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Hill Country Portal
Email: info@hillcountryportal.com
Web: www.HillCountryPortal.com
A Powerful Information Database & Gateway Service for the Texas Hill Country
Our Portal web site has many pages devoted to specific subjects, such as counties, cities, lake areas, and focus topics. This Hill Country Information page is a guide to the overall resources available and includes topics that are "Hill Country-wide" that don't logically fit in the other categories.
We welcome submission of updates, additions, corrections & digital photos, without compensation.
| DEFINITION OF TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AREA |
The Texas Hill Country is west of Austin and the north of San Antonio, and sits on the Edwards Plateau and the Balcones Escarpment, with the perimeter loosely defined as the area bounded by Interstate 35 on the east, Texas Hwy 29 on the north, US Hwy 90 to the south, and US Hwy 83 on the west. And, there are a series of mountains in the 1900 to 2250 ft range just west of the line from Barksdale to Montell.
The Texas hill country is also defined by the rugged limestone hills that separate the coastal plain from the Edwards Plateau.
There are widely different views of which towns and what land is in the "Hill Country". Some folks are passionate about inclusion of their favorite town and very few want not to be included, possibly because of marketing implications and pride. The boundary areas (there are no hard "lines" or other official demarcations or definitions) thus are very fuzzy. The "blending" of lifestyles and culture in such areas is perhaps what makes the subject so hard to define. Folks often live in the fringe hilly area of the Hill Country but work in the neighboring town just down the road in the flat-lands, their kids go to school in that town, they trade in town, many of their every-day friends are in town, so for many it all becomes one and the same. A good example of this is with Sabinal, located less than 10 miles from the last hilly area to the north. Folks there believe that Sabinal is in the Hill Country.
Some folks put it in more simple terms, based on what it is not. If it is not "hilly" then it is not in the Hill Country. It it is not "country-like", then it is not Hill Country.
Some make it even simpler. If it is big city (like Austin, San Antonio) it is not in the Hill Country. Everything else is Hill Country until you get to the flat plains.
And speaking of hills, what about mountains? It is pretty clear we do not have any big mountains as in Colorado, but we do have a number of hills and areas with the word "mountain" in their name, such as "Round Mountain" (Hwy 281 between Johnson City and Marble Falls); Rattlesnake Mountain (just W of Round Mountain); Bell Mountain (near Hwy 16 just north of Willow City and Fredericksburg, El 1950 ft); Lone Man Mountain (E of Blanco, El 1421 ft); Long Mountain in Mason County; and Mountain Home.
All that that leaves in question: just how far south, west, north and east is it?
So, for now, here is our definition of the perimeter of the Texas Hill Country (clockwise from Brady): Brady, US 190 E to San Saba and Lampasas, US 183 SE to Leander, a fuzzy "line" down to Oak Hill and over to Buda, SE on IH-35 through Kyle, San Marcos and New Braunfels, TX 46 W through Bulverde to Boerne, RR 1283 S to Mica and Lake Hills, RR 470 W through Pipe Creek, Bandera, Tarpley, Utopia, RR 1050 to Concan, jump over to Aldine, Reagan Wells and Montell, N on TX 55 to Barksdale and Rocksprings, NE on US 377 to Junction, NE on US 83 to Menard, NW on US 190 back to Brady. For clarification, it does not include San Antonio & Bexar County, Austin, Georgetown, Cedar Park or Uvalde.
Click here for an interactive, larger Google map that is sized to include a rectangle around this definition and amorphous shape of the Hill Country: Google Map
See our comprehensive City Directory List that lists every single town, city, area, berg, subdivision and "area" known to exist in the Hill Country. If you think differently, let us know what and why.
And see our comprehensive Outside Towns & Cities List that lists most of the towns and cities that lie just outside the "border" of the Texas Hill Country. If you think differently, let us know what and why.
Note that for some of the 21 counties not all of their area is within the Hill Country.
See area definition at Hill Country Background Information
Counties (8) entirely within the Hill Country: Bandera, Blanco, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, LLano, Mason, Real.
Counties (13) partially within the Hill Country: Burnet (90%), Comal (98%), Edwards (20%), Hays (95%), Kimble (45%), Lampasas (35%), McCulloch (40%), Medina (25%), Menard (35%), San Saba (65%), Travis (30%), Uvalde (40%), Williamson (5%). Note: these percentages are rough, visual approximations by the Portal Editor, and are not scientifically measured and calculated.
Perhaps such a definition does not matter. The NY Times 6/1/08 Travel Section (see www.nytimes.com) rated the Texas Hill Country as the #1 destination for US tourist summer travel. Not sure we need this ranking. We know what we have here.
And, lots of folks believe the Hill Country is not about land and boundary definitions, but rather reflects the type of folks who live here, their spirit and approach to life, and the special atmosphere that prevails. What do you think?
[If you have opinions, research, facts, or otherwise to share about this or any aspect of the Hill Country, please send to the Portal Editor/Manager, georgecofran@cofran.com.]
