Why are homes so cheap in Canyon Lake Texas?

[flashfearless]

Because it is out in the sticks. Drive far for even the grocery.

[Arkay66]

Canyon Lake resident here. Amazed at some of the erroneous info put out.

First, Canyon Lake is a flood control lake in the Guadalupe River canyons. It's deep, max depth being 125' and average depth is 43'. During the 2011-early 2015 drought, it went down about 13', which did close all but one of the boat ramps. The rains in 2015 overfilled it, making for some exciting river tubing when the Guadalupe was re-opened for tubing. As of today, the lake and river are still full.

We who are on the Canyon Lake Water Service never had to go on water restrictions during the drought. Compare that to the restrictions all around us...

Second, how far you are from anything depends upon which side of the lake you're on. The north side is a lot farther from things than the south, but plan on 12 miles at least to a town of any size. Here at the lake, there are a number of villages, each with a variety of small businesses that cover most everything we need. We only go to New Braunfels, San Marcos, Spring Branch/Bulverde, or San Antonio about once every six weeks or so.

Internet is excellent. We have the Guadalupe Valley Telecommunications Cooperative, with broadband DSL (also provides cable TV and landline telephone, excellent quality on both). The newer developments are getting fiber and the older areas are being upgraded on a schedule. A few locations also have the choice of other providers, but I'm not familiar with them.

Access to Walmarts and Costco:
From the north side, a brand new Walmart (with a fuel station) opened at the intersection of TX 46 and US 281. Costco is in San Antonio, down US 281 to the Loop 1604 exit. Don't go until after 10:00 am and the traffic is fine (Costco doesn't open until 10:00 anyway). Leave there to come home before 3:00 pm and the traffic is fine. Otherwise, US 281 can be slow from about Bulverde Road to Loop 1604 and the reverse, because there are so many traffic lights in that section. But when you consider that the speed limit is 65mph, slow may be a relative term...
From the south side, we have the choice of going over to TX 46 and US 281, or driving to I-35 in New Braunfels. There's a super Walmart (very nice and with fuel) north in San Marcos (but the new one at 46 and 281 is bigger), or a small one in New Braunfels (traffic and parking are awful, so we never go there). The Costco is in Selma, north of San Antonio. We went there a few times, but actually prefer the Sonterra Park Costco at US 281 and Loop 1604, for ease of getting there and back.

For many things, San Marcos is actually closer to Canyon Lake than New Braunfels, along some lovely back roads. A bunch of outlet malls are south of San Marcos on I-35, one of the absolute best auto collision repair places is there, Texas State University, excellent medical, and a host of other good stuff.

New Braunfels is next closest, also with excellent medical (one of the largest professions in Comal County is medical), outstanding restaurants and lots of cool stuff to do.

What can one do at Canyon Lake?
Well, there's rainbow trout fly fishing (the southernmost rainbow trout habitat in the US), boating on the lake, scuba diving, hang gliding, paragliding, tubing and kayaking the Guadalupe River, hiking and walking trails galore, tons of bicyclists on the roads every pretty day, guided tours of the Canyon Lake Gorge (created from the 2002 flood). Great motorcycling around the area. Lots of parks in/around the lake.
If you're more into inside events, we have the loveliest library in the state, according to the visitors who make the comparisons. The Community Resource & Recreation Center has tons of activities (and a thrift store to help fund it). You could volunteer at the CRRC and/or the library, or any number of other volunteer organizations here. If you like to write, the Canyon Lake Area Writers meet at the library twice a month. The guitar pickers and songwriters meet weekly at the library, too.

We have two grocery stores on the south side and a new one will open next month on the north side. There are two pharmacies on the south side (CVS and Mountain Valley) and one on the north. Several medical clinics are scattered around the lake for your general practice stuff. Lots of veterinary clinics, if you have pets. Wide variety of restaurants. Lots of music venues around the lake and the 19th century dance hall, Gruene Hall, is about 8 miles away. Several wineries have opened around the lake, and you're well positioned here to visit any number of Hill Country wineries.

Gas is a few cents cheaper at the lake than in towns. But the absolute cheapest fuel is at Buckee's in New Braunfels. With 144 pumps, it's the largest Buckee's and is itself a tourist destination.

Homes around the lake range from dirt cheap to holy smokes, and apartment buildings are going up more and more, if you prefer smaller digs and/or no yards. The closer to lakeside, the smaller the lots, and the more expensive the cost. If you'd prefer a lake view instead of lake side, the possibilities are far greater and much more affordable. Many properties average 2-5 acres, several are 10 or more, and many are standard city lot size. If you want to avoid the occasional flood, buy above the dam level. The winds along the hillsides help mediate the summer heat, anyway - don't get that down low.

Another thing to consider about lake side: no permanent docks allowed. Your dock has to move up and down, according to lake level. The lake is owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the lake side rules are pretty strict. All the docks I've seen up close are on chained winches, to go where the water is. That can be kind of expensive, if the place you bought didn't already have one.

If you want to live elsewhere and visit here for several days, there's a huge time share resort on the north side. We also have a number of B&B, but as yet there is no motel/hotel anywhere around the lake. Lots of cabins, owner rentals, and RV parks. From mid-May through early October, it's right lively around here with all the lake visitors and river tubers.

OK, defense of my home is over. I saw you really liked the Bulverde area. Be advised that it's the fastest growing area in the county at the moment, and it's having problems that aren't going to improve anytime soon. Traffic and water are the worst issues, followed by a couple of developers trying to snatch ranchers' lands via eminent domain just so they don't have to build sewage treatment facilities on the developers' land (it's ugly and you definitely would not want to buy from those developers until that mess is sorted out), plus the down creek folks are upset over the sewage that could contaminate their water wells and the creek's ecosystem.

Suggest you consider north of Bulverde, in the Spring Branch area, well away from Bulverde's ongoing problems. Very nice area, according to friends who live there.

If you want to stay completely out of all fuss and bother, Kerrville would be the place. Lovely area, less expensive than closer to San Antonio, all the facilities you need (except Costco, nearest one is 47 miles away), and it's a great staging location to so many exciting locations.

Good luck in your search.

[Pancho-Villa]

Why folks always feel the need to defend where they live? Never understood that. You like it, that's all that matters.

[steve807]

I've heard water is pricey around Canyon Lake, which seems odd.

[Arkay66]

Water is pricey? Well, if I compare it to where I was stationed in Virginia, then it's pricey. If I compare it to where I was stationed in Arizona or California, it's really cheap.

If one is on CLWS, there's a base price for up to 3900 gals per month for a typical home setup. If you go over that, it can get pricey. Stay under it and the cost is quite reasonable by my standards.