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Does Dirty 6th live up to its name? Here’s how crime stacks up in Austin’s top party districts

"Dirty 6th" is a sea of people every weekend, visiting its dozens of bars on the strip. (Marlon Giles/Flickr)
There are plenty of places to party in Austin, from the classic Dirty 6th to Rainey Street's tech hub to The Domain's eccentric collection of bars. With crime in Austin—and nationwide—on the rise, worries while drinking at night can take some fun out of your hangout.
Using data from the past five years, Austonia found how each part of the town's party areas stacks up in safety. Here's what to know before you go.
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
Red River District
The line outside Stubb's Bar-B-Q is a familiar sight to those who frequent the venue for its live music. (Blastframe/CC)
The line outside Stubb's Bar-B-Q is a familiar sight to those who frequent the venue for its live music. (Blastframe/CC)
Red River Cultural District, home to beloved live music venues like Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Mohawk Austin and Empire Control Room, has had the most overall crime reports since 2016 but Dirty 6th Street is rapidly catching up. The downtown cultural district has averaged 1,325 police reports yearly, though crime reports on Dirty 6th surpassed Red River in 2019 and so far in 2021. The two most common reports in the area: theft, with an average of 343 reports over the past three years and assault with injury, averaging 247 yearly reports.
Dirty 6th
Dirty 6th is packed with partiers every weekend—crowds are a common sight. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Dirty 6th is packed with partiers every weekend—crowds are a common sight. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Coined the "original" night district in the city, "Dirty 6th," or the portion of East 6th that is west of I-35, has been a Friday night standard since Austin was just a sleepy college town and is often compared to Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The street has earned the nickname "dirty," as it has seen an increasing number of violent crimes in recent years, most recently a shooting that killed a tourist and left 14 others injured. The strip averages 1,234 crime reports per year since 2016, and shares the two most common reports—assault with bodily injury and theft—with nearby Red River District.
East 6th Street
East Austin's bungalow bars aren't quite as clumped as other nightlife areas in town. (Whislers/Instagram)
East Austin's bungalow bars aren't quite as clumped as other nightlife areas in town. (Whislers/Instagram)
Taking a trip East of the highway, East 6th Street is the quieter counterpart to Dirty 6th, without compromising on the expanse of venues. At an average of 786 police reports per year, you'll see a noticeably smaller police presence in this area. The most common crimes in this area are still theft, with 196 reports in the last three years, and assault with injury, with 186 reports over the last three years. Keep a watchful eye on your car as well, as there have been 116 reports of auto theft since 2019.
South Congress
South Congress is home to one of the most celebrated venues in Austin, the Continental Club. (Trey Ratcliff/CC)
South Congress is home to one of the most celebrated venues in Austin, the Continental Club. (Trey Ratcliff/CC)
Right around the middle of the barrel, South Congress has been steadily increasing in popularity, size and variety since the late 1990s. The brightly lit street is usually bustling from afternoon until night but doesn't attract too much violent crime with just an average of 675 police reports per year since 2016. You're unlikely to be physically harmed while visiting South Congress but make sure you lock your car tightly, as 217 total vehicle burglaries have been reported, keep an eye on your pocketbook, with 143 total theft reports, and drive safely, with 89 total reports of DWIs since 2019.
The Domain
The Domain's bars are surrounded by lights, streets and nearby businesses. (Wonder Bar/Instagram)
The Domain's bars are surrounded by lights, streets and nearby businesses. (Wonder Bar/Instagram)
Tucked away further north, The Domain has been an up-and-coming night district with fun and whimsical bars like Wonder Bar, Kung Fu Saloon and The Rose Room decorating Instagram pages everywhere. While not thesafest, The Domain is a fairly safe option to let loose in at night. Actually, your car will be less safe than you—The Domain's top crimes are burglary of vehicle and auto theft with 193 and 89 reports, respectively, since 2019. Theft should also be on the radar, with 132 reports.
West 6th Street
West 6th is usually a quieter option than some of the other districts, like Rainey Street or Dirty 6th. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
West 6th is usually a quieter option than some of the other districts, like Rainey Street or Dirty 6th. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Nestled in Austin's Warehouse District, West 6th Street is another alternative to rowdy Dirty 6th. With dozens of popular bars and more coming every day, this area experiences noticeably less crime. West 6th had the second least amount of reported crime, with an average of 308 reports yearly since 2016. Your most common threats here are theft, with 172 total reports, and intoxicated drivers with 137 DWI reports since 2019.
