Where is Santa Rita Ranch and how far is it from downtown Austin?

It sits in Liberty Hill in northwest Williamson County, roughly 11 miles west of Georgetown. Downtown Austin is about 32 to 38 miles south. Using the SH 183A toll road, whose extension into Liberty Hill opened in April 2025, expect about 40 to 50 minutes off-peak and 55 to 75 minutes at rush hour. North Austin job centers like Apple and the Domain run about 30 to 40 minutes.

Which schools serve Santa Rita Ranch?

Most of the community is zoned to Liberty Hill ISD, with Santa Rita Elementary and Santa Rita Middle School on-site and Liberty Hill High School for grades 9 to 12. The Tierra Rosa section is zoned to Georgetown ISD and served by the on-site San Gabriel Elementary (opened 2024). Private on-site options include Divine Savior Academy. Because Liberty Hill ISD is growing quickly, always confirm the current attendance zone in writing.

Who builds here and what do homes cost?

As of July 2026 about a dozen builders are active, including Perry Homes, Highland Homes, Toll Brothers, Pulte, Coventry, Taylor Morrison, Scott Felder, Westin, CastleRock, GFO, and Sitterle. Product spans cottage, single-family, townhome, estate, and 55-plus active-adult homes from the high $300s to over $1 million. Redfin reported a median sale price around $591,000 in its most recent month, up about 10 percent year over year.

What are the HOA dues?

The master HOA runs about $116 a month (roughly $1,392 a year), funding the pools, trails, parks, amenity centers, and lifestyle program. Premium sub-neighborhoods add a second assessment: for example Mirabeau about $159, Augustine about $183, and Ventana about $198, and the Regency 55-plus section carries its own. A $340 transfer fee applies at closing, and Goodwin and Company manages the association.

Is now a good time to buy at Santa Rita Ranch?

Buyers currently have leverage. With heavy standing inventory and homes near 180 days on market, builders are offering aggressive incentives, including rate buydowns and closing-cost credits, usually tied to their preferred lender. The tradeoffs are a high MUD-driven tax rate near 2.2 to 2.6 percent, toll-road commuting, and years of ongoing construction. Negotiate hard, compare the builder's financing against an outside lender, and plan for a longer resale hold.

The rolling wooded Hill Country landscape west of Austin where new communities are expanding

Master-Planned Community

Santa Rita Ranch

Northwest metro, Williamson County, Liberty Hill, Texas. An honest, buyer-side guide to the builders, amenities, schools, taxes, and tradeoffs.

The short answer

Santa Rita Ranch is an award-winning, roughly 3,100-acre master-planned community in Liberty Hill in northwest Williamson County, launched in 2013. RCLCO has ranked it Austin's top-selling community for five straight years, and it is known for resort-style pools, pickleball, miles of trails, and on-site schools. About a dozen builders field cottage, single-family, estate, and 55-plus homes from the high $300s past $1 million. The honest tradeoffs are a real distance from central Austin, a MUD-driven tax rate near 2.2 to 2.6 percent, and toll-road commuting.

Ed and Elizabeth HorneLiberty Hill ISD (Georgetown ISD in the Tierra Rosa section)High $300s to $1M+

Buyer-side notes by Luke Allen · Updated July 9, 2026· Figures approximate, verify current specifics

At a glance

The facts that actually matter

Developer: Ed and Elizabeth Horne (Capitol Realty Advisors) with Platform Ventures
Location: Northwest metro, Williamson County, Liberty Hill 78642
School district: Liberty Hill ISD (Georgetown ISD in the Tierra Rosa section)
Price range: As of July 2026, new and resale homes generally run from the high $300s to more than $1 million, with estate product past $1.3 million and Toll Brothers' Regency 55-plus homes starting in the mid $300s. Redfin reported a median sale price around $591,000 in its most recent month, up about 10 percent year over year, near $196 per square foot, with homes averaging around 180 days on market.
Commute: Roughly 32 to 38 miles north of downtown Austin. Via the SH 183A toll road, whose extension into Liberty Hill opened in April 2025, plan on about 40 to 50 minutes downtown off-peak and 55 to 75 minutes at rush hour. North Austin job centers like Apple and the Domain run about 30 to 40 minutes. The 183A is a paid toll road, so budget the ongoing cost. Dated July 2026.
Scale: About 3,100 acres by the Census boundary, with builder marketing citing 3,700 to 4,000 acres. Planned for roughly 10,000 homes at build-out, about half built, with more than 4,200 sold since the 2013 launch.

