Lago Vista, Texas

For the census-designated place in Starr County, see Lago Vista, Starr County, Texas.

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, Texas. 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.

Lago Vista, Texas
City
City hall
Flag
Motto:  Live Like You’re on Vacation
Location within Travis County in Texas
Lago Vista, Texas Location within Texas Show map of Texas Lago Vista, Texas Location within the United States Show map of the United States Lago Vista, Texas Location within North America Show map of North America
Coordinates: 30°26′59″N 97°59′46″W / 30.44972°N 97.99611°W / 30.44972; -97.99611
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Travis
Incorporated	1984
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• Mayor	Ed Tidwell (L)
• City Council	Members Gage Hunt Kevin Sullivan Rob Durbin Chelaine Marion Paul Roberts Paul Prince
• City Manager	Tracie Hlavinka
Area ^[1]
• Total	15.52 sq mi (40.19 km^2)
• Land	14.33 sq mi (37.11 km^2)
• Water	1.19 sq mi (3.07 km^2)  3.95%
Elevation	774 ft (236 m)
Population
• Estimate  (2020)	8,896
• Density	527.29/sq mi (203.59/km^2)
Demonym	Lago Vistan
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	78645
Area code(s)	512 & 737
FIPS code	48-40264^[2]
GNIS feature ID	1360825^[3]
Airports	Rusty Allen Airport (RYW), Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
Major Roadways	RM 1431, Lohman Ford Road, Boggy Ford Road
Transportation Provider	CapMetro Transportation Authority
Website	lagovistatexas.gov

Travis County, Texas experienced a population increase of 26.9% between 2010–2020. Lago Vista grew by 47.3% during that time.

Geography

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

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)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.5     62 43     1.7     66 47     2.1     73 53     2.1     80 60     3.8     86 68     3.2     91 73     1.6     95 75     1.6     95 75     2.5     89 70     3     81 62     2.3     71 53     1.7     63 45 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     38     17 6     43     19 8     53     23 12     53     27 16     97     30 20     81     33 23     41     35 24     41     35 24     64     32 21     76     27 17     58     22 12     43     17 7 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1990	2,199		—
2000	4,507		105.0%
2010	6,041		34.0%
2020	8,896		47.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[4]

Lago Vista racial composition as of 2020^[6]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	6,800	76.44%
Black or African American (NH)	113	1.27%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	25	0.28%
Asian (NH)	83	0.93%
Pacific Islander (NH)	11	0.12%
Some Other Race (NH)	33	0.37%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	463	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	1,368	15.38%
Total	8,896

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

• March: La Primavera Bike Race
• March: Lago Vista Players^[9]
• April: Hill Country Singers^[10]
• April: Balcones Songbird Festival^[11]
• April/May: LAGO FEST Texas^[12]
• July: Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks^[13]
• August: Viva Lake Travis Casino Night
• October: National Night Out and Trunk-or-Treat^[14]
• November: Hill Country Singers^[10]
• December (First Monday): Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration and Trail of Lights^[15]

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.^[16] 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.^[17]

State representatives

At the state level, Lago Vista is represented in the Texas House of Representatives (District 47) by Democrat Vikki Goodwin. The city is represented in the Texas Senate (District 14) by Democrat Sarah Eckhardt. The city is represented in the Texas Board of Education (District 10) by Republican Tom Maynard.

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

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

Transportation

Roadways

  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.

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 60s, 70s, and 80s 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.^[7][8]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
6. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
7. "Census.gov". Census.gov.
8. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
9. "Home". lvplayers.org.
10. "Hill Country Singers". Hill Country Singers.
11. . www.friendsofbalcones.org. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009.
12. "LAGO FEST Boats, Beats, Arts, & Eats - On the shore of Lake Travis - Lago Vista, TX". LAGO FEST.
13. . Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. "National Night Out and Trunk or Treat".
15. "Porkcube".
16. "Welcome to Lago Vista, TX".
17. "Lago Vista 2030 Comprehensive Plan" (PDF). City of Lago Vista. April 20, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
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.

External links

• Lago Vista, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Lago Vista Area Chamber of Commerce
• City of Lago Vista