Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

It is moving season Austinites, have you picked out a new home?
With some of the most expensive rent in the country—$1,735 per month on average in Austin according to RentCafe—you’re going to want to search for any apartment discounts you can get.
Don’t move without weighing your options. Here are nine average-priced apartment complexes around the city with specials going on right now.
Starting at $1,335 | Parkwood Terrace | 1201 East Old Settlers Blvd.
For a taste of Round Rock living, Parkwood Terrace is offering two weeks free on its 777-square foot, $1,335 per month apartment. These apartments have big open concept floor plans. Must book through Smart City apartment locator to get this deal.
Starting at $1,395 | Iron Rock Ranch | 1215 W Slaughter Lane
These sparkling white south Austin apartments come with sky-high ceilings, built-in desks for the work-from-home grind and expansive walk-in closets. Iron Rock Ranch is currently offering $750 off classic units. Must book through Smart City to get this deal.
Starting at $1,457 | Reveal Onion Creek | 12000 S I-35 Frontage Rd.
Located in the far south Onion Creek neighborhood, Reveal offers stylish one-to-four bedroom apartments home with high ceilings, expansive windows and integrated smart entry. Reveal is currently offering six weeks free on one bedroom, one bathroom units.
Starting at $1,495 | The Mont | 2405 Montopolis Dr.
Make yourself at home in East Austin all while enjoying four weeks free on rent from 726-square foot one bedroom, one bathroom units starting at $1,495 to 1,105-square foot two-bedroom units that run for $2,260.
Starting at $1,515 | Alta Austin Ave. | 2601 N Austin Ave.
If you want to get outside the hustle and bustle of the city, head to Alta Austin in Georgetown, where you can enjoy one month free on one-bedroom, 783-square foot apartments. Residents can indulge in a 24/7 fitness center, community garden and fenced-in pet park.
Starting at $1,535 | Alexan Springdale | 5521 Springdale Rd.
This brand-new complex is bringing luxury living to the northeast side with plank flooring, nine-foot ceilings and community amenities. Currently, Alexan Springdale is offering two weeks free, on rent and utilities, for its $1,535/monthly 542-square foot apartment. Units up to two bedrooms are subject to up to four weeks free.
Starting at $1,540 | Highline | 13201 Legendary Dr.
This McNeil-area home comes with nine-foot ceilings, granite countertops and walk-in closets. Catch six weeks free on a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, 668 square foot apartment. Must book through Smart City to get this deal!
Starting at $1,665 | Lenox Park | 6000 Ed Bluestein Blvd.
Tucked in the Mueller area, Lenox Park’s apartments could be mistaken for a new home with built-in shelving and designer finishes. You can take a month off of one bedroom, one bathroom apartments starting at 528 square feet.
Starting at $1,750 | Falconhead | 3400 Ranch Road 620
The westernmost property on this list, located in Lake Travis, Falconhead will have you living in style. Act quick to get six weeks free in a 791-square foot one bedroom, one bathroom home. Must book through Smart City to get this deal!
- Where to rent: Top neighborhoods for apartments in Austin - austonia ›
- Trendy micro apartments are coming to East Austin - austonia ›
- 10 apartments in Austin with specials saving you hundreds - austonia ›
- North Austin apartment fire injures four, destroys complex - austonia ›
- New micro units are coming to South First St. - austonia ›
Popular
(Pavement/Instagram)
The cost of living in Austin may be on an upswing but just because you might have less money in your pockets doesn’t mean you have to compromise your lifestyle.
With gas prices rising above $4 per gallon, rents rising 25-40% and reports showing that Austinites pay more in household bills than any other Texas city, you may find yourself with less cheddar than you’re used to this time of year.
Aside from cutting back on spending, thrifting is a great way to stretch your dollar a little bit further. The average American spends $1,700 on clothes annually, of which 85% percent ends up in landfills, making secondhand shopping a greener, more affordable and nearly equally fashionable option.
These local secondhand emporiums sell most daily goods for a fraction of the price if you don’t mind a little wear.
Best antiques: Uncommon Objects, 1602 Fortview Rd.
