Lago Vista, Texas

Last updated

Lago Vista, Texas
City
City Hall Lago Vista Texas 2022.jpg
City hall
Lago Vista City Flag.png
Motto: 
Live Like You're on Vacation
Travis County LagoVista.svg
Location within Travis County in Texas
Relief map of Texas.png
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Lago Vista, Texas
Location within Texas
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Red pog.svg
Lago Vista, Texas
Location within the United States
North America laea relief location map with borders.jpg
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Lago Vista, Texas
Location within North America
Coordinates: 30°28′00″N98°00′00″W / 30.46667°N 98.00000°W / 30.46667; -98.00000
Country Flag of the United States.svg United States
State Flag of Texas.svg Texas
County Travis
Incorporated 1984
Government
  Type Council–manager
   Mayor Kevin Sullivan[ citation needed ]
   City Council Shane R. Saum[ citation needed ]

Norma Owen[ citation needed ] Paul Roberts[ citation needed ] Rob Durbin[ citation needed ]

Paul Prince

Contents

[ citation needed ]
Area
[1]
  Total
15.52 sq mi (40.19 km2)
  Land14.33 sq mi (37.11 km2)
  Water1.19 sq mi (3.07 km2)  3.95%
Elevation
[2]
883 ft (269 m)
Population
  Estimate 
8,896 Increase2.svg
  Density527.29/sq mi (203.59/km2)
Demonym Lago Vistan
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
78645
Area codes 512 & 737
FIPS code 48-40264 [3]
GNIS feature ID2411594 [2]
Airports Rusty Allen Airport (RYW), Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
Major Roadways Texas RM 1431.svg RM 1431, Lohman Ford Road, Boggy Ford Road
Transportation Provider CapMetro Transportation Authority
Website lagovistatexas.gov

Lago Vista, Texas ("Lake View" in English) is a lakeside community located on the northern shores of Lake Travis. The city is located within Travis County, Texas, United States, and is less than 20 miles from downtown Austin. Much of Lago Vista is located on a peninsula that extends across 15.52 square miles of Texas Hill Country. The Colorado River runs adjacent to the city.

Travis County experienced a population increase of 26.9% between 2010 and 2020, while Lago Vista grew by 47.3% during the decade.

Geography

Lago Vista is on the North Shore of Lake Travis, just under 20 miles (32 km) northwest of downtown Austin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.52 sq mi (40.2 km2) of which 14.6 sq mi (38 km2) is land and 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2) (3.95%) is water. The peninsular city sits adjacent to, and partially within, the Balcones Canyonlands. Lago Vista has rugged terrain with elevations ranging from 774 ft (236 m) above sea level at the lake shore to 1220 ft (372 m) above sea level near Rusty Allen Airport. The area is characterized by steep limestone hills and canyons, some of the highest in Travis County.

Climate

Lago Vista
Climate chart (explanation)
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Metric conversion
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1990 2,199
2000 4,507105.0%
2010 6,04134.0%
2020 8,89647.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [4]
Lago Vista racial composition as of 2020 [5]
(NH = Non-Hispanic) [a]
RaceNumberPercentage
White (NH)6,80076.44%
Black or African American (NH)1131.27%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)250.28%
Asian (NH)830.93%
Pacific Islander (NH)110.12%
Some Other Race (NH)330.37%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)4635.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1,36815.38%
Total8,896

2020 Census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,896 people, 2,996 households, and 2,053 families residing in the city. The city has grown by 47.3% since the 2010 Census. On average, 2.41 persons occupy each household in the city. 49.5% of Lago Vistans are female, while 50.5% are male. 26% of the population is over the age of 65, 16.3% of the population is under 18 years of age, and 3.8% of the Lago Vista population is under 5 years of age.

7.9% of Lago Vistans were born outside of the United States and 15.3% of the city speaks a language other than English at home.

Approximately 93.4% of households have access to a computer and 86.7% of households have a broadband internet subscription. 94.5% of city residents have obtained a high school education or higher while 35.7% of Lago Vistans have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher.

The median income for a household in the city was $80,705 and the per capita income over the last 12 months was $47,058. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was approximately $282,700, while the median gross rent cost in the city was $1,209. Approximately 6.5% of Lago Vistans live at or below the poverty line.

