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.
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.
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 Austinmetropolitan 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.
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]
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.
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.
^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]
