The internet's most current and comprehensive guide to development activity in Horseshoe Bay, Texas

ABOUT HORSESHOE BAY

 PLEASE NOTE:  The insight into HSB shared herein comes largely from the daily monitoring of our HSB waterfront investments and we pass it along as a service to the interested.  We follow HSB's growth closely and update our findings regularly - especially Sections IX, XV and XVI, which focus on HSB's growth.  The area where we are monitoring growth is roughly triangular in shape, being bounded by US Highway 281, Texas Highway 71, Sandy Creek and the Colorado River.

Though we strive for accuracy in our reporting, we do not guarantee it, so check things out before acting. 

Last Updated: 10/16/2006

I.  WHAT IS HORSESHOE BAY?  Horseshoe Bay ("HSB") is among the most upscale communities of its kind in the central U.S.  HSB, which has between 3,000 to 5,000 inhabitants, depending on who's counting, is distinguished by two factors - being located on America's lake of choice and by being home to America's largest Robert Trent Jones Sr. golfing complex.  The lakeside golfing and water sports community attracts a broad cross-section of homeowners, approximately half of which have HSB as a second home.  HSB's lakefront lots sell for up to $1,300,000 and its lakefront homes are priced as high as $5,500,000.

HSB Resort, the community's driving force, is among the nation's finest, being a 6,400-acre, one-of-a-kind, all-seasons international leisure destination offering a fabulous year-round recreational opportunities (www.hsbresort.com).  The Resort features an exceptional on-site array of world-class golf, tennis, dining, camping, aviation, swimming, boating, water/jet skiing and fishing amenities (see www.horseshoebay.com) that attract people from across the nation and around the world, explaining why HSB's property owners come from 48 states and 34 foreign countries.

The Resort's decision to complement its spectacular amenities with the 349-room Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, completed October 2004, (www.horseshoebaymarriott.com) raised the Resort to among the finest where Marriott operates.  The Marriott facility has performed beyond expectations, being a powerful new drawing force and having an immense positive impact on HSB.  It has positioned the Resort as a major player in the corporate and leisure destination markets, as explained later.  Back to Top

II.  WHERE IS HSB?  We're 45 miles northwest of Austin and 80 north of San Antonio, deep in the heart of Texas, in the recreationally-oriented Highland Lakes region - the choicest portion of the delightful Texas Hill Country, Charles Kuralt's favorite part of America.  The Hill Country, known for its natural beauty, is also noted for its genuine and simple charm, offering a continually fresh change of pace - pleasantly laid-back and friendly. 

And we have another huge plus going for us.  HSB rests on the shore of America's largest constant-level lake, sparkling-clean Lake LBJ - America's lake of choice for those who know (see The Rest of the Story). 

HSB is located four miles west of and symbiotically tied to the city of Marble Falls - ground zero for the commercial, retail, recreational and entertainment interests of the Hill Country/Highland Lakes area.  The two communities feed on one another and together comprise one of the fastest growing rural areas in the country.  Back to Top

III.  LAKE LBJ MAKES HSB UNIQUELY UNMATCHABLE.  Although HSB (see www.remaxhsb.com/streetmap/mainmap.htm) is probably best known for its three fabulous championship golf courses and other exceptional amenities, most people don't realize that its LBJ lakefront is world class as well, being so unmatchable in its lower portion, where HSB is located (see www.snellrealty.com/mapoflbj.cfm), that it serves to separate HSB from all competitors.

How's that?  In the early 1970s, the Lower Colorado River Authority ("LCRA") saw potential commercial benefits in the lake's constant level and built a natural gas fueled power plant on Lake LBJ at HSB.  It positioned the facility at lake's edge so LBJ's waters could cool the facility's generators.  The plant is now one of LCRA's important revenue sources.  

Today, LCRA's HSB Power Plant and more than a thousand upscale lakeside homes built subsequent thereto on the constant-level portion of Lake LBJ represent investments collectively valued at over a billion dollars.  Consequently, to protect these huge investments, LCRA must take every step possible to maintain the lake at it's 825' pool level.   And LCRA seems determined to do so by constantly improving its capability to maintain the pool level. 

Therefore, unlike other large lakes, Lake LBJ lets us get especially up-close and personal with it and HSB's fashionable lakefront homes are accordingly nestled against its shoreline in Venice-like fashion.  We build our homes as close as four feet above the tranquil Lake's constant pool level, directly on or hanging out over its shoreline, and enjoy having our boat houses and docks under this same roof, enabling unparalleled lakeside treats. 