The next population count in the city will take place during the 2030 United States Census.

Economy

Lago Vista has experienced tremendous population and economic growth as a result of the ongoing increase in net in-migration into Travis County and the Greater Austin metropolitan statistical area. The region is considered a major center for high tech and is host to hundreds of offices and headquarters for technology companies. The Texas Hill Country is often referred to as "Silicon Hills" due to the high concentration of high tech companies in the area. As of 2022, Travis County ranked among the wealthiest counties in Texas; with a per capita income of $74,032, a median home value of $519,353, and a per capita investment income of $38,381.

Arts and culture

Annual events

Government

Lago Vista was incorporated in 1984 with a council-manager system of local government following attempts by the City of Austin to annex the area in the early 1980s. Lago Vista's seven council members serve two-year terms. The mayor and council members one, three, and five are elected in odd years. Members two, four, and six are elected in even years. The Lago Vista City Council meets regularly on the first and third Thursday of each month with additional Special Called Meetings. Tracie Hlavinka is the current city manager. [15] The immediate past City Manager, Josh Ray, resigned in January 2020. City Hall, Municipal Court, and Lago Vista's government offices are located at 5803 Thunderbird Street in the city's business district.

Lago Vista 2030 Comprehensive Plan

In 2016, the Lago Vista City Council adopted the Lago Vista 2030 Comprehensive Plan as its comprehensive planning document for the next decade. The plan provides a snapshot of projected demographic trends, expected land use activity, transportation requirements, and overall neighborhood livability and quality of life. [16]

State representatives

At the state level, Lago Vista is represented in the Texas House of Representatives (District 19) by Republican Ellen Troxclair. The city is represented in the Texas Senate (District 25) by Republican Donna Campbell. The city is represented in the Texas Board of Education (District 10) by Republican Tom Maynard. [17]

Political affiliation

In the 2020 presidential election, Lago Vista supported Republican incumbent Donald Trump by margins varying from 60% to 65% compared to Democratic nominee Joe Biden. In the House of Representatives, Lago Vista is served by Republican Roger Williams as part of Texas's 25th congressional district. [18]

Education

Lago Vista ISD headquarters Lago Vista ISD Administration Building Lago Vista Texas 2022.jpg
Lago Vista ISD headquarters

Almost all of Lago Vista is in the Lago Vista Independent School District, with a portion of the city limits extending to the Marble Falls Independent School District. [19] The former operates Lago Vista High School.

The majority of Travis County, including portions in Lago Vista ISD, are in the Austin Community College district. [20]

The largest nearby universities serving the Lago Vista area are located in neighboring Austin. Austin is home to the University of Texas at Austin, the flagship institution of the University of Texas System with over 40,000 undergraduate students and 11,000 graduate students. [21]

Infrastructure

Water

The City Council is in the process of planning for large expansions of both the wastewater and drinking water facilities. A request for qualifications (RFQ) for engineering design to expand the existing wastewater plant was published on February 13, 2024 to expand the plant from 1.0 million gallons per day (MGD) to 1.5 MGD. [22] The RFQ for engineering design to expand Water Treatment Plant #3 from 2.0 MGD to 6.0 MGD was published on March 27, 2025. [23] The 2024 Wastewater Master Plan report and 2025 Water Master Plan report note that the City wastewater connections could grow to 20,386 connections by buildout and the drinking water connections could grow to 19,801 connections by buildout. [24] [25] On December 3, 2024, Lago Vista City Councilman Shane R. Saum led a meeting at the White House with the President's Intergovernmental Affairs staff to discuss funding needs for these expansion projects and the larger concerns across Texas of how smaller municipalities are going to fund water projects. [26] [27]

Transportation

Roadways

Texas RM 1431.svg RM 1431 is the main artery road providing access into Lago Vista.

