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LAKE TRAVIS REAL ESTATE
Known for its tranquil waters, rugged hillsides, and stunning sunsets, communities surrounding Lake Travis real estate offer you some of the most beautiful scenery in Texas.
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Complete the form to get connected with a Lake Travis real estate expert: Lake Travis Community Guide Lake Travis Overview Beautiful Lake Travis draws crowds of people to Central Texas. Lake Travis is not only popular for the obvious reasons, but it provides a lifestyle that many have grown to love and desire. Lake Travis is part of the Colorado River and is the most popular lake of the six Highland Lakes in the Texas Hill Country. Lake Travis is relatively young, having formed in 1942 with the completion of Mansfield Dam, whose purpose is to serve as a regulator of floodwaters. Lake Travis snakes for 65 miles and is as deep as 190 feet in some places making it the largest storage capacity of the six Highland Lakes. Lake Travis is not a constant level lake therefore the lake level can vary dramatically depending on the amount of rainfall upstream. Therefore Lake Travis is monitored by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). When Lake Travis reaches above 681 feet above sea level, LCRA opens the floodgates of Mansfield Dam releasing water downstream into Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake). Homes located in the flood zone of Lake Travis are subject to flood conditions. Conversely when Lake Travis suffers a drought, certain areas where homes were considered waterfront, like coves and other low water areas, the water is recedes significantly. When shopping for waterfront property on Lake Travis it’s important to know which areas of the lake are most affected by the water fluctuations. It’s important to keep that in mind when determining if you’d like to manage a boat dock in your back yard or use a marina. Lake Travis Communities and Schools Lake Travis is not only known by its body of water but for its schools and communities. South Shore of Lake Travis Bee Cave Bee Cave is a small town to the west of Austin off HWY 71. Per the 2000 census, the population of Bee Cave was 656 people, 207 households and 172 families. If you’ve visited the Bee Cave area since 2000 you can see that population has greatly increased. The median income per household for Bee Cave was $120,871 and the median income for a family was $130,028. The per capita income for Bee Cave was $45,405. Bee Cave is the home to the new Hill Country Galleria. The Hill Country Galleria covers 152 acres of the hill country landscape on HWY 71 from the corner of 2244 to RR 620. The Galleria is also the home of the Bee Cave City Hall, among other residences and shops. Bee Cave is also where you will find the newly desired, upscale private community of Spanish Oaks. Spanish Oaks is surrounded by 15,000 acres of nature preserve and surrounding the beautiful Barton Creek. In Spanish Oaks, there are 477 properties with estate size homesites ranging in size from ½ acre to four acres. The sizes of homes within Spanish Oaks are anywhere from 2,000 sq. feet to 6,300 sq. feet. A custom home in Spanish Oaks starts at $1.5 million. Spanish Oaks Golf Club has memberships available by invitation only. This 18 hole golf course was designed by Bobby Weed and was recognized by Golf Digest in 2004 as America’s Best New Course. Other communities in Bee Cave include The Homestead, and portions of The Uplands and Lake Pointe. Lakeway Lakeway is a quaint community offering golf, water activities, great schools and a laid back way of life. The town of Lakeway began with the construction of the Lakeway Inn and 48 room hotel in 1962. Per the 2000 census the population of Lakeway was 8,002, 3,124 households and 2,496 families. The median income per household in Lakeway was $86,862 with a median income per family of $94,266. The per capita income was $45,765, Briarcliff Briarcliff is a village about 20 miles outside of Austin located off Farm Road 2322, also known as Pace Bend Road. It was developed as a resort area in the 1960’s with summer homes, country clubs and water sports as the main attractions. Per the 2000 census, Briarcliff had 895 people, 369 households and 260 families calling it home. The median income for a household in Briarcliff was $76,453 and median income for a family was $82,507. The per capita income