Highway convenience meets peaceful living in Paige’s rural setting
Paige is a small community in Central Texas. It’s located in northeastern Bastrop County and sits along U.S. Highway 290, a busy route that traces the path of the former Houston and Texas Central Railway. Once a stop for train passengers traveling between Austin and Houston, Paige now offers a quiet retreat for those seeking rural living and highway connections. “You can get 10-acre tracts, which, if you’re involved in some kind of agricultural endeavor, you can get tax exemptions for, so it’s just the best of small-town, rural Texas living,” says Karen Derr, a native Texan and Realtor with the Karen Derr Group at Compass RE Texas. Residents live near the Lost Pines region, the westernmost cluster of loblolly pines in the country, and enjoy access to a handful of small-town businesses. “It just has a lot of those little things that people like to move out to rural areas for,” Derr says. The community's CAP Index Crime Score is 1 out of 10, well below the national average of 4.
Housing options include private ranch properties with acres of land
Country retreats, rustic cottages and ranch-style homes are common throughout Paige. While a few more densely populated streets sit near the highway, most properties are spread across working ranches and open land. “Most of the houses available are on at least one or two acres, some of them more,” Derr says. With so much open space, newer construction is starting to appear, and it’s increasingly common to find lots for sale. “There might be one or two new home developments, but high-density developments really aren't coming to Paige,” Derr adds. The median sale price for single-family homes is just under $440,000, although larger retreats can sell for upwards of $700,000. Lots sell for anywhere from $10,000 to $1.2 million, depending on their acreage. Residents living near the train tracks may occasionally hear freight trains passing through Paige.
Bastrop ISD includes the top-rated Colorado River Collegiate Academy
Most residents live in the Bastrop Independent School District, which earns an overall grade of C-plus from Niche. The district has nine elementary schools, four middle schools and two comprehensive high schools. This includes two former intermediate schools that will be converted into full middle schools by the 2026-27 school year. While construction continues in 2025-26, middle school students will attend different schools for sixth through eighth grade before moving to their assigned school for all three grades in 2026-27. The Bastrop ISD also has an early college high school, Colorado River Collegiate Academy, which receives an A rating from Niche and admits students through a competitive application process.
Small-town recreation near Bastrop State Park and the Colorado River
The Paige Community Center is a rentable space that hosts organizations such as Narrow Path Christian Ministries. Behind the community center is a picnic pavilion, playground and historic train depot that’s now home to the Paige Historical Museum. Nearby Bastrop offers more opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hiking at Bastrop State Park, paddling at Lake Bastrop North Shore Park and fishing in the Colorado River. “The Colorado River runs straight through Bastrop County, so when you’re in Paige, you’re never more than about 10 minutes from hiking and fishing,” Derr says.
Roadhouse Paige offers a local hangout near Bastrop and Giddings
Just off the highway are spots like Broadway Paul’s Antiques & Salvage and Whataburger. A bit farther from the road, Omi’s Blackberry Farm opens seasonally for pick-your-own berries. Roadhouse Paige offers a true small-town hangout with award-winning burgers and live music. The highway also leads east to Cotton Bowl Speedway, a dirt racing course, and west to the grounds of the Sherwood Forest Faire, a medieval-themed event held each spring.
Most shopping and dining take place outside of Paige. Residents are within 15 miles of Bastrop and Giddings, which offer larger stores, supermarkets and restaurants. "That's the nice thing about Paige. It’s 15 minutes from a big H-E-B and a cute downtown area in Bastrop, yet Paige itself is pretty insulated against any kind of development,” Derr says.
U.S. 290 leads to Austin, and Bastrop County growth brings local jobs
This is a car-dependent area with few sidewalks and no public transportation. U.S. Highway 290 connects to Austin, about a 50-mile drive away, and Houston, roughly a 120-mile drive away. “Going out to major cultural centers and dining is still not that far, if that’s what you want to do,” Derr says. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is about 40 miles from Paige, and major Austin employers like Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas are also within reach.
Bastrop County itself is booming, with Elon Musk’s Starlink and The Boring Company, a $440 million data center slated for completion in 2026 and two film production studios set to open within the next few years. “Most of that is on the other side of the county from Paige, so you’ll have access to those jobs, but not have to give up the more rural life,” Derr says. For health care, Ascension Seton Bastrop Hospital and Ascension Seton Smithville Hospital are within a 20-mile radius.
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Written By
Sally Stimpson