Public transportation

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) is a transportation provider based in Austin that operates local bus services between Lago Vista and varying transfer points across the greater Austin area. Route 214 operates between Lago Vista and Lakeline Station in northwestern Austin (local fares apply). CapMetro also offers an on-demand public transportation rideshare service in Lago Vista called Pickup which was developed by Via. In 2025, during the 89th Texas Legislature, Lago Vista City Councilman Shane R. Saum helped lead legislative efforts to change how the "net financial obligation" was calculated for certain municipalities that withdrew from rapid transit authorities like CapMetro. [28] [29] Rep. Ellen Troxclair filed HB 3643 which would have changed the fee from a population-based calculation of a municipalities share of CapMetro's sizable financial obligations across its entire service area to a fee based on CapMetro's tangible assets that would be left behind in the community after a withdrawal. [30] HB 3643 was left pending in the Transportation subcommittee after a public hearing on April 28, 2025. [30]

Airports

Rusty Allen Airport (RYW) is a municipal single runway airport on the northern edge of the city, though the airport is exclusively a general aviation airport. Regularly scheduled commercial air services' closest link to Lago Vista is at Austin–Bergstrom International Airport.

Media

The main daily newspaper representing the Austin metropolitan area (which includes the city of Lago Vista) is the Austin-American Statesman. Other regional publications and newspapers in the area include: Austin 360, Austin Business Journal, Austin Chronicle, Austin Monitor, Community Impact Newspaper, El Mundo, Hill Country News, do512, and the North Shore Beacon.

Commercial radio stations in the Lago Vista area include KASE-FM (country), KVET (sports), KVET-FM (country), KKMJ-FM (adult contemporary), KLBJ (talk), KLBJ-FM (classic rock), KJFK (variety hits), KFMK (contemporary Christian), KOKE-FM (progressive country) and KPEZ (rhythmic contemporary). KUT-FM is the leading public radio station in Texas and produces the majority of its content locally. KOOP (FM) is a volunteer-run radio station with more than 60 locally produced programs. Additionally, 1670 AM (LagoRadio) streams music from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s directly from Lago Vista and provides updates on important happenings in the North Shore communities (Lago Vista, Jonestown and Point Venture) of Lake Travis.

Network television stations (affiliations in parentheses) include KTBC (Fox O&O), KVUE (ABC), KXAN (NBC), KEYE-TV (CBS), KLRU (PBS), KNVA (The CW), KBVO (MyNetworkTV), and KAKW (Univision O&O).

Notes

  1. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. [6] [7]

References

  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lago Vista, Texas
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  6. "Census.gov". Census.gov.
  7. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  8. "Home". lvplayers.org.
  9. 1 2 "Hill Country Singers". Hill Country Singers.
  10. "Friends of Balcones Canyonlands NWR – Balcones Songbird Festival (Apr)". www.friendsofbalcones.org. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009.
  11. "LAGO FEST Boats, Beats, Arts, & Eats - On the shore of Lake Travis - Lago Vista, TX". LAGO FEST.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "National Night Out and Trunk or Treat".
  14. "Porkcube".
  15. "Welcome to Lago Vista, TX".
  16. "Lago Vista 2030 Comprehensive Plan" (PDF). City of Lago Vista. April 20, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  17. Tom Maynard
  18. Park, Alice; Smart, Charlie; Taylor, Rumsey; Watkins, Miles (February 2, 2021). "An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  19. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Travis County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved June 29, 2022. - List
  20. Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.166. AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.171. CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..
  21. "Facts & Figures | The University of Texas at Austin". www.utexas.edu.
  22. "Bids Engineering Design of a Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade to 1.5 Million Gallons Per Day". Lago Vista, TX. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  23. "Bids Engineering Design of WTP# 3 Upgrade to 6.0 MGD". Lago Vista, TX. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  24. "2024 Wastewater Master Plan | Lago Vista, TX". www.lagovistatexas.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  25. "2025 Water Master Plan | Lago Vista, TX". www.lagovistatexas.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  26. "Water concerns take Lago Vista city council to the White House". KXAN Austin. December 3, 2024. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  27. "Lago Vista city leaders take fight over water infrastructure funding to Washington". kvue.com. December 6, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  28. "Facing millions of dollars in fees to leave CapMetro, Lago Vista turning to state lawmakers in hopes of leveling playing field". kvue.com. March 29, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  29. Saum, Lago Vista Council Member Shane R. "Lago Vista has 10,000 people. Why should it cost us millions to leave CapMetro? | Opinion". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  30. 1 2 "Texas Legislature Online - 89(R) History for HB 3643". capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2025.