was $32,650. Briarcliff today is still a small town. It’s popular for the Briarcliff Marina, private golf course and the Lakehouse Café. Briarcliff is also home to the legendary Willy Nelson. Spicewood Spicewood is located about 22 miles northwest of Austin. Spicewood lies in three different counties, Blanco, Burnet and Travis and is serviced by four different school districts, Lake Travis ISD, Marble Falls ISD, Johnson City ISD and Dripping Springs ISD. Spicewood is bordered by Cypress Creek, Colorado River, Fall Creek, Lake Travis and the Pedernales River. Per the census of 2000, Spicewood had a population of 5,527. The per capita income for Spicewood was $33,785. Spicewood has 3 well known country clubs: Austin Golf Club, Barton Creek Lakeside and Lakecliff on Lake Travis Lake Travis Independent School District Bee Cave, Lakeway, Briarcliff and parts of Spicewood are serviced by Lake Travis Independent School District. Lake Travis ISD was rated acceptable for 2007. The socio-economic level is upper middle-class with most parents in professional positions. Lake Travis ISD has a total of 7 schools in its district. They have 4 elementary schools, two of which are rated as exemplary, one recognized and one acceptable. There are two middle schools, one exemplary and the other recognized. The high school is rated recognized. Lake Travis ISD has a .3% drop out rate. The average SAT score for Lake Travis for 2006-2007 is 1109. Lake Travis High School has 73% of their students who attend a 4 year school and 17% attend a 2 year school after graduation. Lake Travis High School offers over 190 courses and more than 50 student clubs and organizations. Lake Travis HS offers 16 Pre-AP/Honors and 22 Advanced Placement courses in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Computer Science, Other Language and Art. Career and technical courses are also available on campus. They have a strong athletic program that offers 17 competitive sports. Students can also participate in band, drill team, color guard, cheerleading, choir, orchestra, theatre and UIL academic activities. North Shore of Lake Travis The North Shore contains Lago Vista, Jonestown, Pointe Venture and Volente. Lago Vista and Point Venture are supported by Lago Vista Independent School District while Jonestown and Volente are supported by Leander ISD. Lago Vista Lago Vista is located about 20 miles to the Northwest of Austin on the North Shore of Lake Travis and FM 1431. Lago Vista was developed in the 1960’s much like Briarcliff, as a lake resort, summer homes, camping facilities and water sports as the main attractions. As of the 2000 census, Lago Vista had a population of 4,507 people. The median income per household was $57,527 while the per capita income for Lago Vista was $28,438. Today Lago Vista remains relatively small and is popular among families who desire a small town feel and those wanting the prefect vacation spot. Lago Vista is home to two golf courses, Lago Vista Country Club and Bar K Golf Club. Pointe Venture Pointe Venture is a village located on the north bank of Lake Travis. Pointe Venture, with a population of roughly 500 is located across Lake Travis from Lakeway. Pointe Venture has a 9-hole golf course that is a public course. In addition to golf, Pointe Venture has a fifty-acre waterfront park, tennis, marina, swimming pool, exercise room and a floating restaurant, The Pier on Lake Travis, which was formerly known as Shades. Pointe Venture is serviced by Lago Vista ISD. Jonestown Jonestown is located on FM 1431 roughly 20 miles northwest of Austin. It’s about nine miles west from the intersection of 183 and 1431. Jonestown is often referred to as the “Gateway to the Hill Country.” The city of Jonestown began as a weekend fishing town and a place for boaters, but it now offers estate sized homes in gated communities with waterfront or water view homesites. Per the 2000 Census, Jonestown had a population of 1681, with 699 households, and 434 families in the city. The median income for a household in Jonestown was $43,167 and the median income per family was $47,708. The per capita income for the city was $21,256. Jonestown is serviced by both Leander and Lago Vista Independent School Districts. Volente Volente is a village located on Lake Travis and Farm Road 2769 eighteen miles to the Northwest of the Austin area. Volente has more than 600 families who call it home. Lago Vista Independent School District