On the south shores of Lake Travis, the independent city of Lakeway continues to be an esteemed resort-like destination for the Austin region long after the mid 1970s, when landowners first saw the potential for a tourism industry in the scenic waterfront hills. Before the creation of the Lakeway Resort & Spa, the city was a somewhat tumultuous tangle of homesteaders who laid unofficial, and in some cases overlapping claims to large swathes of mountain cedar, turning their scorched remains into charcoal. Before that, Lakeway was the home of Tonkawa and Comanche tribes, who also were known for their land disputes. Today's Lakeway is crucially different, even if the demanding landscape has stayed the same and some habits die hard. For some of Lakeway's 18,000 residents, the enduring history of awkward land use might mean having to find their own water source. Even with its quirks, Lakeway pulls in many buyers for its vacation lifestyle. But what keeps them staying year after year are the great schools and overall convenience.
Lakeway City homes include luxury estates and affordable condos.
Guests at Lakeway Resort in Lakeway City enjoy luxurious accommodations and amenities.
Lakeway City offers water sports with access to Lake Travis boat ramps.
Lakeway City marinas are perfect for boaters and water enthusiasts on Lake Travis.
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Academic distinctions for Lake Travis ISD and private schools
Lakeway is part of the Lake Travis Independent School District, a single high school district that serves roughly 11,400 students across seven elementary schools and three middle schools. Although outranked by the Eanes and Leander Independent School Districts, Lake Travis ISD earns a close third place in the Austin region, boasting an overall Niche score of A-minus and athletics that rank within the top 50 statewide. "I think what makes the draw to it, to be honest, is the part of town that it sits in," says Realtor Jeffrey Hendricks of Team Price Real Estate. "It's extremely high affluence. So that's why they continue to have a storied athletic program, as well as kind of the rating on the school too. You get folks that move here strictly because they want to go to that specific district." Still, some parents send their kids to prestigious private schools nearby, like the International School of Texas, a secular institution west of Bee Cave, or St. Stephen's Episcopal School, a religious institution in Westlake, both of which have A-plus Niche scores.
Lake Travis High School has a walk-up entrance and handicap access in Bee Cave, Austin TX.
Lake Travis Middle School is a public middle school located in Austin.
International School of Texas offers global education.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Westlake is affiliated with the Episcopal Church.
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Marinas, country clubs and public parks along Lake Travis
Segmenting the neighborhoods of Lakeway are miles of greenbelt trails, linear parks and golf courses like the Hills Country Club, signaling the outdoorsy preferences of this active community. Boating is without a doubt the preeminent pastime on Lake Travis, leading those without a private boathouse on their property to rent a slip at one of the many marinas in Lakeway. "The lake is popular, but really you have to own a boat," says Realtor Lauren Clark of Magnolia Realty. "There are boat sharing services where you can rent a jet ski or something. But unless you know somebody with a boat, then really you're just ending up at one of the public parks to go swimming, and it's okay. They're not like a huge destination, in my opinion. But if you have a boat, or access to a boat, it's very fun." The Lakeway Parks and Recreation Department oversees 13 facilities within the city, all of which are open to the public. The crown jewel of them all is Lakeway City Park. The wide variety of amenities offered there include a butterfly garden, a dog park, numerous sports courts and beaches for swimming. Lakeway City Park also has several public boat ramps, offering a way to put in non-motorized craft like kayaks, canoes and fishing rowboats. The Lakeway Activity Center is also an important fixture, but more for indoor programming and other social events than outdoor activities.
Bee Cave green spaces offer peace and quiet.
Lakeway City Park features a butterfly garden, dog park, and sports courts.
The Hills Country Club in Lakeway City offers golf and social activities.
Navigate the pristine waters of Lake Travis in Lakeway, as you embark on a boating adventure.
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Shopping and playing in the Oaks at Lakeway
With its cutesy coffee shop and boutiques for violin repair, embroidery and other locally-owned services, the Lakeway Village Square has arguably stayed the most unique shopping experience in the city since it opened in 1995. But with no grocery stores, it takes a back seat to the city's largest and busiest shopping center, the Oaks at Lakeway. Home to several supermarkets, big box stores and chain restaurants, the 175,000 sq. foot shopping mall more or less serves as the heart of commercial activity in Lakeway. It's also the city's primary magnet for indoor activities, with a range of activities including laser tag, bowling, live theater and library visits.
Bowling alleys in Lakeway City provide classic fun for all ages.
Explore Maria & Kyndal's Boutique, where fashion meets a personalized shopping experience.
Shopping centers in Lakeway City offer a mix of boutiques and popular stores.
Lakeway City has several supermarkets offering fresh groceries and daily essentials.