Who builds here

Builders

Perry Homes
Highland Homes
Toll Brothers
Pulte Homes
Coventry Homes
Taylor Morrison
Scott Felder Homes
Westin Homes
CastleRock Communities
GFO Home
Sitterle Homes

Home types

Single-family homes on 40 to 70 foot lots
Estate homes on larger lots up to about 105 feet
Cottage and lower-maintenance homes and townhomes
55-plus active-adult homes (Regency at Santa Rita Ranch by Toll Brothers)
One and two-story plans, roughly 1,500 to 4,700 square feet

Lifestyle

Amenities

Multiple resort-style pools across several amenity centers, including the newer 8-acre Paddock complex with three pools
Water slides and splash pads
Indoor and outdoor pickleball, fitness centers, and a wellness barn
More than five miles of trails and catch-and-release fishing ponds
Multiple parks, playgrounds, and a dog park
A full-time lifestyle program with a Director of Fun and an active event calendar
A Memorial Plaza honoring veterans and first responders

Read this before the base price

Taxes

Santa Rita Ranch homes sit inside Northwest Williamson County Municipal Utility Districts (for example MUD #19B and #19G), which layer a MUD levy of about $0.85 per $100 on top of Liberty Hill ISD, Williamson County, and emergency-services rates. Confirmed data points run about 2.22 percent in a core section up toward roughly 2.46 to 2.6 percent in others, and the community's own FAQ quotes a broader 2.5 to 3.1 percent. MUD rates typically decline as a district matures. Verify the exact rate for a specific address with the Williamson Central Appraisal District. Dated July 2026.

How MUD and PID taxes work →

Monthly cost

HOA and dues

The master HOA runs about $116 a month (roughly $1,392 a year). Premium sub-associations stack an additional monthly fee: Mirabeau about $159, Augustine about $183, and Ventana about $198, and the Regency 55-plus section carries its own assessment. A $340 transfer fee applies at closing, managed by Goodwin and Company. Confirm the exact dues for a specific section.

Honest tradeoffs

The pros and the cons, both

No community is perfect. Here is the case for and against, the way I would give it to a client.

The case for

Award-winning, top-selling Austin-area master plan (RCLCO's number-one Austin seller five years running) with resort-level amenities
A full-time lifestyle program that drives a strong social and family feel
On-site schools, with an elementary and middle school walkable for many residents
Wide builder and price range, from the high $300s to over $1 million, plus a dedicated 55-plus section
Hill Country setting with trails, ponds, and newer infrastructure
The April 2025 SH 183A extension meaningfully improved access to the north Austin metro

The case against

A real distance from central Austin, 40 to 50 minutes downtown off-peak and up to 55 to 75 minutes at rush hour
A high combined tax rate (roughly 2.2 to 2.6 percent) driven by the MUD structure
The best commute route, 183A, is a paid toll road
A very large build-out (about 10,000 homes, only about half built) means years of continued construction
HOA dues stack a master fee plus a sub-association fee in premium neighborhoods
Heavy standing inventory with homes near 180 days on market can pressure near-term resale

On your side of the table

What a buyer’s agent watches for in Santa Rita Ranch

+Confirm which MUD and section a home is in and pull the current combined rate from Williamson CAD; do not rely on a builder's first-year, land-only estimate
+Verify total HOA cost, since premium villages and the Regency 55-plus section add a sub-association fee on top of the roughly $116 master fee
+Check the exact school zone in writing; most of the community is Liberty Hill ISD, but the Tierra Rosa section is Georgetown ISD
+Register your buyer's agent on the very first builder visit or the builder may refuse to pay representation later
+Most builder incentives are tied to the preferred lender and title; compare against an outside lender first
+Use an independent inspection and separate appraisal; the builder contract is written to favor the builder

