Living in Georgetown, Texas: What I Tell Buyers Who Want a Real Downtown
Georgetown is the city buyers mean when they say they want a real downtown. A square, a courthouse, a calendar full of festivals. I'm Felix, a Texas Realtor, and I live in Cedar Park, about a short drive away. Before the bottom of this page, I'll show you three things.
First, what the city says it has: the historic districts, the park and trail count, and the one festival that fills the Square. Second, how Georgetown stacks up on price and commute against its neighbors. Third, the line on the tax statement that shows up in some Georgetown neighborhoods and not others. That third one is where buyers get surprised.
Where Georgetown sits
Georgetown is built around a historic square that surrounds the Williamson County Courthouse. The Census Bureau counted 67,176 people in April 2020 and estimates 106,907 in July 2025, up about 59 percent in five years. It is now bigger than Cedar Park and Leander, and it is still adding people.
This page is the lifestyle guide. For homes for sale right now, use my Georgetown homes page. If you are comparing, look at Round Rock, Liberty Hill and Jarrell.
The Square, and what the city says about it
In 1997, Georgetown became the first Texas city to win the Great American Main Street Award, and the city lists three National Register historic districts with more than 180 historic buildings and homes. The Red Poppy Festival fills the downtown Square each spring: the 2026 festival ran April 24 to 26 with free music, more than 150 vendors, parades, kids activities, parking and shuttles, according to the city. If you picture yourself walking to a downtown, this is what I mean by the real thing.
Parks, the river and the lake
The City of Georgetown says it has 74 parks on about 1,254 acres and more than 22 miles of hike-and-bike trails. San Gabriel Park is 180 acres with a 1.6-mile loop trail and trail connections toward Blue Hole, Rivery, Chautauqua and Lake Georgetown. I would rather you walk the river trail once than have me describe it.
If water matters to you, ask me which parts of the river and lake are open to the public and which are not, and I will check the city and the lake's operator for the current rules before you plan around it.
The numbers, side by side
Here is the first thing I promised. This is a national home value index that tracks the typical middle-tier home, single-family and condo, smoothed to take out month-to-month noise. These are the figures as of Sep 30, 2026. The table adds the change from a year earlier and the Census Bureau's average commute for workers who live in each city.
| City | Typical home value, Sep 30, 2026 | Change from Sep 30, 2025 | Average commute, minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown | $419,666 | down 3.9% | 28.2 |
| Round Rock | $395,851 | down 5.1% | 24.9 |
| Cedar Park | $456,996 | down 3.1% | 25.5 |
| Leander | $420,175 | down 5.6% | 29.2 |
| Liberty Hill | $479,477 | down 5.8% | 34.1 |
| Jarrell | $250,230 | down 5.6% | 33.4 |
| Austin | $491,960 | down 3.2% | 23.7 |
Home values come from a national home value index for middle-tier single-family homes and condos, smoothed to take out month-to-month noise. Commute is the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 average for workers who commute. Some city rows may include areas outside the city limits.
Read it slowly. Georgetown's typical value is $419,666, which is $37,000 below Cedar Park's $456,996 and $169,000 above Jarrell's $250,230. Over the year it fell 3.9 percent, a smaller drop than the Austin metro's 4.3 percent. From its July 2022 high of $544,769, the index is down 23.0 percent.
An index is a map, not a price tag, and I can't tell you where it goes next. Unlock MLS, the Central Texas MLS, put the September 2026 median sold price for the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area at $421,000, with 5.4 months of inventory and an average close of 92.7 percent of original list price. Treat that as a separate measure from the index above.
The drive
Here is the second thing. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey puts the average one-way trip to work for people who live in Georgetown at 28.2 minutes, versus 25.5 in Cedar Park and 24.9 in Round Rock. An average hides your worst morning. Yours depends on where you work and when you leave.
Georgetown sits on I-35, and TxDOT's I-35 Georgetown to Round Rock project starts at SH 29 and covers 13 miles to SH 45 North. TxDOT's proposal adds managed lanes in each direction, adds one main lane in each direction between SH 29 and RM 1431, changes ramps and rebuilds several bridges. A proposal is not a finished road, so I tell you what is open today.
The straight talk
- It is the most downtown-minded of the north-side cities, with a Square, three National Register historic districts and a spring festival that fills it.
- It costs less than Cedar Park on the index and its average commute is about three minutes longer than Cedar Park's (28.2 versus 25.5).
- It is growing fast. About 59 percent from the 2020 count to the 2025 estimate.
- Some neighborhoods carry a PID assessment. More on that below.
- Prices fell like everywhere else. The index is down 23.0 percent from its July 2022 high.
