The Highland Lakes are a chain of seven reservoirs along the lower Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country: Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis, Lake Austin, and Lady Bird Lake. All but the last are controlled by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), which built the dams between 1938 and 1951 for hydroelectric power, flood control, and water supply. Buchanan Dam came first in 1938, and Wirtz Dam (Lake LBJ) and Starcke Dam (Lake Marble Falls) were both finished in 1951.
The Towns Along the Chain
This site focuses on the towns clustered around the middle of that chain: Marble Falls, Horseshoe Bay, Kingsland, Granite Shoals, Cottonwood Shores, Burnet, Sunrise Beach Village, Meadowlakes, Highland Haven, and Sherwood Shores. Each one sits on a different lake or stretch of shoreline, and each has a genuinely different character: Marble Falls has the most walkable downtown, Horseshoe Bay is built around a resort community, Kingsland and Sunrise Beach Village sit on Lake LBJ’s constant-level water, and towns like Sherwood Shores and Highland Haven are smaller and quieter.
What Makes This Region Different
Lake LBJ, Inks Lake, and Lake Buchanan behave differently from each other: some hold a constant level year-round, others fluctuate more with rainfall and LCRA water management, which genuinely affects what it’s like to own a dock or waterfront lot depending on which lake you’re on. This isn’t the kind of detail that shows up in a listing description, but it matters for anyone evaluating property here, especially if you’re relocating from somewhere without a lake-region real estate market.
Learn More About a Specific Town
- Marble Falls
- Horseshoe Bay
- Kingsland
- Granite Shoals
- Cottonwood Shores
- Highland Haven
- Sherwood Shores
- Sunrise Beach Village
Working With Someone Who Knows This Region
I’m Robbie English, Broker and REALTOR with Uncommon Highland Lakes Realty, and this region, not a single town but the whole chain, is what I focus on. If you want the fuller picture of how I work and what to expect, see more about Uncommon Highland Lakes Realty, or reach out directly to talk through your specific situation.
Sources
Lake and dam history referenced from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Texas Highways.
