The Outdoor Capital of Texas is a growing commuter suburb
Pronounced BYOO-duh, the independent city in Hays County, 15 miles south of Austin, got its unique name from mispronouncing the Spanish word for widow, ‘viuda.’ Founded in 1881 as a railroad stop, Buda was incorporated in 1948, with a population of less than 2,500 by 2000. Having grown considerably since, today, over 16,000 residents call Texas' official Outdoor Capital home. This is thanks to major employers moving into the city and its surroundings, including an Amazon Distribution Center, US Foods, Four Hands and Deep Eddy Vodka. The city government and local organizations offer incentive programs, legal services, and a low tax base to support the growth. “A lot of families are moving here because it’s close to their jobs in Austin, but they just don’t want to live in the city,” says Keller Williams Realtor and Buda resident Pam Kaye. “The town is growing. It’s probably quadrupled in size in the last 20 years. Home prices are definitely going up as a result of that growth.”
Cabela's in Buda is one of the town's largest landmarks.
Buda offers all the perks of small town living yet close accessibility to the big city.
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Buyer's market prices remain well below Austin home prices
The rising population set off a housing boom in the early 2000s that continues today. "If you look at all those towns between Austin and San Antonio, they're all just growing really quickly," says Realtor Miriam Moorman of Fathom Realty. "It was a combination of a couple of factors. The Covid boom in 2021 and early 2022 made home prices greatly appreciate. And at the same time, the interest rates were going up as well. So, by the time we hit the peak, and we were seeing interest rates getting higher, a lot of people just got priced out of Austin." As a result, Buda has become a buyer's market where homes spend an average of 70 days on the market. However, prices are rising in Buda, although nowhere near the degree of Austin proper, where single-family homes have a median price of $600,000. Instead, Buda has a median single-family home price of $376,700, and two-bedroom multi-family options see a median price of $295,000. Most homes were built after 2000, which included an assortment of detached single-family homes, apartments, multiplex condos, and attached townhouses, many sporting Prairie-style and Craftsman aesthetics.
A row of newly developed traditional and national style homes common in Buda.
Older homes can be found surrounding Downtown Buda.
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Trails connect with skateparks, amphitheaters and the Buda Sportsplex
Buda has more park acreage per capita than citizens, earning the city its distinguished slogan, handed down by the State Legislature in 2005, of the "Outdoor Capital of Texas." The city adopted a parks master plan with ten goals in 2021, stimulating the creation of new parks with improved accessibility and a region-wide trail system connecting parks and community destinations. The city now maintains 18 parks and facilities, totaling 268 acres. Skateparks, the Buda Sportsplex, and a YMCA pool and a dog park emphasize how important outdoor time is to locals. Stagecoach Park is home to an extensive nature trail and historic buildings. The most frequented park is the Buda Amphitheater Park, which holds up to 20,000 people for concerts and other community events. And with Buda situated in the Texas Hill Country, residents are never far from a famous swimming hole like Jacob's Well, a golf course or a backcountry hiking trail.
Locals gather for sports and events year-round at the Buda City Park near downtown.
A scenic windmill and picturesque sunset sky at Stagecoach Park in Buda.
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Planned transit options for easier commutes on Interstate 35
Without public transit, Buda remains a commuter suburb. However, rapid expansion forced the city to adopt a Mobility Master Plan in 2020, working to acquire funding for a fixed-route bus service or park-and-ride system. Interstate 35 is the city's crucial connector, linking Buda with Austin and San Antonio. The major corridor for commuters and truckers is highly prone to traffic jams, especially at peak hours, though these slowdowns begin a few miles north of Buda. "There's just been so much development going out towards Buda for people that are making that commute downtown. So, it's definitely had a huge impact on the traffic," says Realtor Lexi Castles of the Zell Team for Compass RE Texas. State Highway 45 connects with I-35 roughly 2 miles north of Buda, offering a faster, tolled route around city traffic and a more direct path to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
South Austin is bounded by Interstate 35 to the east, with easy access to Downtown Austin.
A commercial airline landing at Austin International Airport.
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Historic downtown businesses and trips to Southpark Meadows
Historic downtown Buda might be small, covering only six blocks, but it’s home to a strong community of locally owned stores and cafes inside preserved 19th-century buildings. The city shows off its range of eateries during the annual Restaurant Week each October, when eateries offer special deals and secret menus for patrons using the correct code word. Larger retailers are immediately west of I-35, including Cabela’s, Walmart and Texas’s favorite grocery store, H-E-B. Further north, Southpark Meadows Shopping Center's over 100 stores sit at the edge of Austin’s city limits.
Downtown Buda offers amazing shops and restaurants with live music nearly every day.
Target at Southpark Meadows in Austin, Texas.
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Art festivals and holiday fairs paint the town Red, White and Buda
Buda has a burgeoning arts scene of its own. The Chambers Theatre contributes to the heritage of historic downtown Buda with its unusual octagonal shape that amplifies acoustics. 2020 marked the start of the Buda Arts Festival, a five-day event with live music, film screenings, art markets and painting competitions. Popular holiday events like Red, White and Buda attract dozens of families downtown on the Fourth of July. Budafest is the city's biggest annual event though. Occurring during the Christmas season, the festival's attractions include an art market, a fireworks show and a nighttime parade.
Fall Festival and Indian Springs is a popular family friendly event every October in Buda.
Buda Trail of Lights is one of the towns biggest events for the winter holidays.
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Career and college readiness programs at Hays Consolidated ISD
The Hays Consolidated Independent School District, rated B-plus by Niche, oversees over 23,000 students across 26 campuses. The district is also a major employer for Buda but is still outsized by Buda's workforce of healthcare workers for Capitol Medical Service and Ascension Medical Group. Boasting a 90% graduation rate, high schoolers are afforded career opportunities, college application and financial aid assistance throughout the district. The Austin Community College-Hays Campus is roughly 5 miles south on Interstate 35, offering continuing education, certification courses and a dual-enrollment program for area high schoolers.
Students in the Buda area can attend Moe & Gene Johnson High School.
Carpenter Hill Elementary is a highly rated public school in Buda, TX.
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Rising waters and declining crime rates
Onion Creek, one of the region's most flood-prone waterways, slices through downtown Buda, leaving flood zones in its wake. Most residential areas are unaffected, although some downtown spots have some risk of flash floods during Hill Country's famously heavy rainfalls. Wildfires are more of a concern, as Buda is within an ember zone, and areas with high vulnerability surround Buda. The region's hot, dry summers elevate the risk of wildfires, especially during droughts, which occur somewhat frequently.
FBI data shows Buda's violent crime rate is less than half the rates for both Texas and the U.S. and has been trending downward since August 2022. Property crime is a bit more common in Buda than violent crime, driven mostly by car break-ins and other petty larceny, even though property crime has also been trending downward since January 2022 and remains below state and national figures.
Buda City Hall and Library offers locals many serves and opportunities in town.
Hays County Fire Department showing off state of the art equipment to locals of Buda.
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Written By
Tom Jakob
Photography Contributed By
Austin Rowdy Winters
Video By
Sara Warthen
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Jonny Wells,
an experienced agent in this area.
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On average, homes in Buda, TX sell after 73 days on the market compared to the national average of 49 days. The median sale price for homes in Buda, TX over the last 12 months is $365,000, down 4% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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