The Avenue Apartments

Yale Street north of the 610 Loop runs through Independence Heights, a historic neighborhood about eight miles northwest of Downtown and the area immediately north of Garden Oaks. The Avenue is a two-story, garden-style community on that stretch, managed by The Madison Real Estate Group.

Floor plans are one, two and three bedrooms between roughly 630 and 1,020 square feet, priced well below what the newer buildings a mile south on Crosstimbers command. Family-oriented amenities carry the property: a commercial-size playground, picnic tables with grills, a recently built dog park, a swimming pool, a fitness room and a clubhouse lounge with a Wi-Fi-equipped community center.

I-45 and the 610 North Loop are both close, and Yale runs south into the Heights retail corridor. For renters who want the north-side location and space of Garden Oaks without new-construction rents, this is one of the more affordable options in the area.