This intimate lakeside setting provides:  1) recreational fishing, ski or pleasure jaunts on your readily accessible, dockside  boat and/or personal watercraft at the slightest whim;  2) impromptu tournament-quality fishing in delightfully breezy shade from this same dock;  3) boating to your choice of five nearby lakeside restaurants;  4) swimming in the Lake's pristine waters on a moment's notice;  5) having your own, personal lakeside beach;  6) helping your kids/grandkids "master" their water trampoline and other water toys anchored immediately dockside under your watchful eye;  7) an up-close look at nature, such as mothering your own, year-round personal family of native Mallard ducks from your lakeside porch/deck; and  8) wholesome, mesmerizing relaxation as you relish:  a) the sound of Lake LBJ's gentle waves breaking softly against the shoreline;  b) our prevailing and pleasantly dry lakeside breeze; and  c) our enchanting, mosquito-free evenings - all from your dockside porch/deck swing.  Where else can all this be had in such up-close and personal fashion?  Back to Top

IV.  THE REST OF THE STORY.  Such intimate interaction with a large water body is unequaled - being truly unique to HSB.  It is made possible because the incomparable 21-mile-long lake, more than two miles wide at HSB, is bounded and protected by major flood-control lakes - Lake Buchanan upstream and Lake Travis downstream.  

Flood-control lakes are built to accommodate annual spring runoffs and therefore are not constant-level lakes, considering that the process involves dropping their winter-time lake levels substantially.  Lake LBJ differs in being simply a "pass-through" lake - passing water from Lake Buchanan downstream to Lake Travis.  It is in this manner replenished daily by the ever-flowing Colorado River and, accordingly, holds some of the cleanest and freshest waters among our nation's lakes.  We have traveled America's major rivers and learned (see Section XXI) - there's no other lake like LBJ. 

By utilizing these large adjoining lakes for balancing purposes, the Lower Colorado River Authority (www.lcra.org) maintains HSB's lakefront at the 825' pool level.  Accordingly, during the worst of times, such as FEMA's anticipated 100-year flood, HSB's lakefront is projected to rise only 2.9 feet.  

Since no larger lakefront is reportedly maintained at such a constant level anywhere in the world (confirm by searching www.google.com for "constant level lake"), "now you know the rest of the story."  HSB's waterfront is The Premier Lakefront!  Add to this the Resort's world-class golf and other amenities, the Texas Hill Country's incomparable charm and LBJ Lakefront's "Spec" home (see Section XVII. below) and viola . . . you have The Ultimate in Waterfront Living!!! 

NOTE:  LCRA's has substantially improved its capabilities of recent years, led by hardening the dam foundations, increasing flood gate lift capabilities and establishing its Hydromet system, which consists of 200 monitoring gauges deployed at key locations throughout the river basin.  These and other improvements have increased its capacity to maintain Lake LBJ at the 825' pool level.  However, the narrow, upper reaches of Lake LBJ - miles upstream of HSB - are still predicted to rise ten feet or more during FEMA's model 100-year flood (see www.snellrealty.com/mapoflbj.cfm).  Back to Top

V.  HSB IS A GOLFING MECCA IN A GEOLOGICAL PARADISE.  In addition to its uniquely constant level, Lake LBJ is special for other reasons as well.  For example, its picturesque, Live Oak-covered shores are lined by massive, dramatic outcrops of Pre-Cambrian red granite, among the oldest rocks in North America. 

Cutting through HSB at peak elevation and overlooking Lake LBJ in Acapulco-like fashion is a prominent ridge, capped by Thanksgiving Mountain.  The ridge is held by a nearly complete sequence of Cambrian through Ordovician strata some 2,800' thick that overlies the granitic basement rock.  Lesser HSB ridges are held by a 30,000' thick sequence of metamorphic strata called the Pre-Cambrian Packsaddle Schist and Valley Spring Gneiss.  Younger Silurian, Devonian, Pennsylvanian and Cretaceous strata outcrop within five miles of HSB.  Taken together, this exceptional rock sequence encompasses approximately 1,500,000 years of geologic history, dating from 100 million to 1,600 million years ago.  

These geologically-ancient, rarely-seen rocks stand exposed by the Llano Uplift, which rose 300 million years ago when the North American and African continents collided.  The collision compressed and folded the Llano region into rugged mountains as much as four-miles high.  Subsequent erosion reduced the mountains to their roots.  The process created one of the world's best and most heavily studied windows into our planet's geologic past.  HSB sits in this window, making it one of the most geologically interesting places on Earth.

Our geological paradise is further complimented by a relatively recent geological phenomena - the Texas Hill Country.  It began forming a mere 20 million years ago when the regional Balcones Fault System developed.  The fault system, extending from Waco through Austin to San Antonio and on westward, facilitated the rise of the Edwards Plateau.  This broad uplift produced a reawakening of what had become a sluggish Colorado River System.  

The river system came alive with renewed velocity, developed a tributary network of sparkling spring-fed streams, and began sculpting the region into the peaks, ridges, valleys and canyons that constitute today's scenic Hill Country - where Texas' renown wildflowers flourish.  The River's premier canyon - located between the US Highway 281 bridge and the Lake Marble Falls dam at nearby Marble Falls - is another important local geologic feature.  Few realize it dwarf's the Grand Canyon in age, being at least four times older.  

