City celebrates 50 years of existence
With its golf courses, resorts and marinas, Lakeway is known to many as a resort destination. However, none of that existed 50 years ago.
"Back then, Lakeway was nothing," Lakeway Councilwoman Dee Ann Burns-Farrell said. "There were no rolling hills, no anything really. The city started out as just a little fishing community with people building weekend cabins. There wasn't even a store."
Today, the city boasts a population of at least 11,300, which is expected to rise. Throughout 2013, some of those residents will be celebrating Lakeway's 50th anniversary. The festivities kicked off in January with a pancake breakfast held at the Lakeway Activity Center, and more is planned as the city revels in some of its major recent successes, such as the Lakeway Regional Medical Center.
"The hospital was really a particular amenity a lot of people wanted for a long time," Lakeway Mayor Dave DeOme said. "We're a long way from any of the major hospitals. If you had a severe injury, you'd have to travel 20 miles for maybe half an hour or more in a [high] traffic situation. People really wanted the hospital."
