Is Lakeway the New Westlake?

Fifteen years ago, Lakeway felt pretty rural. It was a pretty sleepy city west of Austin on Lake Travis with not much in and around it. Back then, Westlake was Westlake – excellent schools, Barton Creek Square Mall, expensive homes and t was pretty much the western side of the Austin area with not much beyond it. Oh, one more thing, the Westlake High School football team was an absolute powerhouse.

There were only one elementary and one middle school in the area. The bridge below Mansfield Dam 620 didn’t exist. Dairy Queen was the place to take the kids to hang out. Driving Bee Cave Rd. into town was only slow when you were stuck behind someone in a pick-up driving 45 – there weren’t many stop lights.

Then the changes started. Austins population started to grow west. More shops and restaurants showed opened in and around Lakeway. More homes were built. Bee Cave, Lakeways close neighboring city to the south started growing with the development of the communities of Lake Pointe and the Uplands. Lakeway Elementary was built. More communities like Arbolago, Costa Bella and Flintrock Falls showed up.

Then three years ago, things really started to change. Bee Cave got a Home Depot, Target and Chili’s. About a dozen new banks opened in Lakeway on 620. The Preserve at Lakeway developed, adding even more new homes. Bee Cave added the Hill Country Galleria Mall and the Shops at the Galleria. Now the new Lakeway Regional Medical Center is under construction.

All the while, the Lake Travis ISD added schools and expanded the high school. The district that had just one elementary, one middle and one high school back in 1993. Today there are five elementary schools, two middle schools and the ever-expanding high school is 4A. The schools are also amazing academically and excel in other areas as well.

So now look at Lakeway and the areas around it – excellent schools, the Hill Country Galleria Mall, expensive homes and it is pretty much the western side of the Austin area with not much beyond it. Oh, one more thing, the Lake Travis High School football team is an absolute powerhouse, winning state the last two seasons.