Into this magnificent, naturally sculpted Hill Country setting, legendary golf-course designer Robert Trent Jones Sr. carved three golf courses at HSB which he ranked "among the best in the world."  The three courses, which have never been in better condition, comprise Jones' largest golfing complex in North America.  

"Golf Digest's" definitive guidebook, Best Places to Play, 2004-2005, rates each of HSB Resort's three public-access golf courses as deserving 4.5 stars out of a possible 5.0 ranking, making HSB one of a mere handful of American resorts, and the only one in Texas, to have three courses so highly ranked.  The popular "Texas Monthly" magazine agrees that HSB's golf complex is the best in Texas.  Furthermore, members of the "American Society of Golf Course Architects," the "National Golf Foundation" and the "Golf Course Superintendents of America" have selected HSB's golf complex as one of the best built in the U.S. since 1962, placing all three courses among the top one percent in America.

But that's just part of what HSB offers.  Though you may think you've done everything, you haven't until you've played HSB's Whitewater Putting Course:  its $6 million, 18-hole, fully landscaped, night-lighted, competitive grass putting course - the world's finest.  It is complete with fairways, bunkers, water hazards and the best of putting surfaces.  It is designed like a regulation course, but on a smaller scale.  Every shot is played with a putter. 

The 17-acre Whitewater Falls complex encompasses a Tennis Pro Shop; Patio Cafe; Nickelodeon Yogurt Cabana; Palm de Ore Pavilion; a 100-foot, cascading, lighted waterfall; Fitness Trail; Oriental Gardens; and a Wildlife Exhibit featuring Chilean Flamingo and exotic African Duck habitats.  It's state-of-the-art theatrical lighting and outdoor music systems create a dreamlike setting that enhances the entire complex.  

The Pro Shop administers HSB's 20-court Tennis Center, which is like everything else at HSB is also world class.  It features two pro-grass courts, six red clay courts, and 12 laycold courts.  Back to Top

VI.  HSB's YEAR-AROUND CLIMATE RATES AMONG THE BEST.  HSB's climate is mild and fairly dry, being among the continental US' best (www.highlandlakes.com/climate.htm).  It is a strong draw for the Resort.

The Resort's Prime Season runs for 81/2 months, from mid-March through November.  It features our warmer spring, summer and fall months.  The Season covers a majority of school-age children's vacation time and makes the Resort a terrific family-friendly destination.  

During HSB's coldest months - December, January and February - the mean daily high and low temperatures are a comfortable 61 and 41 degrees, respectively.  On the other hand, HSB is also still reasonably comfortable at its hottest, which occurs annually between June 10th and September 12th, when the average high temperature ranges between 90 and 96 degrees and average lows range from 66 to 71.  HSB's spring and fall months are nothing short of ideal.

HSB receives an ample 30 inches of rainfall annually.  Moreover, HSB's relative humidity averages a very comfortable, tough-to-beat 40% (www.marblefalls.org/areainfo/demographics.html).  

HSB's year-around climate is actually better than that found at Scottsdale, one of America's most well-known R & R destinations.  Scottsdale's summers are unbearably hot and considered "Off Season."  

For example, between June 5th and September 10th, Scottsdale's average daily high temperatures range between 100 and 107 degrees, with average lows ranging from 67 to 80.  Scottsdale's coldest months also occur during December, January and February, when its average daily highs and lows are a very comfortable 68 and 47, respectively.  And also like at HSB, the intervening spring and fall months are ideal.  

Accordingly, Scottsdale's Prime Season features its eight coldest months, extending from mid-September to mid-May, circumventing more than three months of 100+ summer-time temperatures.  When Scottsdale is "In Season," children are in school, unavailable for vacations, limiting Scottsdale to more of an adult attraction than a family destination.  Back to Top

The newly completed home, the most spectacular custom home ever built on a speculative basis in HSB, has 8,311 square feet of living area.  Our magnificent offering is widely recognized as "HSB's Finest New Home Offering, Ever!"  

The home - perfect for casual lakeside living in a smart and elegant fashion - is being offered through the MLS for $7,500,000, which amounts to $902 per square feet of living area (also see Note #1 below).

It is built on a private island in Lake LBJ, America's lake of choice for those who know. The lake is unique in America in that it is the country's largest constant level lake. Such a lake let's one get particulaly up-close with its shoreline, allowing for much more lakeside intimacy (like fishing off your back porch or deck), making living on such a lake far more enjoyable than on the typical lake with fluctuating levels.

As of April 1, 2007, HSB had seven other lakefront home offerings in the $4,000,000 to $7,500,000 price range besides ours. They ranged in age from 6 to 11 years, averaging 8.14 years. All were located in HSB West, where the highest priced lakefront sales have been occurring.

Although none are new homes and none come close to matching the quality of our offering, their average asking price of $936 per square foot is 4% more than that of our new home, which far outshines them in being of exceptional quality throughout.  Furthermore, it is located between two of HSB's other most outstanding lakefront homes.

Though we strive for accuracy in our reporting, we do not guarantee it, so check things out before acting.