You won’t find any clothing at Uncommon Objects but you will find oodles of objects from yesteryear to bring into your home. The store has been peddling items from “your eccentric uncle’s attic on steroids” since 1991, connecting Austinites with relics from the past. The items inside start at just a few dollars but range due to the great variety. Many of these items have passed through multiple hands–it doesn’t get greener than that!
Best for finding clothes on a budget: Texas Thrift, 5319 N Interstate Hwy 35
This enormous North Austin warehouse is packed with so many racks of secondhand clothing that it would be nearly impossible to go through them all in one visit. You’re probably not going to find a Gucci tracksuit or Christian Louboutins while you roam the racks but you’re almost certain to leave with at least one new-to-you article of clothing that fits your style for less than $10.
Best for fashionable finds: Uptown Cheapskate, multiple locations
Though it may be a bit more expensive than the run-of-the-mill thrift shop, Uptown Cheapskate is filled with gently used, name-brand clothing for a fraction of the new price. Uptown both buys and sells clothing released in boutiques within the last two years, meaning you’ll find brands like Free People, Zara, Nike and Patagonia in almost mint condition. Austonia reporter Claire Partain scored a pair of Steve Madden's last week for less than $15.
Best variety: Far Out Home Fittings, 1500 W Ben White Blvd.
With a full “Funkyard” out back, antiques, oddities, furniture, jewelry and knick knacks are Far Out Home Fittings’ specialty. This is not the place to come if you’re looking for something specific but if you’re open to a rummaging adventure, you’re likely to find something you didn't know you needed from furniture to jewelry to musical instruments. Our favorite Far Out finds: $5 gold chains, a vintage hand-crank whisk and long-forgotten lettering from signage.
Craft supplies: Austin Creative Reuse, 2005 Wheless Ln.
‘Waste not, want not’ would be a good tagline for Austin Creative Reuse, where you can find partially used art supplies that would have been thrown away otherwise. Looking to make your own clothes? ACR has shelves upon shelves of fabric and yarn for mostly less than a dollar per yard. Accessories? There are beads and thread aplenty. Scrap paper, paint, mosaics, magnets, zippers, glitter, findings in bulk and workshops to teach you how to be your craftiest self.
Furniture: Salvation Army, multiple locations
If you’re a fan of TikTok, you’ve probably wanted to try your hand at upcycling—repurposing objects in a way that makes it just as or more valuable than the original—at least once or twice and Salvation Army is the place to start. This store has everything: clothing, shoes, accessories, electronics, art and pieces of furniture that are begging to be made pretty again through a little TLC.
Vintage and variety fashion: Pavement, multiple locations
Racks on racks of modern and vintage mixed clothing await at Pavement, which is known for its legendary fill-a-bag sales. Meanwhile, its shoe and accessory walls are almost as spacious as its selection of clothing while maintaining a balance between current fashion and styles of yore. Clothing at Pavement isn’t the most affordable, but it will still bring you in lower than most prices at vintage and new clothing stores.
(ATCEMS/Facebook)
An Austin-Travis County ambulance was removed from a Central Austin St. David's Hospital and taken for a joyride until it was recovered in Round Rock.
Ezra Neal, 32, is now in the Travis County jail facing two felony counts for auto theft of $300,000 or more and evading in a motor vehicle, according to the Austin Police Department.
On Thursday morning, ATCEMS tracked down the missing ambulance truck and reported it to APD. An officer found the ambulance with its back door wide open on I-35 in Pflugerville.
(APD)
The police officer followed Neal North for almost 10 miles as four more police vehicles joined the chase. When Neal entered Round Rock, he took the FM 1431 exit toward University Boulevard, police said.
He was able to get past spike strips set up in his path by police but eventually turned into an H-E-B parking lot where he was arrested.
- EMS responds to seven-car crash with 18-wheeler in Manor - austonia ›
- Austin Ems - austonia ›
- Austin 911 operators to star in new fall TV show on ABC - austonia ›
- Austin ranks more dangerous than Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth ... ›
- Here's how crime stacks up in Austin's party districts - austonia ›
- "Silk Road" biopic highlights a tale of true crime in Austin ›