and difference in attitude, I wouldn't really recommend it.

Good luck on your move!

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First of all, your question is fair, and since I have kids of my own, I do not take offense to someone trying to figure out what is best for their family. That being noted, Austin is one of the most diverse populations in Texas (and the South for that matter), so there is no need to worry about 'yankee-hating.' While I am a native Texan who has lived in Austin for 15 years, my mom is from the midwest, and most of my good friends are transplants from D.C., Minnesota, Wisconsin, Philly, etc. So, you won't be the first or the last 'snow bird' to make a home down south. Sure, there may be the occasional close-minded jerk who feels obligated to share his opinion, but I am sure that if I moved to Ohio there would be some fool who would find it clever to call me a 'hick' or 'bubba.' For the record, Austin is a highly-educated city, so your chances of running into one of those guys are few and far between. Additionally, with your military background, you have served your country and already earned a lot of respect no matter where you come from. You would be welcome here and would experience a crap-free existence. If you want my honest opinion, I would recomend choosing Austin over San Antonio. As I mentioned before, Austin is more diverse, but it also offers a more laid back attitude, good schools (with an awesome transfer policy), great parks and swimming holes (very outdoorsy and active), fun festivals, great restaurants, good museums and art exhibits, and a variety of nightlife options for when you and the wife need a break from the kids. Plus, San Antonio is only 60 miles south of Austin, so it makes for a nice weekend get-a-way every now and then. I know that someone mentioned the cost of living (San Antonio vs. Austin), and I am not sure where they got their information. The housing market in Austin is great right now especially in South and Southwest Austin (which is the cooler/more traditional part of town anyway). Sure, there are some expensive neighborhoods in Central and West Austin, but that would be no different than the pricey neighborhoods of San Antonio (Alamo Heights and others). I hope this helps, and good luck to you and your family on your potential move!

Safest Neighborhoods In Austin

It's all pretty safe. I would avoid SE Austin (south of Town Lake, east of I-35, especially East Riverside - it has the highest rates of stranger-on-stranger violent crime (that is, violent crime that is not a family dispute). I'd also avoid the areas in N. Austin around Rundberg.

Most of the crime in Austin is stuff like theft, burglary, and auto theft.

Here's a good map that will show the crime concentrations - there's a few spots of high concentrations of violent crime, but the rest of town is mostly evenly dispersed property crimes.

http://spotcrime.com/tx/austin

San Antonio is a better place for the kids (except if they're Asian since there aren't really many Asians in S.A.). There are more attractions like the zoo, SeaWorld, Fiesta Texas, Schlitterbahn, etc. Austin is geared toward DINKY types and a college-aged demographic. In general though, Austin is much more expensive and the job market is probably better (of course that depends on the position) and noticeably higher paying (for instance an IT job that would pay $70k in Austin might pay only $50k in S.A.). Military related positions are in much more abundance in San Antonio, but that's not what I do. Something possible to consider instead is the liberal Austinite "current and ex-military-hating, non-agreeing stomping" mentality.

I'm originally from Houston, so Austin is nothing compared to growing up in East Houston. I would avoid East Austin if you're not use to the "city." Otherwise, this place is really pretty safe.

South!

Austin seems like a pretty safe city to me. I live in Central Austin. Nothing really happens to us. Just those realtors sometimes.

southwest austin, definitely. like the circle c area.

Maybe, but I'm not 100%