Community Profile:  The county seat of Bastrop County, Bastrop is located in Central Texas along the Colorado River where it intersects highways 71, 95 and 21. Bastrop is 29 miles southeast of Austin, 88 miles northeast of San Antonio and 125 miles west of Houston. The Bastrop area is served by a semi-weekly newspaper. The Bastrop Advertiser is the oldest weekly newspaper in Texas. Other regional publications are also available. Several television stations can be received without cable and unlimited channels are available with cable.

Climate:  Bastrop enjoys a moderate climate with an average January low of 40 and July high of 90. The average precipitation is 37.1. With an elevation of 374 ft, the prevailing wind is southeast.

Demographics:  Figures from the U. S. Census Bureau show Bastrop County’s population grew more than 50 percent from 1990 to 2000 – from 38,263 to 57,733.  The growth continued from April 2000 to July 2006, when the county’s population rose 16.2 percent to 67,077 residents, making Bastrop the 9th fastest growing county in the state and 36th in the country.

Services:  Electricity is generated by the Lower Colorado River Authority and distributed through Bluebonnet Electric Co-op and City of Bastrop. Aqua Water or City of Bastrop supply water. City of Bastrop also provides sewage service to most city residents and businesses. CenterPoint Energy Entex provides gas and LPG is available also. A beautiful new City Library serves the city as well as the entire county.

Economic Development:  Bastrop is projected to be in the top five fastest growing counties in Texas during this decade, with a projected county population of 92,180 in 2010. State tax revenues have risen dramatically and consistently since 1990, and are expected to rise as new businesses move into the area.

The Highway 71 corridor from Austin’s Bergstrom International Airport is experiencing explosive growth. Hunter’s Crossing, a mixed-use development on Highway 71, is the site of Home Depot, Chili’s Restaurant, a retail strip center, and a new residential development that will include 465 homes and as many as 700 apartments.  Pecan Crossing is a 148-acre mixed use development on Highway 71 at Hwy 304 that will offer 1,000,000 square feet of retail space, restaurants, and other activities. A new family entertainment complex, Chestnut Square Family Entertainment Center, located at Loop 150 and Highway 95, opened in 2006 with a 4-screen theater with stadium seating, a 16 lane bowling alley, high-tech arcade, nine-table billiard parlor, and a food court.

Bastrop Village, a 750-acre project south of Texas 71 that straddles County Road 20, plans to build up to 985 homes.  The Colony, an existing gated community located just north of Hwy 71 between FM 1209 and FM 969, plans to build another 4,000 homes.

The Lost Pines Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa opened in June 2006. This 496-room resort is located on 600 acres near McKinney Roughs Nature Park, north of Hwy 71, and offers equestrian trails, hiking, an 18-hole golf course, a day spa and activities on the Colorado River.

This incredible growth has given our small picturesque community more resources to enhance the charm and ambiance that beckons you to visit often and to stay longer.

For more demographic information about the Bastrop area, please visit: http://www.bastropedc.org