More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #457 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Lakeway was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1980.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lakeway is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #457 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lakeway’s overall grade.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lakeway’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Lakeway’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Lakeway was founded on the site of a 2,700-acre ranch owned by Houston oilman and rancher Jack (Jake) Josey. In early 1962, three Houston businessmen associated with the Gulfmont Hotel Company—G. Flint Sawtelle, John H. Crooker Jr., and Lee Blocker—obtained a sixty-day option to purchase the land and plan a hotel and resort community. The name Lakeway was a natural sequel to Gulfmont's Fairway Motor Hotel in McAllen, Texas, so named because it overlooked the fairway of a golf course. Construction of the hotel began in October 1962 and the grand opening was July 12, 1963. Around the same time, the Lakeway Land Company was formed, with Flint Sawtelle as president, for the development of real estate. In June 1974, a substantial majority of resident and nonresident property owners voted to incorporate with the consent of the city of Austin, and the 1,200-acre village of Lakeway …
Lakeway is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #457 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Lakeway?
0.9% of Lakeway’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2004.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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