Rivers, Lakes & Hills
The Hill Country is a remarkable place. It is here you will find Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, New Braunfels, Bulverde and San Marcos. The Hill Country extends out west of San Antonio and north to the Highland Lakes area. Our focus area extends from outside of San Antonio up the I-35 Corridor to San Marcos and west to US 281 and the Spring Branch.
There is plenty to do and see in the area. It is a not only a great place to visit, it is a great place to live. The hills create vistas and a landscape of endless variation. Deer and other wildlife wander about neighborhoods. The Indians used to occupy the area before the ranchers came in with the early Texas settlers. Some of those ranches are being made into neighborhoods.
Many wineries produce quality wine in the area. Dry Comal Creek, Becker Vineyards, Torre di Petra and Sister Creek, to name a few. New winemakers are establishing themselves in the area. Look for wine trail events and check them out.
The summers are warm and the winters are pretty mild though occasionally there will be a winter storm. Though there are occasional severe weather events, mostly the hill country is not bothered. Hard rains do create flash flood situations so don’t drive through low water crossings.
Law enforcement is provided by the Comal Country Sherrif’s Department. The cities of New Braunfels, Bulverde and San Marcos have their own police departments. Numerous fire departments serve the area – outside of the cities, the Canyon Lake Fire Department is a professional fire department and the Spring Branch Fire Department services the west side of Comal County.
Production builders focus on the areas around the cities. In the outlying areas, the homes are built by independent home builders. Phone and cable TV services are provided by GVTC though some areas are serviced by Time Warner. DirectTV is available across the area. In New Braunfels, NBU provides utilities there. Pedernales Electric Cooperative and Canyon Lake Water Service provide Electric and water service. Most homes require septic systems.
There are multiple Chambers of Commerce – New Braunfels, Bulverde Spring Branch, San Marcos and Canyon Lake. Several Economic Development Organizations work with the governmental agencies to foster smart growth and attract new businesses to the region.