Current incentives

As of mid-2026 the new-construction market here is incentive-heavy. Builders have advertised interest-rate buydowns, closing-cost credits, and price cuts on standing inventory, typically conditioned on using the builder's preferred lender and title, with packages running into the tens of thousands of dollars. With heavy inventory and homes near 180 days on market, buyers have real negotiating leverage. Confirm the current offer with each builder. Dated July 2026.

Dated mid-2026 · Verify the current, written offer on a specific home

Good to know

Santa Rita Ranch questions, answered

Where is Santa Rita Ranch and how far is it from downtown Austin?: It sits in Liberty Hill in northwest Williamson County, roughly 11 miles west of Georgetown. Downtown Austin is about 32 to 38 miles south. Using the SH 183A toll road, whose extension into Liberty Hill opened in April 2025, expect about 40 to 50 minutes off-peak and 55 to 75 minutes at rush hour. North Austin job centers like Apple and the Domain run about 30 to 40 minutes.
What is the property tax rate, and what is a MUD?: Santa Rita Ranch homes are in Northwest Williamson County MUDs (for example #19B and #19G), special districts that issue bonds to fund water, sewer, drainage, and roads and levy a tax to repay them at about $0.85 per $100. That stacks on top of Liberty Hill ISD, Williamson County, and emergency-services rates. Combined 2025 rates ran about 2.22 percent in a core section up toward roughly 2.46 to 2.6 percent elsewhere, and the community FAQ quotes a broader 2.5 to 3.1 percent. Verify the exact rate by address with Williamson CAD.
Which schools serve Santa Rita Ranch?: Most of the community is zoned to Liberty Hill ISD, with Santa Rita Elementary and Santa Rita Middle School on-site and Liberty Hill High School for grades 9 to 12. The Tierra Rosa section is zoned to Georgetown ISD and served by the on-site San Gabriel Elementary (opened 2024). Private on-site options include Divine Savior Academy. Because Liberty Hill ISD is growing quickly, always confirm the current attendance zone in writing.
Who builds here and what do homes cost?: As of July 2026 about a dozen builders are active, including Perry Homes, Highland Homes, Toll Brothers, Pulte, Coventry, Taylor Morrison, Scott Felder, Westin, CastleRock, GFO, and Sitterle. Product spans cottage, single-family, townhome, estate, and 55-plus active-adult homes from the high $300s to over $1 million. Redfin reported a median sale price around $591,000 in its most recent month, up about 10 percent year over year.
What are the HOA dues?: The master HOA runs about $116 a month (roughly $1,392 a year), funding the pools, trails, parks, amenity centers, and lifestyle program. Premium sub-neighborhoods add a second assessment: for example Mirabeau about $159, Augustine about $183, and Ventana about $198, and the Regency 55-plus section carries its own. A $340 transfer fee applies at closing, and Goodwin and Company manages the association.
Is now a good time to buy at Santa Rita Ranch?: Buyers currently have leverage. With heavy standing inventory and homes near 180 days on market, builders are offering aggressive incentives, including rate buydowns and closing-cost credits, usually tied to their preferred lender. The tradeoffs are a high MUD-driven tax rate near 2.2 to 2.6 percent, toll-road commuting, and years of ongoing construction. Negotiate hard, compare the builder's financing against an outside lender, and plan for a longer resale hold.

Keep exploring

Free buyer representation

Thinking about Santa Rita Ranch?

Before you tour a builder in Santa Rita Ranch, get your representation registered so it stays free, and get the real tax rate, incentives, and lot notes in writing. Luke replies personally.

Luke Allen

Licensed Texas REALTOR, TREC #788149

Austin Marketing + Development Group

Call 254-718-2567 Text Luke