Is Texas Hill Country in danger of being ‘loved to death’?
Deep in the heart of Texas, the traffic is backed up for almost a mile.
It’s a jarring sight for long-time residents of the Hill Country, a rural oasis of scrubby green hills, crystalline water, and bright white limestone west of Austin and San Antonio. But it’s not the only sign that change is afoot in this once rustic and hardscrabble region of the Lone Star State.
Eighteen-wheelers roll over the narrow country roads, and housing developments dot the limestone hills. Home values are climbing as low-wage workers struggle for housing. Meanwhile, sewage systems are hitting capacity, and drinking water supplies may not last through the next long drought.
In one of the fastest growing states in the country, this is the fastest growing region. The population has grown by nearly 50% in the past two decades, according to the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network (THCCN), with much of those gains in unincorporated – and largely unregulated – areas.
There have been positives. A larger tax base is funding high-quality schools; small businesses, particularly in tourism and hospitality, are flourishing. Development is inevitable, and not inherently bad, locals say, it just needs to be planned carefully.
But careful, regulated growth isn’t something Texas has typically prioritized. And with growth and development here only expected to
