Area info & maps

Hill Country Texas isn’t a town, it’s basically a STATE - at least in terms of size as 31,000 square miles is larger than 12 U.S. States! In fact it’s 100 times larger than the city of Austin Texas, which itself is one of the largest in the entire country at 320 square miles.

While it’s enormous size provides thousands of large acreage lots and ranches to choose from, that large size can make it difficult to pinpoint an exact area of interest within. That conundrum leads to the #1 regret of Hill Country buyers: wishing they knew the areas that make up Hill Country better before buying.

After reading the in-depth FAQ about this top regret, you’ll quickly realize that more time spent researching the areas within Hill Country is essential to making a great home buying choice. Between our knowledgeable consultants, area tours, years of experience and real estate expertise, we can help you narrow down and select the right area for you.

Zone Map

To help simplify the property search process, we created the Zone Map below. The goal is to be able to narrow your Area of Interest down to 1-2 Zones before beginning your actual property search. This will eliminate wasting hundreds of hours looking at homes that won’t ultimately interest you and helps ensure you only need to move ONCE to Hill Country and with NO regrets.

Info Map

Some of the aspects that differentiate these towns are subjective and opinions while others are simple facts yet simply put, the more you know about these towns, the better choice you will make. As a result, we’ve come up with our 9-Point Guide for each major Hill Country town to assist this process

JONESTOWN

Population:

2,500

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

5/1

Traffic Rating

Medium

Special Hobbies

Lake Life

Property Tax Rate

1.9%

Vibe

independent town with great views and super close to NW Austin with largest lot sizes available close to a major city

Zone

BLANCO

Population:

2,000

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

15/1

Traffic Rating

Light

Special Hobbies

none

Property Tax Rate

1.6%

Vibe

old-school quaint quiet classic Texas town with a very young average resident age

Zone

FREDERICKSBURG

Population:

12,000

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

110/4

Traffic Rating

Medium Heavy

Special Hobbies

vineyards, tourist-driven main street

Property Tax Rate

1.2%

Vibe

the jewel and hub of Hill Country, tourist-driven fun weekends, expensive housing/groceries, endless vineyards, German historical town and theme

Zone

KERRVILLE

Population:

40,000

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

100/20

Traffic Rating

Medium

Special Hobbies

none

Property Tax Rate

1.8%

Vibe

fast growing town for professionals and retirees, more affordable compared to nearby Fredericksburg, great interstate access off I-10 and close to Fort Stockton

Zone

BOERNE

Population:

25,000+

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

90/20

Traffic Rating

Medium Heavy

Special Hobbies

multiple (suburb of San Antonio)

Property Tax Rate

1.85%

Vibe

modern, growing, younger hip suburb of San Antonio, close to Fredericksburg

Zone

WIMBERLEY

Population:

2,800

Minutes to Large City:

20 (to San Marcos)

Minutes to Major Airport:

55 (to either Austin or San Antonio)

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

25/2

Traffic Rating

Light

Special Hobbies

40min drive to Canyon Lake

Property Tax Rate

1.25%

Vibe

older average resident age, town is not super close to anything but fairly close to everything

Zone

DRIPPING SPRINGS

Population:

6,300

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

35/5

Traffic Rating

Heavy

Special Hobbies

Multiple (Austin suburb)

Property Tax Rate

1.6%

Vibe

hip, fun Austin suburb with larger lot sizes

Zone

JOHNSON CITY

Population:

2,000

Minutes to Large City:

45 (to SW Austin)

Minutes to Major Airport:

65 (to either Austin or San Antonio)

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

25/1

Traffic Rating

Medium

Special Hobbies

Vineyards and Peaches

Property Tax Rate

1.1%

Vibe

smaller more affordable sister town to Fredericksburg, more lively and active pass- through town due to its proximity to SE hill country hotspots

Zone

MASON

Population:

2,100

Minutes to Large City:

90 (to Liberty Hill)

Minutes to Major Airport:

120 (to either Austin or San Antonio)

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

8/1

Traffic Rating

Light

Special Hobbies

none

Property Tax Rate

1.4%

Vibe

very small quaint older texas town far from major cities/services

Zone

LAMPASAS

Population:

7,500

Minutes to Large City:

30 (to Killeen)

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

30/5

Traffic Rating

Light

Special Hobbies

none

Property Tax Rate

1.0%

Vibe

classic but growing Texas town serves as a gateway to NE rural hill country

Zone

LLANO

Population:

3,500

Minutes to Large City:

55 (to Liberty Hill)

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

15/2

Traffic Rating

Light

Special Hobbies

15min to Buchanan Lake

Property Tax Rate

1.2%

Vibe

old-school quaint quiet classic Texas town

Zone

BURNET

Population:

6,500

Minutes to Large City:

25 (to Liberty Hill)

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

25/5

Traffic Rating

Light

Special Hobbies

15 mins to Buchanan Lake

Property Tax Rate

1.5%

Vibe

old-school quaint quiet classic Texas town

Zone

MARBLE FALLS

Population:

8,000

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

45/5

Traffic Rating

Light Medium

Special Hobbies

Golf in Horseshoe Bay

Property Tax Rate

1.4%

Vibe

Fun, relaxed, friendly

Zone

LAGO VISTA

Population:

10,000

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

15/3

Traffic Rating

Light

Special Hobbies

Lake Life

Property Tax Rate

2.55%

Vibe

Lake life town with epic elevated views of the Lake and only 15min from NW Austin

Zone

LIBERTY HILL

Population:

12,000

Minutes to Large City:

Minutes to Major Airport:

Average Resident Age:

Number of Restaurants/Fast Food:

40/20

Traffic Rating

Medium Heavy

Special Hobbies

None

Property Tax Rate

2.15%

Vibe

Formerly a rural town, now a dense and fast-growing residential Austin outer suburb for those seeking housing affordability vs inner Austin, vibe is mix of city and country

Zone

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Airplane Noise Pollution

This little known map is critical to understanding property values around the Austin Texas area, which is the largest city adjacent to Hill Country. This map shows you the typical flight path that airplanes use over the city, which has a very large impact on the values and desirability of living in different parts of town. Even though it is focused on the city, you can also see how it affects certain closer Hill Country towns such as Dripping Springs, Driftwood and Spicewood for example.

Area Info & Maps F.A.Q.

Q: What to look for when Selecting a Hill Country town?

1. Proximity to a Large City for supplies and shopping
2. Proximity to a major Airport
3. Local Employment opportunities
4. Town demographics (age, income, schools, crime etc)
5. County politics
6. Restaurant and Fast Food availability
7. Quiet peaceful towns versus higher-traffic Tourist destinations
8. Hobby Availability (Proximity to a large Lake, quality golf course or other hobby)
9. Property Tax rates
10. VIBE – what feeling does this town give you?
When you take these 10 factors into consideration, you can instantly start sifting through the many towns that make up Hill Country to help find the best ones for you.

Q: What makes Hill Country the most desirable area in Texas?

Simply put, it combines the best aspects of Texas in one area: amazing views, great weather, beautiful elevation changes, unique interesting towns, genuinely friendly people, dark skies with bright stars and yes, LAND AND FREEDOM.

Austin and San Antonio are the best big city options because they are closest to Hill Country and therefore provide great resources to Hill Country residents. But none of those places have the quality LAND that provides the backbone of Hill Country LIFE.

It’s only Hill Country itself where you find the real magic: a series of 20 small towns, each with their own unique calling card, set in the most serene and picturesque part of the state. These towns are not just beautiful and full of friendly people; they are also historical, rich in culture, a haven for both Veterans and freedom-seekers alike and best of all there is SPACE here – enough space to breathe slowly and deeply, all without hearing neighbors sneezing through apartment walls!

As a result, Hill Country does NOT provide the cheapest land in Texas but we consider it to be the most beautiful. Hill Country is separate yet connected – you can live in quiet Burnet and easily go golf for the day in Marble Falls. Or you can live in Boerne but go
spend the day wine tasting in Fredericksburg. Or just choose a town closer to the big cities such as Lago Vista and get all the benefits of Lake Life with the convenience of being just 15 minutes from city shopping and dining. The choice is up to you.

Ultimately, Hill Country is awesome and ideal for both long-time Texans as well as those who have been stuck living on small lots in big cities and want to spread their wings onto a nice big lot property as 5 and 10-acre mini-estates are literally everywhere. Embrace freedom, fresh air, beautiful land and the pride of self-sufficiency – let us help make Hill Country your next home and start living the big lot life instead of just dreaming about it.

Q: What are the various Towns in Hill Country most known for?

Hill Country is a VAST area full of unique pockets of hobbies and activities with each town having its own personal calling card. These are merely opinions but can potentially be helpful to you:

LAKE LIFE: Lago Vista, Buchanan Dam, Canyon Lake
If you enjoy spending the day on the water, fishing, boating, jet-skiing and the lake lifestyle, the 3 areas above are great great lake life options.

GOLF: Marble Falls, Lago Vista
Explore the Horseshoe Bay area of Marble Falls to find a wide variety of high-quality courses that are open to the public as well as some nearby exclusive private clubs. Other courses exist in other areas too but are more typical municipal-style courses that won’t satisfy true golf nuts. Disc golf is also abundant in these areas too!

WINERIES & PEACHES: Fredericksburg, Johnson City
The short road from Johnson City to Fredericksburg is long on vineyards and peach farms with over 20 to choose. We call this stretch “Vineyard Alley” as each one has its own tasting rooms and attractions and Fredericksberg even allows the public to walk outside on Main St with wine in hand!

QUIET HISTORICAL TOWNS: Burnet, Blanco, Llano, Mason
These quiet historical Texas towns are right out of the moviesand ooze country living.

UPSCALE TOWNS: Boerne, Fredericksburg, Spicewood/Lakeway
Fredericksburg doesn’t appear to be overly high-end on the surface yet has the 2 nd highest number of millionaires in the entire State! In addtion, the areas just West and Southwest of Austin like Spicewood, Dripping Springs and Driftwood are much closer to Austin’s luxury enclave of Westlake, which is full of very high-end restaurants, shopping and homes.

Overall, this is just a very crude snapshot but hopefully conveys the incredible VARIETY that you will find in Hill Country. That variety provides great choices but also requires a decent amount of effort in order to narrow down and select the right area for YOU.