HILL COUNTRY BACKGROUND INFORMATION

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AREA DEFINITION

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 Highway 29 on the north, US Highway 90 to the south, and US Highway 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 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 demarcation definitions) thus are very fuzzy.

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 to 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 or 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, TX 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, RR1283 S to Mica and Lake Hills, RR 470 W through Pipe Creek, Bandera, Tarpley, Utopia, RR 1050 to Concan, jump over to 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 TX 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.

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"

---

MAJOR HILL COUNTRY SPECIFIC RESOURCE TOPICS

Airports Antiques Arts Attractions Bats Books Buy & Sell Anything Calendar Camps Car Shows Caves-Caverns Day Spas Dance Halls Dude Ranches Economic Development, Commerce & Chambers Entertainment Venues Event Venues Festivals Forts

Golf Courses Government (State & Federal) Helpful Agencies & Links Higher Education Hospitals Hunting & Fishing Land/Water Management Lakes Lavender Limos/Taxis/ Shuttles/Tours Lodging/Motels/ B&Bs/ Accommodations Maps of Area Market Days Media Motorcycling Movies Museums Music, Singers & Bands

Outdoors Parks Peaches & Apples Quilting Real Estate Real Estate FSBO Rentals & Leasing Of Offices & Housing Special Portal Reports TEXDOT Road Conditions RV Parks Theaters Tourism TPWD Trail Region Weddings Wi-Fi Hotspots Wildflowers Wineries & Tours

WEATHER FORECASTS: Bandera Blanco Brady Burnet Comfort Fredericksburg Johnson City Junction Kerrville Lampasas Marble Falls Medina Wimberley