Lago Vista, Pointe Venture and Jonestown Hills are all serviced by Lago Vista Independent School District. Lago Vista ISD has three schools in its district, elementary, middle and high school with both the elementary and high school rated as acceptable for 2007 and the middle school rated as recognized. Lago Vista ISD has a 0.0% dropout rate for 2007 and an average SAT score of 1097. Leander Independent School District Within the North Shore Lake Travis communities, Volente and Jonestown are serviced by Leander Independent School District. Leander ISD has a total of 28 schools in its district and was rated as acceptable for 2007. There is one elementary, one middle school and four high schools that are available to residents of the Jonestown area. The elementary school is Whitestone and was rated as acceptable for 2007. The middle school, Cedar Park holds the recognized rating for 2007. New Hope, Vista Ridge, Cedar Park and Leander High School were all rated as acceptable. Volente is serviced by Grandview Hills Elementary which is new to the area. The LISD voted to apply to make the campus an International Baccalaureate Charter School. There are only 14 elementary level IB schools in the entire state of Texas. Steiner Ranch and Laura Welch Bush are the two other elementary schools with Bush rated as exemplary and Steiner Ranch rated as recognized. The two middle schools in the Volente area are Canyon Ridge and Cedar Park. Canyon Ridge was rated exemplary and Cedar Park recognized for 2007. Lake Travis Parks, and Marinas and Restaurants Lake Travis Parks Lake Travis is a nature lover’s dream. Lake Travis offers some of the most sought after locations for outdoor recreation which includes boating, swimming, scuba diving, camping, picnicking and fishing. Considered one of the clearest lakes in Texas, Lake Travis has 18 public parks to enjoy. Most of but not all of the parks offer lake access and a boat ramp. Few parks have RV sites. The public parks of Lake Travis are: Arkansas Pass, Bob Wentz at Windy Point, Camp Creek Recreation Center, Cypress Creek Park, Dink Pearson Park, Grelle Recreation Area, Gloster Bend Recreation Area, Hamilton Pool Preserve, Hippie Hollow (McGregor Park), Mansfield Dam Park, Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area, Narrows Recreation Area, Pace Bend Park, Sandy Creek Park, Shaffer Bend Recreation Area, Tom Hughes Park, Turkey Bend Recreation Area and Westcave Preserve (reservation only). Lake Travis Marinas Lake Travis is a water lover’s paradise! Many water sports are enjoyed in the beautiful warm waters of Lake Travis. The lake supports all types of boating activities such as wake boarding, wake surfing, skiing, barefoot skiing, and tubing. Many people enjoy other watercrafts such as wave runners and jet skis. If you prefer sailing, Lake Travis is perfect for that too. You can either launch your boat from one of the public parks or take advantage of one of the many marinas. Both the private and public marinas on Lake Travis are: Anderson Mill & Cypress Creek Marina, Bergstrom AFB Marina, Briarcliff Marina, Commander’s Point Yacht Basin, Dutchman’s Landing Marina, Emerald Point Marina, Eagle Ridge Marina, Highland Lakes Marina, Hurst Harbor Marina, The Island of Lake Travis Marina, Keller Marina, Lago Vista Marina, Lakeway Marina, Marshall Ford Marina, Paradise Cove Marina, Point Venture Marina, Resort Ranch of Lake Travis Marina, Riviera Marina, Rock Marina, Siesta Shores Marina, Travis Shores Marina, Venture Yacht & Country Club, VIP Marina, and Yacht Harbor Marina. Lake Travis Restaurants While out on the water you can stop by several restaurants to fuel up and grab a bite to eat. Carlos ‘n’ Charlies has a full bar, boat dock, sand valley ball and live music. Johnny Fin’s is another popular lakeside venue with its huge floating deck for drinks, dining and dancing and to live music. Another popular spot known laid back atmosphere and great scenery is the Lakehouse Café. It too has a full bar and live music, and if you’re lucky, you might meet Willie Nelson. Most famous of all Lake Travis restaurants is the Oasis which stakes claim to the title, “Sunset Capital of Texas.” The Oasis offers some of the most amazing views of Lake Travis and the Hill Country and is consistently named one of the “Top 10 Austin Area Attractions” by the Austin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
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