November
Local shop owners are gearing up for a busy holiday season as Bastrop’s population and economy continue to grow.
“We absolutely love being here, and all of the businesses are so supportive of each other,” said Kari Sneed, owner of Sage & Co. and KC Outfitter.
Bastrop officials said local shops are flourishing—in part due to the rapid population growth.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports a nearly 60% increase in the city’s population over the past decade, with the total population estimated at 12,306 people as of 2024. Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo said that number could nearly double by 2029.
Michaela Joyce, Main Street Bastrop director, said more people means more sales tax revenue—a portion of which is recirculated back into the local economy for residents and business owners alike.
Look further into the story.
October
Three years in the making, founder Alton Butler said the stage is set to resume building Bastrop 552 film studios after a recent plot twist: the disannexation of his 545-acre property on Lovers Lane.
Butler said his film-play-stay concept will include live music stages, immersive sets, river activities and more—all over the next decade.
During that time, Bastrop 552 is projected to bring nearly 1,000 jobs to Bastrop, generate over $59 million for the local economy and create over $9 million in local taxes, per an economic impact report conducted by Austin-based consulting firm Impact DataSource.
“The moment I came out here and looked at the property, I had to have it,” he said. “It was like God put me on this path, and this place was it.”
Get the complete picture.
September
Bastrop ISD students are utilizing new and upgraded facilities due to the 2021 and 2023 bonds—the first to pass since 2007. Combined, the bonds total over $500 million.
BISD Superintendent Barry Edwards said both were necessary to keep the district strong while enrollment continues to grow.
“One thing is for sure: Bastrop ISD is growing,” he said. “These bonds have allowed us to address immediate needs and plan for the future.”
Bastrop High School senior Damian Acosta said the new weight room is a place where he and his peers can develop strong bonds.
“We may be divided by different sports, but one thing that always brings us together is the weight room,” Acosta said.
Read the full story.
August
Food insecurity in Bastrop is growing at a rapid rate, and Kelly Manfredini, director of marketing and communications with the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry, said officials have a plan.
The BCEFP team will break ground in the fall on a new facility to offset the increased need.
Manfredini said the growing demand is due to several factors, including reductions in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits along with the rising cost of housing and groceries.
“People are getting priced out of Austin, and after the [extra food benefits] went away ... we saw the huge increase,” Manfredini said. “If you’re choosing between not eating and going homeless, most people will choose the ‘not eating’ option. We use the phrase, ‘Rent eats first.’”
Read more about it.
July
A rise in housing options and interest rates has led to an increased number of houses available to potential buyers in Bastrop and Cedar Creek.
The population in Bastrop County was 106,000 as of 2022, a 20% increase from 2019, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In the same time frame, the number of housing units in the county increased by over 27% from 31,085 to 39,539.
“I think we can attribute this [population growth] to several factors—the rise in remote work options, competitive home prices compared to our nearby markets, and the ease of commuting from most of the Bastrop-Cedar Creek area into Austin or other areas,” said James Beck, Bastrop County Board of Realtors president and owner of Centum Oak Realty.
Get the full scoop.
June
Bastrop County Cares utilizes a Care-A-Van to provide health care services and public outreach initiatives in the community. This service is intended to help connect gaps in local health care coverage. (Courtesy Bastrop County Cares)
Two hospitals and several emergency clinics serve patients across Bastrop County, but they lack specialized services such as women’s and birthing care. Existing care also often fails to extend into more rural areas, according to local health care officials.
Bastrop also faces challenges related to inequity of care, with a high uninsured population and hospital visits often delayed until more serious health concerns arise, according to a 2023 St. David’s Foundation report.
“We have hotbeds of very vulnerable, high-risk populations in this county and with those pockets of residents, there is a true lack of access to health care,” said Donna Nichols, the Bastrop County Public Health Department interim executive director.
Dive deeper.
May
On Sept. 4, 2011, Tahitian Village resident Tiffany Cox noticed traffic was heavier than usual on her way to the store. By the time she put her groceries away, she could see smoke from the fire that would go on to destroy her home.
The 2011 fire—three individual fires that combined and were later named the Bastrop County Complex Fire—remains the most destructive in Texas history, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Thirteen years later, the county has increased its ability to communicate with residents ahead of an emergency, created a local fire response task force and helped resident reduce wildfire risk on their property. However, other challenges identified during the 2011 fire and before, such as lack of exits for some neighborhoods, remain a challenge.
“I will always have a fear that another fire could happen,” Cox said. “We’ve had a couple of scares since the Complex Fire.”
Read the full story.
April
At least five sand and gravel mining companies located along FM 969 in Bastrop County—several of which began operation in the past year—harvest silt deposited by the Colorado River.
Texas sand and gravel mining is a $2.1 billion industry according to the global research database IBISWorld. Open acreage near the Colorado River makes FM 969 area valuable for mining.
Bastrop residents’ first opportunity for input was at a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality hearing on March 7. The hearing was for a rock crusher permit request by Travis Materials for the company’s new mining location on a 900-acre property encompassing the site of the former Barton Hill Farms. Some residents voiced concerns about hazardous traffic conditions, noise and sand debris.
Learn more.
March
Since moving his startup The Boring Co. to Bastrop County in 2021, Elon Musk has grown his land holdings. The development includes Boring’s 80,000-square-foot warehouse, a bodega and a housing complex.
Another Musk venture, SpaceX, completed construction on the company’s 12-acre Project ECHO warehouse in 2023 opposite FM 1209 along the Colorado River.
Together, the two companies make up about 281 acres of the billionaire’s roughly 3,500 acres in the Austin area.
“Having something like [The] Boring Co., SpaceX located in your backyard—and to a greater extent Tesla—is good,” lifelong Bastrop resident Reid Sharp said. “It means more people, more opportunity.”
Read the full story.
