About 18 miles north of Austin, the suburban city of Pflugerville owes its unusual name to its rich German heritage. The fast-growing city embraces its identity and its name, which lends itself to a number of pfun puns throughout the prideful city. What started as a farming town is now perhaps best known as the stand-in for Dillon, Texas, the fictional football town at the heart of the hit TV series "Friday Night Lights," which filmed all five seasons in Pflugerville. But as time goes by, and as Austinites head northward into developing suburbs, Pflugerville now looks quite a bit different than it did on TV. In the mid-1990s, the city population was just over 5,000; by 2022, it was 65,000, a boom made possible by a windfall of residential development and economic growth, paired with a robust park system and high-quality schools. "In 2017, we were ranked the fastest growing city in the nation, and we were named one of the most livable small cities by Smart Asset in 2023," says Terri Toledo, interim director for the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation. "There's certainly a reason we keep getting these accolades — and it's from a concerted effort to keep up with the growth taking place in Pflugerville."
Pflugerville is a prideful city that has rich German heritage, tech employers and a family feel.
Clean beaches at Lake Pflugerville Park offer convenient swimming access for everyone to enjoy.
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Established neighborhoods and newer subdivisions
Aside from some of the first neighborhoods of ranchers, Pflugerville primarily consists of newer suburban neighborhoods sprawling out from the Central District. Streets tend to be lined with sidewalks and pecan trees, with long greenway trails hidden behind tightly packed snout houses and modern traditional farmhouses. The median price of a home in Pflugerville is $415,000, barely below the national median of $422,000. Within Texas, Pflugerville is still less expensive than Austin, which has a median single-family home price of $604,000.
Pflugerville consists of newer suburban neighborhoods sprawling out from the Central District.
Single-family houses in Central District provide space and privacy.
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The trail capital of Texas
Across the 33 parks in the city, residents have access to a variety of spaces that allow for walking, skateboarding and fishing. Lake Pflugerville is one of the most popular in the city, thanks to its 3-mile jogging trail and lake. It’s open for boating, and residents can use the self-proclaimed pfishing piers to cast a line. Pflugerville Park is a popular spot for lounging under trees, playing basketball or just taking a walk. According to Toledo, Pflugerville is also the "trail capital of Texas," because of its miles of hike and bike trails that connect residential parts of town with parks and commercial areas. "We have over 56 miles of trails, and we have worked on their connectivity, creating this intertwined trail system," Toledo says. "You can actually go all the way from SH-130, cross town through the Gilleland Creek Park all the way over to Heatherwilde Boulevard. You can go almost 18 miles on one long green belt trail."
A sand volleyball court is available for use here at Rinderknecht Park.
Heritage Loop Trail provides East Pecan residents with an accessible, nature-filled route.
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High-ranking schools known for football
Pflugerville Independent School District serves 25,000 students across 33 schools. The district receives an A-minus rating from Niche, and Pflugerville High School in particular is the No. 3 high school in the Austin area. The Pflugerville Panthers draw big crowds on game night at The Pfield, and being a Pflugerville Panther is a point of pride in the city, especially during football season.
East Pflugerville residents are served by the top-rated Weiss High School
Pflugerville Middle School offers excellent education for Upper Westside families.
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Celebrating German ancestry at Pfestivals galore
The city of Pflugerville has a robust events schedule, along with a healthy appreciation for puns. Deutschen Pfest is easily the crown jewel of the city's events, occurring every year in Pfluger Park during the Oktoberfest season and celebrating the city's German ancestry with beer gardens, food trucks, pretzels, brats, and all other seasonal trappings. The weekly Pfarmers Market in Heritage Park occurs every Tuesday, offering a place for food trucks, farm stands and family friendly activities.
Visit the Pflugerville Farmer's Market on Tuesdays from 3-7pm during the months of May-October.
Dazzle Coffee & Smoothies - East Pecan's beloved coffee and smoothie spot.
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Shorter commutes to airports, Amazon and other employers
Pflugerville has easy access to surrounding areas via major roadways like TX-130, a toll road, SH-45 and Interstate 35. The city is about 18 miles away from downtown Austin. The nearest airport is the Austin Executive Airport, a major attraction for the many large employers that have moved into Pflugerville in recent years. Not to mention the city's considerably lower income taxes than those in Austin. Indeed, the city's economics are on an upward trend as residents no longer have to commute as far to reach offices for major shipping logistics companies like Amazon and FedEx. Not to mention the burgeoning employment hub of Tech Ridge is less than 5 miles south, offering an easier commute to major tech companies like Qualcomm and Apple. The Samsung Semiconductor Facility is roughly 6 miles south, and Dell's headquarters in Round Rock is roughly 8 miles northwest of Pflugerville. "That's why people were living there, especially corporations," says Realtor LJ Sternberg of LJ Residential LLC. "At the end of the day, it was cheap to be in this area, but now it's getting more and more expensive." For those who don't drive, the city offers the "Pfetch a Ride" reduced rate rideshare program for trips within city limits.
Austin Executive Airport is a public-use airport 14 miles northeast of Austin near Pflugerville.
Amazon is one of the many companies that have made Pflugerville home.
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Downtown development is expanding in scope and offerings
Historic downtown Pflugerville has a handful of local restaurants in a walkable area. Pretty soon, downtown will be even larger: An incoming development project known as Downtown East will expand commercial offerings in a widened mixed-use space that will also include a new recreation center and city hall. "We're actually going to be expanding our Main Street and connecting it all the way over to TX-685," Toledo says. "The H-E-B on TX-685, that'd be across the street. We've purchased 32 acres, and that's where they're going to put the new city hall." To run errands, most residents head north of downtown to the Stone Hill Town Center, which includes a litany of big-box retailers, plus entertainment options like movie theaters and a waterpark.
Central District's HEB offers a fresh food heaven.
Typhoon Texas Waterpark is fun for the whole family.
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Things to consider
Residents sometimes contend with seasonal droughts, as the city issues drought warnings that restrict the use of water in certain areas. Gilleland Creek also forms a flood zone that runs through most of town, prompting some homeowners to purchase flood insurance as a precaution against flash floods. Pflugerville also has a heightened wildfire vulnerability, as most of the city is in an ember zone, and some further-out neighborhoods have the highest possible vulnerability, according to the Austin Fire Department's Wildfire Division. Crime rates in Pflugerville are below the national average, and crime has fallen since 2018, according to FBI statistics.
Residents contend with seasonal droughts in Plfugerville.
Pflugerville has a heightened wildfire vulnerability, as most of the city is in an ember zone.
On average, homes in Pflugerville, TX sell after 64 days on the market compared to the national average of 49 days. The median sale price for homes in Pflugerville, TX over the last 12 months is $400,000, down 5% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
