Living in Lakeway, TX
Explore Things To Do, Cost of Living, Top Restaurants and More

Why You’ll Love Living in Lakeway, TX

Lake Travis on one side, the Texas Hill Country on the other. Lakeway has been doing resort living better than anyone since 1963.

Lakeway, Texas started as just a dream. In 1963, a group of investors purchased 880 acres on the south shore of Lake Travis and built something nobody else in Central Texas had tried: a master-planned resort community with golf courses, a marina, a private airstrip, and a tennis center carved into the limestone bluffs of the Hill Country. Six decades later, that dream has become a fully incorporated city of nearly 19,000 residents with four golf courses, 100 acres of parkland, a private airport still in operation and a quality of life that draws professionals, retirees and families who want something Austin simply cannot offer.

Moving to Lakeway, TX means lake access, Hill Country terrain, and one of the highest-rated school districts in Texas at your fingertips.

Lakeway operates on a different frequency than most Austin suburbs. With a homeownership rate of 86.3%, 74% of adults holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, a poverty rate of just 2.5% and an unemployment rate well below the national average, it’s a community that has been intentionally built around the surrounding landscape and intentionally maintained. The Rough Hollow Yacht Club and Marina and The Hills Country Club, with its vast sports complex, have each added their own layer to a city where recreational amenities are not an afterthought.

Top Reasons to Move to Lakeway, TX

• With Lake Travis access, four golf courses, a private airport and 500-plus acres of greenbelt, Lakeway delivers resort living as a permanent lifestyle.
• Lake Travis ISD is one of the top-rated school districts in Texas, with exemplary ratings across the board.
• A poverty rate of just 2.5% and a homeownership rate of 86.3% reflect one of the most economically stable communities in the Austin metro.
• Lakeway has its own city government, police department, parks system and city council.
• Lakeway is only twenty-five miles from downtown Austin, making for a manageable commute.

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Lakeway is located in Travis County on the south shore of Lake Travis, approximately 25 miles west of downtown Austin via Ranch Road 620 and Loop 360. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is about 35 minutes away.

Nearby Cities

• Austin, TX: 25 miles east, with major employment hubs across tech, healthcare and government.
• Bee Cave, TX: Immediately to the east, with the Hill Country Galleria and additional retail and dining.
• Marble Falls, TX: 35 miles west, a Hill Country destination with lake access and the Texas Wine Trail.

The long, hot Texas summer arrives in April and stays through October, with July and August temperatures in the high 90s. Lake Travis offers a natural escape from the heat that most Austin suburbs can only dream about. Winters are brief and mild with highs in the 60s and virtually no snow. Spring wildflower season in the surrounding Hill Country is among the most beautiful in Central Texas, and fall brings crisp golden weather that makes every trail and patio worth using.

The most common employment sectors in Lakeway are professional and scientific services, finance and insurance and healthcare. Ranch Road 620 and Loop 360 make it one of the more commuter-friendly suburbs in the metro, and Texas has no state income tax. While Lakeway’s cost of living is approximately 1.4 times the national average, top-tier schools, low crime and lake access make that premium feel well-earned.

Lakeway is served by Lake Travis Independent School District, consistently ranked among the top districts in Texas. Students typically attend Rough Hollow Elementary, Serene Hills Elementary, or Lake Travis Elementary, followed by Lake Travis Middle School and Lake Travis High School. The University of Texas at Austin is approximately 35 minutes east, and Austin Community College campuses are within easy reach.

Lakeway’s neighborhoods span a wide range of character, lifestyle and price point. Rough Hollow is Lakeway’s marquee master-planned community, built across 1,600-plus acres with direct Lake Travis access through a private Yacht Club and marina with over 290 boat slips, Canyon Grille waterfront dining, a lazy river, resort pools and a dedicated Rough Life Director who runs daily fitness and community programming.

The Hills of Lakeway is a gated community anchored by two Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed courses, a spa and clubhouse dining. Homes often feature golf-front and elevated view lots, commanding a higher price point. And for the real golf enthusiasts, Flintrock Falls is a gated golf community built around one of the Jack Nicklaus Signature 18-hole courses, known for dramatic waterfalls and limestone outcroppings.

Serene Hills is the best value in Lakeway, a newer community with a pool, hike and bike trails, and lower HOA fees. It’s consistently popular with young families who want the school district at a more accessible price point. Lakeway Highlands sits off Bee Creek Road with contemporary architecture, large windows, open floor plans, and Hill Country views designed specifically for the terrain.

Yaupon Creek is one of Lakeway’s most peaceful, wooded neighborhoods, built around the original Lakeway Country Club‘s golf course and featuring larger lots, mature trees and classic character.

Housing Profile and Market

The Lakeway housing market sits at the premium end of the Austin metro, with prices reflecting the community’s lake access, top-rated schools and resort-quality amenities. Entry points range from condos to custom lakefront estates, and homes tend to stay on market longer than in Austin proper, giving buyers more time to be deliberate.

Ascension Seton Express Care Westlake is approximately 15 miles east, with multiple local clinics serving day-to-day needs within the city. The full Austin healthcare network is accessible within 35 to 40 minutes for more specialized care.

The Rough Hollow Yacht Club gives residents paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing and boating on Lake Travis without leaving the neighborhood. The Lakeway Swim Center, offering pools, slides, a climbing wall, a skatepark and basketball/volleyball courts is open year-round. Texas Sailing at Lakeway Marina offers private sailing yacht charters on Lake Travis (don’t forget to check out Starnes Island, featured in the original Spy Kids film!) and the annual Witches Ride in October, a parade and carnival, is a beloved community tradition. For culture seekers, The Lakeway Arts District has been championing the city’s creative community for over a decade, with free events like the Big Band Bash, outdoor concerts, annual arts show and regular performances at the Lakeway Activity Center.

Arkansas Bend Park just north of the city offers swimming, hiking and kayak access, while Lakeway City Park provides lakefront green space and a boat ramp within city limits. The Hamilton Greenbelt trail system connects neighborhoods to Hill Country terrain, and the Canyonlands/Mt. Lakeway Trails offer more rugged exploration for those who like a challenge. With four golf courses inside or adjacent to the city, including two Jack Nicklaus Signature courses, Lakeway’s golf infrastructure is unmatched in the Austin metro.

Sundancer Grill at the Sail & Ski Yacht Club is the can’t-miss Lakeway dining experience, with lakeside dining, fresh seafood, Sunday brunch and Lake Travis views. Sixty Three Restaurant & Bar at the Lakeway Resort & Spa brings modern Texas cuisine and cocktails with lake views for more elevated occasions. Cafe Lago has been a community staple for nearly 30 years, serving organic coffee and breakfast every day. Voila: Vivel Crepes & Coffee brings French-inspired crepes and excellent coffee to Main Street, and Santa Catarina serves interior Mexican cooking with a loyal local following. The Grove Wine Bar & Kitchen rounds out the scene with an extensive wine list, bruschetta boards and pizza.

Lakeway is a city that had a vision and stuck to it. The private airport, still operational, is a symbol of what Lakeway was originally designed to be: a resort community for people who wanted more than a suburb. Younger families and remote workers have arrived alongside the retirees who built the community, and the result is a place with layers (original resort character, contemporary family suburb and outdoor recreation destination) all coexisting in 25 square miles of Hill Country terrain. Lakeway’s violent crime rate of 78.2 per 100,000 residents is among the lowest in the entire Austin metro.