About Lake Travis Lifestyle

Who is Lake Travis Lifestyle?

Welcome to Lake Travis Lifestyle, together with Todd Hower Realty, we're your guide to the best of what’s happening — around the real estate — in one of the most active and beautiful places in Austin and the Texas Hill Country. There is so much to love about this part of the world that you might need a little help remembering all there is to enjoy.

Beautiful scenery and active lifestyle opportunities are only the beginning. We keep you informed about events, outdoor recreation, restaurants, shopping and real estate news.

We also profile what’s happening in the community with lifestyle articles to give you a closer look at life in the Lake Travis area.

When it’s time to find a new place to live …

Learn how you get full-service real estate with a sensible fee when you partner with Todd Hower Realty.

History and Geography

Lake Travis is located just over 20 miles west of Austin, one of the most energetic and creative cities in the country. The lake was created when the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) built the Mansfield Dam, which was completed in 1942. Part of the Highland Lakes chain, Lake Travis covers an area of more than 19,000 acres. Read more about Lake Travis History.

Climate

Residents of the Lake Travis area are fortunate to experience all of the four seasons: cooling temperatures and changing leaves in autumn, cold snaps (even occasional snowfall!) during winter, mild temperatures and showers in spring, and Texas typical high temperatures in summer. While the heat can seem relentless toward the end of summer, swimming holes and water sports abound, making our neck of the Hill Country a favorite spot for residents and visitors alike. Stay hydrated, find some shade, use sunscreen, and you’ll be good to go.

Culture

If you think the “Keep Austin Weird” mentality resides only on the streets of downtown, think again. Lake Travis residents take pride in their brand of creative, unique and one-of-a-kind living. Just one look up and down Ranch Road 620 and you’ll see there are plenty of locally owned establishments to discover, whether you’re looking for a friendly watering hole or that perfect gift.

Creatively, the entire Austin area has always thrived when it comes to live music, appreciation of all art forms, and focus on protection of the environment. There is no end to the opportunities available in the Lake Travis area when it comes to good times and smart living.

Schools

Public schools in the Lake Travis area are top-notch, including Lake Travis and Leander independent school districts. LTISD (with nine schools) currently is rated “Exemplary” by the Texas Education Agency, while Leander (home to 38 schools) currently holds a “Recognized” rating. There also are various private schools near the area.

Of course, the college and university influence in Austin is outstanding. From the University of Texas and St. Edward’s University to Austin Community College and Concordia University, students looking for the right place to continue their education beyond high school have excellent options nearby.

Whether you’re a long time local, visiting, or new to these parts ...

Lake Travis Lifestyle is the place to find and experience the best of all that life around the lake has to offer.

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Lake Travis Area History: Steiner Ranch

Written by Todd Hower | May 29, 2014

The story of Steiner Ranch is as big and as colorful as its founder, the late Thomas Casper “Buck” Steiner.

From a dusty and desolate upbringing to rubbing elbows with some of the country’s highest entertainers and politicians, the rodeo showman turned leather businessman from Cedar Creek was one character, to say the least.

Born and raised in Bastrop County in 1899, Buck was a farm boy who was brought up to endure the hardships of country life, already picking cotton by the age of 6. By the ripe age of 12 he had run away and found work at nearby Wild West shows, lying about his age to book the gigs.

Lake Travis Area History: Bee Cave

Written by Todd Hower | April 28, 2014

The tiny town of Bee Cave may sound new to some, but as Austin experiences growth in all directions, many families are choosing to grab a little slice of heaven just a short drive away from downtown Austin.

If the allure of country life has your eyes turned westward and away from the big city lights, Bee Cave might be the place for you to settle down — just like it was for a few folks a long, long time ago …

It all started when some hardy settlers in the area claimed land as their own in the latter part of the 19th century. One of these early settlers was Dietrich Bohls, who moved to the Bee Caves area in the 1850s in an effort to escape the big city lights of Austin and create a home in which to raise his family.

Lake Travis Area History: Lakeway

Written by Todd Hower | March 17, 2014

At the outer edge of Austin’s city limits, 16 miles West of the city, sits the quaint community of Lakeway, Texas. What began as a relaxing resort town for vacationers and retirees, is now a growing city that has more than doubled in population since the 1990s. This exurb, although still relatively young, has a colorful and vibrant history consisting of many types of people settling in the Hill Country throughout the centuries.

The earliest settlers to the Texas Hill Country and Lakeway shared land with Native Americans, most notably the Tonkawa and later the Apache and Comanches. Looking around the lakeside community from its major road hub, Ranch Road 620, there are views of the surrounding hills and cedar fields so vast that you can almost imagine the first of the Tonkawa people to settle down in the area.

Making use of the natural flint found in the ground to make their tools and arrowheads, the indigenous people were also known for their pottery and copper jewelry. In time, more aggressive and warring tribes would push the natives out of their habitats and east of the Edwards Plateau.

Lake Travis Area History: Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis

Written by Todd Hower | February 11, 2014

An afternoon spent boating with your family, riding the blue waters on a wake board, scuba diving down to the depths, sailing and watching the sun go down — these are all favorite pastimes of our beloved Lake Travis.

As the biggest water reservoir of the Highland Lakes, Lake Travis boasts activities for people of all lifestyles, and has served as home to thousands of Texans for the last century.

Residents are drawn to the open waters and the quieter pace of life that West Austin has to offer, but it’s easy to forget just how much our landscape has changed over the years … and just how much work went into creating our beloved Lake Travis.

The time was the turn of the century.

Austin was on the cusp of certain anticipated technological progress, and this included the use of dams to harness the area’s flooding rain waters for the purpose of hydroelectric power.

At the time, the land and lake that we call Lake Travis was but a big dream of big men. Senator Lyndon B. Johnson was at the forefront of the fight for hydroelectric power and the building of the seven dams that would eventually create the Highland Lakes of Central Texas.