Horseshoe Bay, Texas
Horseshoe Bay is a resort city in the Highland Lakes country of Central Texas, set along the shore of Lake LBJ on the Colorado River about 42 miles northwest of Austin. The city grew up around the Horseshoe Bay Resort, and it is known regionally for its golf courses, marinas, and lakeside living amid the granite hills west of the Balcones Escarpment. Though tied administratively to Burnet County, the community also extends into neighboring Llano County.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 5,339
- Change from 2020 base
- +25.5%
- Land area
- 14.3 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Burnet County and Llano County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Horseshoe Bay crosses county lines, so the appraisal district and tax office depend on the parcel address. School, city-limit, MUD, PID, and other special-district lines can be different too. Start with the full county list below instead of treating one county as the answer.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
County context
What to know around Horseshoe Bay
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Horseshoe Bay.
County History
Burnet County began with a namesake, a new government, and a short-lived colony
Created in 1852 and named for Texas's first president, the county organized the same year a Mormon settlement was building mills nearby.
Property Tax
Burnet CAD handles both appraisal and tax collection
BCAD appraises taxable property and collects local property taxes; unresolved value protests go to an independent review board.
History & Identity
Llano County's Granite Geology and German Settlement Roots
Llano County sits on an ancient granite formation called the Llano Uplift. Its first settlers were mostly German immigrants who came in the 1840s after a peace treaty with the Comanche.
Nearby
Places near Horseshoe Bay
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Horseshoe Bay
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