Redwood’s deep roots in San Marcos
Redwood is the rural side of San Marcos. When Texas State University opened in the early 1900s, this countryside community was around 4,000 acres of farmland south of the Hays County seat. After the San Marcos Air Force Base was established on the east side in the 1940s, more students and servicemembers looked to Redwood as a slower-paced, quieter alternative to busy city life next to a university and airfield. “It’s all one-acre-type properties,” says John Henk, a San Marcos native and real estate agent with Century 21 Randall Morris & Associates. “The people who currently live in Redwood have been there for years.” With both older and newer houses, local schools and an easy drive to big city amenities, Redwood is a small town with much to offer in Central Texas.
Traditional and contemporary homes, and new builds in Cottonwood Creek
New residents will find older properties and new builds next to green pastures and ranches in Redwood. Manufactured homes around 2,000 square feet with composition roofs and up to half-acre lots are well-shaded by trees and cost $100,000 to $250,000. Traditional brick homes with decks, porches and two-car garages are just as common, ranging from $250,000 to $350,000. New homes currently under construction in the Cottonwood Creek development have granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Contemporary and A-frame homes are most expensive between $350,000 and $550,000, some of which have as much as 10-acre lots.
New facilities and upgrades to San Marcos schools
Redwood is zoned for the San Marcos Consolidated School District, which earns a C-plus on Niche. Most students go to Bowie Elementary, except for a few north of Farm To Market Road 1978, who go to Dezavala Elementary instead. Both schools earn C ratings on Niche. Goodnight Middle School is getting a new black box theater and band hall in fall 2025 and received a C-minus. San Marcos High School earns a B-minus and is building a new 21,000-square-foot natatorium that will be finished by fall 2026. Texas State University offers over 200 degree programs and earns a B-plus.
San Marcos Transit and an interstate between Austin and San Antonio
Texas State Highway 123 runs directly along Redwood’s west side and provides an easy 6-mile drive north to San Marcos. The San Marcos Transit also has a route on Redwood Road that runs from the Guadalupe Meat Market to the San Marcos Station, and an additional route provides transportation to the 24-hour CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital roughly 4 miles north. Interstate 35 is a major highway that runs around 80 miles between the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and the San Antonio International Airport. “It’s not that far from the coast,” Henk says. “In a couple of hours, you can be in Port Aransas, and in an hour and a half, you can be on the River Walk in San Antonio.”
A furniture store, saloon and meat market
There’s very little retail presence in Redwood, which is why more people drive to San Marcos for more shopping, dining and entertainment options. “There was a cotton gin and a little country store,” Henk says. “Now there’s a church, a little old volunteer fire department and a Valero down the road.” The San Marcos Outlet Furniture store relocated from Interstate 35 to Redwood in 2024 and has a wide variety of classic and modern furniture along with household appliances. The Guadalupe Meat Market has a grocery store, taqueria and bakery, and locals like dancing and playing billiards at the Full Moon Saloon Bar & Grill.
Swimming, horseback riding and canoeing by the San Marcos River
Residents have a few recreational options within Redwood. Food drives, dance classes and soccer games take place at the Centro Esperanza Community Center, while the 37-acre Kenneth M. Copeland Memorial Park has a playground, walking loop and basketball court. K9 Water World has two shallow pools where pet owners can teach their dogs how to paddle and swim. There’s plenty of horseback riding between Victory Stables, Soar and the Hidden Willow Equestrian Center, and locals like to go swimming, tubing and canoeing around 5 miles east in the San Marcos River.