Rainey Street
A relatively small, secluded area, Rainey Street is the safest district to party in as long as you have a ride home. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
A relatively small, secluded area, Rainey Street is the safest district to party in as long as you have a ride home. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
One of Austin's newest night districts, which is just blocks away from Dirty 6th, East 6th and Red River Street, comes out as the safest place to party on the weekends with just 135 yearly police reports on average over the past five years. Still, most common crimes fall in line with the other districts in the 78701 ZIP code: 142 total reports of theft, 117 total burglaries of vehicle reports and 71 reports of assault with injury since 2016.
Read more on Rainey Street here:
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Popular
(Jordan Vonderhaar/The Texas Tribune)
The Texas Senate Democratic Caucus is urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call an emergency special legislative session to consider a variety of gun restrictions and safety measures in the wake of a mass school shooting in Uvalde that left 19 children and two adults dead this week.
In a letter released Saturday morning, all 13 Senate Democrats demanded lawmakers pass legislation that raises the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21 years old. The Uvalde gunman was 18 and had purchased two AR-style rifles which he used in the attack.
The caucus is also calling for universal background checks for all firearm sales, “red flag” laws that allow a judge to temporarily remove firearms from people who are considered an imminent threat to themselves or others, a “cooling off period” for the purchase of a firearm and regulations on high capacity magazines for citizens.
“Texas has suffered more mass shootings over the past decade than any other state. In Sutherland Springs, 26 people died. At Santa Fe High School outside Houston, 10 people died. In El Paso, 23 people died at a Walmart. Seven people died in Midland-Odessa,” the letter reads. “After each of these mass killings, you have held press conferences and roundtables promising things would change. After the slaughter of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, those broken promises have never rung more hollow. The time to take real action is now.”
Such laws are unlikely to gain traction in the Republican-controlled Legislature, which has a track record of favoring legislation that loosens gun restrictions. Only the governor has the power to call lawmakers back into a special session for emergency work.
Asked about a special session at a Friday press conference in Uvalde, Abbott said “all options are on the table” adding that he believed laws would ultimately be passed to address this week’s horrors. However, he suggested laws would be more tailored toward addressing mental health, rather than gun control.
“You can expect robust discussion and my hope is laws are passed, that I will sign, addressing health care in this state,” he said, “That status quo is unacceptable. This crime is unacceptable. We’re not going to be here and do nothing about it.”
He resisted the idea of increasing the age to purchase a firearm, saying that since Texas became a state, 18-year-olds have been able to buy a gun.
He also dismissed universal background checks saying existing background check policies did not prevent the Santa Fe and Sutherland Springs shootings, which both happened while he has been in office.
“If everyone wants to seize upon a particular strategy and say that’s the golden strategy right there, look at what happened in the Santa Fe shooting,” he said. “A background check had no relevance because the shooter took the gun from his parents…Anyone who suggests we should focus on background checks as opposed to mental health, I suggest is mistaken.”
Since the massacre at Robb Elementary School, the governor’s comments about potential solutions have centered around increasing mental health services, rather than restricting access to firearms.
This story has been edited for length.
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(Project Connect)
Designs for stations along Project Connect’s Blue Line were presented this week, giving a detailed look at what part of the rail system extending from downtown to the airport could look like.
The planned stations that have gotten the latest focus include Waterfront, Travis Heights and Lakeshore stations past Lady Bird Lake.
At the Waterfront station, the preliminary design aims to prevent visual obstructions and save on costs. This is accomplished by a transit guideway that will lower from the bridge to a level station.
Heading onto East Riverside Drive, the light rail faces a curve requiring a slow down to about 10 miles per hour.
The Travis Heights station could involve relocating a pedestrian crosswalk zone at Alameda Drive to Blunn Creek. Since light rails can't effectively operate on a steep grade, this allows the transit guideway to avoid that.
From there, the rail will extend to the Norwood Park area, and though it will reach along the right-of-way zone, the park will be able to remain open.
A view of the Blue Line by Lady Bird Lake. (Project Connect)
The line involves some coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation. That's because the department is working on an intersection that will have to be built before the phasing of the section of the Blue Line involving an I-35 crossing.
When it comes to the safety of cyclists and walkers, design ideas include a pedestrian hybrid beacon by East Bouldin Creek that would provide a protected signal to cross. And for the intersection TxDOT is carrying out, Project Connect is working with them on pedestrian access across the intersection. It could involve shared use paths along the street and crossings beneath it.
This summer, the public can expect 30% of design and cost estimates to be released. Though the project was $7.1 billion when voters approved it in November 2020, the latest estimates factoring in inflation and supply chain constraints show it could ultimately be upwards of $10 billion.
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