What changes the bill at an address
Texas has no state property tax. Local taxing units set the rates. Williamson County's list of Public Improvement Districts includes three under the City of Georgetown's finance department. A PID is a yearly assessment that can appear on the property tax statement and is not an ad valorem tax, so, per the county, exemptions such as the 100 percent disabled veteran exemption do not change it. As of September 1, 2021, a seller of property in a PID must give the buyer a notice of the obligation. I check each address for this before I send it to you, and I put the yearly cost next to the price. Your own tax professional should confirm your bill.
Who Georgetown fits
It fits you if you want a real downtown with a festival calendar, a big park and trail system, and a price below Cedar Park's. It fits less well if you want the shortest possible commute. Both answers are fine.
Moving from out of state? I wrote a guide for each starting point: Moving From Chicago to Austin, Moving From New York to Austin, Moving From Dallas to Austin and Moving From California to Austin.
I can't tell you where prices or mortgage rates go next, and nobody honestly can. Here is what I can show you. Unlock MLS reported that rising mortgage rates slowed September sales in the Austin area, with closed sales down 14.8 percent from a year earlier and 13,465 active listings. Markets move month to month. The part you control is how ready you are. When you start a file today, the right home does not catch you off guard, because I am already working from your list.
How it works with me
- You start your file. Tell me about your timeline and where you are in the process. I text you and send my agreement the same day.
- We talk it through. Your must-haves, your commute, what you want around you and what you want in your budget.
- I send you homes that fit that list, with what is around each one, so you are not scrolling through noise.
- We tour together. I walk each home with you and tell you what I notice. I have experience in building homes, and a licensed inspector is always your call.
- You choose. Every lender, insurer and warranty company is your decision.
- Closing. I attend every closing, and I am there at the table with you.
My services are fiduciary in nature, so I can only work for clients. When you start a file, I am on your side of the table.
Is Georgetown a good place to live?
I don't rank cities, but here is what the sources show. The average commute is 28.2 minutes, the city lists 74 parks on about 1,254 acres, and the typical home value on the index is $419,666. Whether that fits depends on your commute, budget and what you want around you.
How much does a home in Georgetown cost?
On the home value index, the typical middle-tier home in Georgetown was $419,666 on Sep 30, 2026, down 3.9% from a year earlier. That is an index, not a price for any home.
What is the Georgetown Square?
It is a historic downtown square that surrounds the Williamson County Courthouse. In 1997 Georgetown became the first Texas city to win the Great American Main Street Award.
What is the commute from Georgetown like?
The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 average one-way travel time to work for people who live in Georgetown is 28.2 minutes, compared with 25.5 in Cedar Park and 24.9 in Round Rock. Averages hide rush hour.
What is the Red Poppy Festival?
It is a spring festival on the downtown Square. The 2026 festival ran April 24 to 26 with free music, more than 150 vendors, parades and kids activities, according to the city.
Why does the tax bill change by address in Georgetown?
Texas has no state property tax and local units set rates. Williamson County lists three PIDs under the City of Georgetown. A PID is a yearly assessment, so I check each address for one.
Do you rank schools or neighborhoods?
No. I don't rank schools or neighborhoods, and I don't make claims about who lives where. Each school district publishes its own information and boundaries, and I will point you to the official source for any address you are considering. What I can do is match homes to your commute and to what is around them, like trails, lakes, parks and shopping.
Do I need to be in Austin to get started?
No. Start your file, tell me where you are in your plan, and I will tell you what is best done in person. Then we plan your visit around a short list of homes that fit.
Who do you work for, and will you be at my closing?
My services are fiduciary in nature, so I can only work for clients. When you start a file, I am on your side of the table. Yes, I attend every closing, and I am there at the table with you.
Ready? Open your file and I will text you today. No pressure, just a clear list built around your life.
Important: I'm a Texas Realtor, not an attorney, tax advisor, lender, appraiser or inspector. The figures on this page come from the U.S. Census Bureau, the City of Georgetown, Williamson County, TxDOT, the Texas Comptroller, Unlock MLS and a national home value index, were pulled on Nov 2, 2026, and can be revised or change. Nothing here is tax, legal, lending or appraisal advice, a price opinion for any home, or a recommendation of any company. Property tax and income tax outcomes depend on your situation and the address, so check with your own tax professional. I list places by what is there and by commute, and I do not rank or describe neighborhoods by who lives in them.
Related: Moving From California to Austin · Moving From Chicago to Austin · Moving From New York to Austin · Moving From Dallas to Austin · Georgetown homes · Round Rock · Liberty Hill · Jarrell
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