Living in Pflugerville, Texas: Why My Family Calls It Home

At a glance

Location

First suburb north of Austin on I-35, with SH130 on the east and SH45 to the north

Commute

About 15 minutes to the Domain (as of Oct 2025)

Price range

Low $300s for resale homes up to the $800s and $900s for new construction in Blackhawk (as of 2025)

Schools

Pflugerville ISD in the neighborhoods I've toured like Falcon Pointe, Carmel and Lisso, plus public charter options nearby: Harmony, BASIS, IDEA and Valor

Tax rate

About 2% west of SH130, up to about 2.6% in some east-side neighborhoods (as of Oct 2025)

Outdoors

Officially the Trail Capital of Texas; Lake Pflugerville with a sand beach

What it's like to live in Pflugerville

My wife and I bought our first home here, and we have no plans on leaving. What sold us was the mix: location, value, the people, the parks and the food.

Pflugerville doesn't feel like a commuter town. It's tight-knit. You go into the grocery store and someone recognizes you and says hi. It's also a very diverse suburb.

The outdoors is a big part of life here. The governor signed off on Pflugerville as the official Trail Capital of Texas. As of October 2025 there are 70+ miles of trails, counting the ETJ, and reportedly no resident is more than a mile from one. Lake Pflugerville is a reservoir with a sand beach the city built. You can swim, kayak or paddleboard, and it's stocked for fishing. Northtown Park, with its championship disc golf course and dog parks, is one my family uses all the time.

The city is putting real money into itself. A new downtown on FM 685 is under construction, with a five-story city hall of more than 100,000 sq ft and a 140,000 sq ft rec center with a natatorium and a suspended indoor running track. As of October 2025 it's expected to open in 2026. There are also newer spots I like, including Crux Climbing Center, Spokesman Coffee, Spicy Boy and West Pecan Coffee.

The one downside? We don't have a Trader Joe's. I drive to the Arboretum.

How Pflugerville is laid out

I-35 runs along the west side, SH130 on the east and SH45 to the north. SH130 splits the city in half, and which side you pick shapes your life here.

West of SH130 is older and established. Small pockets like Windermere go back to the 1970s, and Mountain Creek is about 20 to 30 years old. You get mature trees, trails to the library and West Pecan Coffee, and it's easy to avoid toll roads. Homes that are 20 to 30 years old aren't bad at all. Just expect that the AC, the roof and often the kitchen will need replacing.

East of SH130 is where most of the new construction and master-planned communities are, including Blackhawk, Falcon Pointe and Avalon. You get easy toll road access. Stone Hill Shopping Center at SH130 and SH45 has Costco, Home Depot, Best Buy, Target, Torchy's, P. Terry's and In-N-Out. A new H-E-B opened off 130 on the east side, and the Kelly Lane extension east of 130 has completely transformed commute times.

Toll roads: on the east side you'll use them. If it's $2.50 each way, that's five bucks a day, five days a week. It adds up.

Schools: Neighborhoods I've toured like Falcon Pointe, Carmel and Lisso are in Pflugerville ISD. Around Falcon Pointe, Hendrickson High, Kelly Lane Middle and Murchison Elementary are all rated 8/10 or higher on GreatSchools as of October 2025, and Blackhawk has its own on-site elementary. There are also public charter schools nearby: Harmony on Wells Branch, Valor (technically in Austin), IDEA and a new BASIS K-12 campus at 10th St and Wells Branch. You have to apply, and it can be competitive.

Costs and property taxes

Property taxes are the number to watch here. As of October 2025, the rate is roughly 2% on the west side and about 2.6% in some east-side neighborhoods, where new infrastructure is still being paid for. That makes a pretty dramatic difference in affordability.

A few examples from my tours:

• Kuempel Estates: 1.9% with no PID, as of August 2025. That's one of the lowest rates in Pflugerville.
• Blackhawk: about 2.1% to 2.6% depending on the section, with the highest in new construction, as of February 2025.
• Lisso: 2.1% as of February 2025.
• Sarah's Creek (Taylor Morrison section) and Edgebrooke: 1.6% as of my 2024 tours.

A PID is basically a loan the developer takes out to put in roads and utilities up front, and it shows up in your tax rate.

On price, Pflugerville has long been a value compared to Austin. Back in December 2022, the average home for sale in Austin was $1,003,000 and in Pflugerville it was $536,000. As of 2025, I was touring homes from the low $300s up to new construction in the $800s and $900s.

Neighborhoods I've toured

• Blackhawk is Pflugerville's original and largest master-planned golf course community, with an on-site elementary and new construction still going in.
• The Grove at Blackhawk is Blackhawk's newest section, with larger lots and floor plans up to 4,300 sq ft.
• Falcon Pointe has the Residents Club amenity center and Murchison Elementary, Kelly Lane Middle and Hendrickson High inside the neighborhood.
• Avalon has a well-done amenity center, an on-site elementary school and quick access to Stone Hill.
• Carmel is a nearly-new east-side community with its elementary, middle and high school all inside the neighborhood.
• Kuempel Estates is a small new-construction pocket next to Carmel with a 1.9% tax rate and fiber internet included in the HOA.
• Sorento sits across from Lake Pflugerville and has homes from standalone townhomes to about 3,800 sq ft.
• Lisso is a Taylor Morrison community off Wells Branch Parkway, within about a mile of three public charter schools.
• Sarah's Creek has a newer Taylor Morrison section with gas utilities, close to Austin.
• Edgebrooke is a Brohn Homes community near The Pitch and East Village with a 1.6% tax rate.
• Upper East End is a small Taylor Morrison community with contemporary homes, one road over from Parmer.
• Enclave at Cele is technically in Cele, just east of Pflugerville, with large homes and 2.5- and 3-car garages.
• Village at Northtown is a 76-home KB Home community off Wells Branch that backs to Northtown Park.

Who Pflugerville fits

Pflugerville fits you if you want a real suburb with a community feel, but don't want to be far from Austin. If you want mature trees and to skip the toll roads, look west of SH130. If you want new construction, big amenity centers and schools inside the neighborhood, look east, and budget for tolls and a higher tax rate.

When I work for you, you get me. I show the homes, I negotiate and I'm the one who answers your call. You're never handed off to a teammate you didn't choose.

If you're thinking about Pflugerville, call or text me at (512) 983-7331, or email mason@masonsellsaustin.com. I'd love to show you around my hometown.

What's in the video

• 0:00Intro: the ultimate guide to Pflugerville
• 0:47Where Pflugerville is; Trail Capital of Texas
• 1:53New downtown, city hall and rec center
• 3:14Crux Climbing, Spokesman Coffee, Spicy Boy
• 4:12Kelly Lane extension
• 5:24Housing: west side of SH130 (older, established)
• 7:59East side: Stone Hill Shopping Center
• 9:01Blackhawk and Falcon Pointe schools
• 10:48Lake Pflugerville and Lakeside Meadows
• 12:14Property taxes, Kuempel Estates, new H-E-B
• 13:48Schools and public charter options
• 15:22Why we chose Pflugerville

Pflugerville questions I get asked