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Municipal Utility Districts, rentals and other housing quirks
Less than a quarter of residents rent their homes in Lakeway, with the vast majority of housing options being suburban single-family homes ranging in size from modest to massive. Options remain wide for single-family homes, with smaller established homes from the 20th century offset by luxurious estates accessible by airplane in neighborhoods like the Lakeway Airpark. Seeking to maintain the landscape's natural splendor, most homes are built to accent their wild surroundings, including subtle elements, like stacked stone exteriors on unassuming ranchers. But some homes, especially the many expansive estates in Lakeway, flash comprehensive design motifs like Prairie- or Mediterranean-style architecture. A crucial deciding factor is also location, as not all of the neighborhoods in Lakeway are within the city's Municipal Utility District, meaning they must source their own utilities like water. The median price of a single-family home in Lakeway is around $825,000, but plenty of expansive estates and even some modest suburban homes sell for well over $1 million. Land parcels can also sell for well over $1 million, but most buyers end up paying between $350,000 and $825,000 per acre. Condos and townhouses tend to offer a lower-cost option, with a median price around $430,000. Seeking to grow the supply of affordable housing in Lakeway, recent capital investment around the Oaks at Lakeway shopping center includes a swathe of new units in apartment communities like Tuscan Village and The Oaks. Moreover, the Square at Lohman's is a planned 350,000 sq. foot mixed-use commercial space that is being constructed next door, expected to create 350 housing units in addition to shopping and recreational facilities.
Lakeway City’s housing blends natural beauty with modern amenities.
Homes in Lakeway City often feature stunning views of the Hill Country.
Lakeway City boasts several exclusive gated subdivisions for luxury living.
Lakeway City homes include luxury estates and affordable condos.
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Tennis leagues and Rotary Clubs
Although Lakeway is more on the slow side compared to the toe-tapping metropolitan hub that is Austin, there is still lots to do. Many city residents maintain a membership at the private athletic clubs around Lakeway, such as the Hills Country Club, with each offering their own social events, like cocktail mixers, and group recreation activities like league tennis. There's also numerous civic clubs and organizations to join, like the Lakeway Lions Club, the Lake Travis Rotary Club, the Greater Lakeway Residents Association, the Lakeway Garden Club or the Lakeway Photography Club. The city government organizes a number of holiday events, including an annual 4th of July Parade and a Trail of Lights during the Christmas season. The Lakeway Activity Center also has free events all throughout the year, including a Big Band Bash on the second Wednesday of every month.
Greenbelt trails and Hills Country Club’s tennis courts define Lakeway City’s lifestyle.
Lakeway City hosts events like the 4th of July Parade and Trail of Lights.
Dive into luxury at the pool of Lakeway Resort & Spa, a haven of relaxation.
Social events at Hills Country Club in Lakeway include cocktail mixers and more.
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Car-dependent commutes across the region
Along with the rest of Lake Travis, Lakeway is a car-dependent city. Lacking any public transit whatsoever, Lakeway's average household has two cars, and its commuters spend an average of 27 minutes driving to work, according to Census data. Ranch Road 620 is the primary connecter for Lakeway, offering a way to reach cities north of Austin, like Cedar Park, or south of Austin, like Bee Cave. Commuting isn't much of a consideration for all buyers, but the effects of that can be two-fold. "Most of the people that live out here are either stay at home moms, they're in the tech industry and they're really not commuting, or they work at a big tech company, like Tesla," says Realtor Desiree Rogacki of Coldwell Banker. "So, we don't have a lot of people that we need to work the restaurants and work the drive thru's and things like that." There are several major employers in Lakeway that keep workers local, however. The city's three largest employers are Lake Travis ISD, the Lakeway Resort & Spa, and the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, respectively.
A rugged landscape with low crime
Any corner of Texas Hill Country can be a demanding environment, considering it's chock full of flood control measures and news reports of coyote sightings, even in suburban Lakeway. In a region where summer temperatures can reach as high as 110-degrees Fahrenheit, Hill Country's arid climate is prone to long dry spells, and the water level on Lake Travis fluctuates around this. This means everyday life on Lake Travis is drastically determined by water and a person's access to it, both for residents within the Lakeway Municipal Utility District, which gets its drinking water from Lake Travis, and those outside of LMUD jurisdiction, where homes rely on well water. Sometimes, Lake Travis' water level can reach so low that public boat ramps are shut down to deter boaters. Droughts also heighten the risk of wildfires, which Lakeway is already at risk of, as most of the city is in an ember zone and higher-risk areas are less than a mile west. Because of Hill Country's dry atmosphere, droughts are often followed by torrential downpours as moist air from the Gulf of Mexico drifts in and collides with local weather patterns. Together, droughts and rainstorms create a significant risk of flash flooding along the shores of Lake Travis and its tributary creeks, as well as a risk of mudslides all throughout Lakeway.
But there are benefits to offset the demanding environment, with Lakeway's low crime rate being particularly noteworthy. Compared to the rest of Texas, residents of Lakeway are far less likely to become the victim of a crime. FBI data from December 2022 shows violent crime in Lakeway to be on a downward trend since mid-2018. The city's average of 30.74 violent crimes per 100,000 residents is below that of Texas, which sees 123.61 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Property crime rates in Lakeway are slightly higher, with an average of 92.22 property crimes per 100,000 residents, still well below the state average of 189.08 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
Written By
Tom Jakob
Photography Contributed By
Saeid Zare
Video By
Scott Wiggins
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
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GreatSchools:
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