Rural Gateway East of Austin
Welcome to Cedar Creek, a Bastrop County community east of Austin where acreage, riverfront subdivisions, and McKinney Roughs Nature Park define rural-suburban living.
Cedar Creek is a census-designated place in Bastrop County, Texas, positioned along State Highway 71 in the corridor between Austin and Bastrop. It takes its name from Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River, and the community stretches across a landscape of blackland prairie, oak and cedar woodlands, and the river's floodplain. With about 3,100 residents at the 2020 census, it is a spread-out, largely rural place that has been absorbing residential growth from Austin's eastward expansion. The area's history is among the oldest in the county. Cedar Creek was settled as early as 1832, when Addison Litton received a land grant on both sides of the creek, establishing one of the region's early homesteads. For most of its history the community remained agricultural and thinly populated, but its location along Highway 71 and its proximity to Austin have gradually drawn new residents seeking space and more attainable housing. Today Cedar Creek blends rural acreage with newer subdivisions. Riverfront communities such as Cedar Shores and Lakeside Meadows offer dock and boat access, while developments like Cielo Vista Ranch and other subdivisions provide newer single-family homes on more compact lots. Around them, large-lot and acreage properties preserve the area's country character, and the community's housing often features Hill Country-style stone and contemporary designs set among native trees. The community's signature asset is McKinney Roughs Nature Park, a 1,140-acre park along the Colorado River with more than 17 miles of hiking, mountain-biking, and equestrian trails and a zip-line course. The Capital of Texas Zoo and Cedar Creek Park add family-oriented recreation, and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport lies roughly 13 miles to the west. Bastrop ISD serves local students through elementary, middle, and high school campuses in the community. For residents, Cedar Creek offers a genuine rural-suburban compromise: country space and outdoor access, with Austin's economy and airport within a short drive.
Cedar Creek is a census-designated place in Bastrop County, Texas, in the west-central part of the county. It lies along State Highway 71, roughly 20 miles east of downtown Austin and 11 miles west of Bastrop.
Cedar Creek is served by Bastrop Independent School District, which operates Cedar Creek High School, Cedar Creek Middle School, and Cedar Creek Elementary School within the community. The district spans a large, fast-growing area of Bastrop County.
McKinney Roughs Nature Park is a 1,140-acre nature park along the Colorado River in Cedar Creek. It features more than 17 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, along with a zip line course and river access.
Cedar Creek's housing blends rural acreage with newer subdivisions. Areas such as Cedar Shores and Lakeside Meadows offer private docks and community boat ramps, while much of the surrounding land consists of large-lot and acreage homes in a quiet, semi-rural setting.
Cedar Creek was settled as early as 1832, when Addison Litton received a league of land along the creek. The community takes its name from Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River.
City Guide
Cedar Creek's housing market is defined by land. Large acreage properties and high-end homes on substantial lots dominate much of the area, giving residents privacy, room for animals and equipment, and a backdrop of country hills and native oak, cedar, and pine. Alongside the acreage, newer subdivisions offer 21st-century homes on tighter lots, while river-oriented communities such as Cedar Shores and Lakeside Meadows provide private docks and community boat ramps. The result is a wide mix: from cozy cottages to contemporary Hill Country-style stone homes, with the common thread of a semi-rural setting and more space per dollar than central Austin. The market skews toward owner-occupied, single-family homes.
Cedar Creek is less a conventional town than a collection of neighborhoods and acreage areas spread across west-central Bastrop County. Riverfront subdivisions such as Cedar Shores and Lakeside Meadows offer dock access and boat ramps along the Colorado, while developments like Cielo Vista Ranch represent the area's newer residential growth. Informal clusters along roads such as Jacobson Road and scattered acreage tracts fill in the landscape, giving the community its patchwork rural character. The State Highway 71 corridor and the area around the Cedar Creek schools function as loose centers of activity, with McKinney Roughs Nature Park and the river anchoring the eastern edge.
Cedar Creek offers a quiet, rural-suburban lifestyle within reach of Austin. Life centers on space and the outdoors — acreage living, boating and fishing on the Colorado River, and hiking or riding at McKinney Roughs Nature Park. The community is spread out, with limited walkability and longer drives for shopping and services, so daily errands often route into Bastrop or along the State Highway 71 corridor. Residents trade proximity to Austin's urban amenities for larger lots, privacy, and a slower pace, and the area's younger, family-oriented population reflects its appeal to those seeking affordability and room to grow. Weekends might mean the Capital of Texas Zoo, river time, or a short drive into the city.
Cedar Creek is served by Bastrop Independent School District, which operates Cedar Creek High School, Cedar Creek Middle School, and Cedar Creek Elementary School within the community. The district covers a large, growing area of Bastrop County and has been adding campuses to keep pace with enrollment, reflecting the region's rapid residential growth. Families in Cedar Creek attend these nearby schools through a single K-12 pathway. For higher education, Austin Community College and several universities are within commuting distance in Austin, and the Bastrop area offers additional educational resources. The close proximity of schools and the community's family-oriented character are key considerations for relocating households.
Cedar Creek sits directly on State Highway 71, the main east-west corridor connecting Austin and Bastrop, which makes the community one of the more accessible rural areas east of the city. Downtown Austin is roughly 20 miles west, and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is about 13 miles away, an unusually convenient distance for a semi-rural community. Bastrop lies about 11 miles east, with its own services and historic downtown. There is no fixed-route public transit in Cedar Creek, so residents rely on cars, with Highway 71 serving as the primary commuting route. The highway's role in Austin's eastern growth corridor has made it both the community's lifeline and its main source of traffic.
McKinney Roughs Nature Park is Cedar Creek's outdoor centerpiece, a 1,140-acre preserve along the Colorado River with more than 17 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, plus a zip-line course and river access. Cedar Creek Park, a 37-acre county facility, offers football, soccer, and baseball fields, basketball and volleyball courts, a playscape, and nature trails. The Capital of Texas Zoo provides a family-friendly wildlife experience, and the Colorado River itself supports fishing and boating through nearby access points. With Bastrop State Park and the Lost Pines just east, and Austin's trail and lake systems to the west, outdoor recreation options are extensive in every direction.
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