DEFINITION OF TEXAS HILL COUNTRY: WIKIPEDIA
HANDBOOK OF TEXAS ON-LINE DEFINITION OF TEXAS HILL COUNTRY: Handbook
FACTOIDS: All of the Texas Hill Country is in the Central Standard Time zone (CST); Telephone area codes vary; Pedernales is pronounced: PER-Den-Al-Es"
| TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AREA MAPS |
(These maps show the respective organization's view of
which cities & towns are inside the "Hill Country")
INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP SIZED TO INCLUDE A RECTANGLE AROUND THE HILL COUNTRY: Google Map
SANDY ROAD GUEST HAUS:
HILL COUNTRY SUN: Map (note, click on map image to enlarge or reduce size)
AUSTIN STATESMAN: Map
HILL COUNTRY ALLIANCE: Map
TXINFO: Map
TEXAS COUNTY MAPS: Maps (TXDOT Maps via UT Library)
TEXAS COUNTY MAP: A PDF map of the state with the county boundaries and names. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view: Map
MAPSTATS: Locate a County by Place Name. Enter a place name (city or town) and this utility will tell you in what county the place is located: Map
POSTAL ZIP CODE MAPS: For detailed, interactive, Google-based zip code maps, click: Map
COUNTY BOUNDARY MAPS: For detailed, interactive, Google-based county boundary maps, click: Map
GEOLOGY.COM: Texas State Map, with individual maps for physical/topography, elevation, rivers/lakes, political, roads: Map
SIGLOGROUP-HCA MAP: Map. An advanced, interactive, excellent tool with layers for parks, watersheds, and other features.
MAJOR HILL COUNTRY SPECIFIC RESOURCE TOPICS HILL COUNTRY HELPFUL AGENCIES, RESOURCES & LINKS
AUSTIN STATESMAN HILL COUNTRY GUIDE: www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Guides/HillCountry
BLANCO COUNTY DISASTER RESPONSE GROUP (DRG): www.BlancoCountyDisasterResponseGroup.org
BLANCO COUNTY TEXAS GUIDE TO STARTING A BUSINESS: A practical, "how-to" manual. (www.HillCountryPortal.com/web/businessguide)
CITY DATA: www.city-data.com/city/Texas.html
COMMUNITY PROFILE (via Podunk): www.epodunk.com
HANDBOOK OF TEXAS ON-LINE: www.tsha.utexas.edu
HIGHWAY 281 CORRIDOR: www.ushwy281.org
HILL COUNTRY ALLIANCE: 512-560-3135; www.hillcountryalliance.org. A non-profit organization whose purpose is to raise public awareness and build community support around the need to preserve the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country.
HILL COUNTRY MAGAZINE: www.hillcountrymagazine.com
ONLINE HIGHWAYS: www.ohwy.com/tx
PEDERNALES RIVER VALLEY: www.pedernalesrivervalley.com
PUBLIC SCHOOL INFORMATION, LOCATION, RATINGS: Click www.GreatSchools.net
TEXAS COUNTY DATA: www.txcountydata.com. On line property tax database, by county.
TEXAS ESCAPES MAGAZINE ONLINE: www.texasescapes.com. A common sense and uncommon guide to small town Texas.
TEXAS HIGHWAYS MAGAZINE: Web
(THE) TEXAS HILL COUNTRY: www.texfiles.com. A bit of history, photos and spotlight articles on places in the Hill Country.
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY: www.texashillcountry.com
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY LIFE: www.texhillcntry.com
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION: www.txhillcountrytrail.com. An opportunity to learn more about heritage sites cities and attractions to build your own itinerary and plan your adventure today. Provided by the Texas Historical Commission, Texas Heritage Trails Program.
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY REGIONAL CHRISTMAS LIGHTING TRAIL:
www.tex-fest.com/regional/index.htm. Spotlight on the towns included in this tourism trail.
HILL COUNTRY BLOG: 365 Things To Do In The Texas Hill Country. Periodic postings by blogger Don Gray. Places to go, things to enjoy, restaurants, lodging, drives, etc. http://365thingstxhillcountry.blogspot.com
HILL COUNTRY TRAIL: www.hillcountrytrail.com. A few towns are highlighted.
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY WILDFLOWER TRAIL: www.tex-fest.com/wildflower/index.htm. Spotlight on the towns included in this tourism trail.
TOUR TEXAS: www.TourTexas.com
TOURIN TEXAS: www.texfiles.com/tourintexas
DIRECTORY OF HILL COUNTRY-WIDE ORGANIZATIONS
THAT ARE NOT IN OUR PORTAL FOCUS SECTIONS
There are some organizations that serve the entire Hill Country that do not have a home base and thus are not listed by city, and/or that are not within the scope of any of our focus sections. Some of these may have an even wider geographic scope.
ALTZHEIMER'S CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP: www.alz.org/texascapital
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE: Relay is an overnight, fun-filled team event for all ages. Form a team and join the American Cancer Society Relay For Life to help find a cure for cancer. Annual fundraiser events. www.cancer.org. 1-800-227-2345. www.acsevents.org
CARTS: Toll-free 1-800-456-RIDE. Transportation services for 169 communities since 1979.
HILL COUNTRY CATTLE WOMEN CHAPTER OF TEXAS CATTLE WOMEN: Contact: Beverly Lacy, 830-229-5604. Promote and support the production of beef industry, support private property rights by encouraging state and federal legislation to maintain those rights. Non-profit, non-political. Meetings 3rd Tue, but no meetings in July, Aug, Nov, Dec. Time: 10-10:30a Social. A program usually follows the business meeting. Cost varies, according to meeting place, and this is for the luncheon (Beef, of course!!) which follows each meeting. No cost for attending just the meeting and not having lunch. Annual dues $30. Held in different area of the Hill Country and planned by members living in that area. Members from 12 counties across the Hill Country. Monthly newsletter.
SPECIAL HILL COUNTRY PORTAL REPORTS
JOHNSON CITY LIGHTS SPECTACULAR: www.HillCountryPortal.com/reports/LightsSpectacular
An upscale Western-style Guest House Bed & Breakfast
in a Beautiful Ranch Setting in the Gorgeous Texas Hill Country
B&B Reservations & Information: 281-300-7177
9242 RR 1320 (Sandy Road), Johnson City, TX 78636
Web: www.SandyRoadGuestHaus.com Email: info@SandyRoadGuestHaus.com
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