I get asked about Sunrise Beach Village more than almost anywhere else on Lake LBJ, usually by people who’ve already ruled out Horseshoe Bay on price and want to know if there’s anywhere left on this lake that still feels like an actual small town instead of a subdivision with a lake view bolted on. There is, and it’s been sitting quietly on the south shore since before most of the Highland Lakes existed as a real estate category at all.
TLDR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): Living in Sunrise Beach Village, TX
- Sunrise Beach Village is one of the oldest lakefront communities on Lake LBJ, founded in 1958 by San Antonio developer David Miller, years before most of the Highland Lakes area developed
- It incorporated as its own city in 1973 and sits between Marble Falls and Llano in Llano County, roughly 21 miles from Marble Falls and about 24 miles from Llano
- The city does not allow short-term rentals, so this is a full-time and weekend-owner community rather than a rotating cast of renters
- Around 700 residents live here year-round, making it one of the smallest incorporated cities anywhere on the lake
- Lake LBJ is a constant-level lake here too, so boating and fishing hold up year-round instead of depending on seasonal water releases
- Kids attend Llano ISD, the same county-wide district that covers Kingsland and part of Horseshoe Bay
Where Sunrise Beach Village Sits and What the Commute Looks Like
Sunrise Beach Village sits on the south shore of Lake LBJ in Llano County, roughly halfway between Marble Falls and the city of Llano. It’s about 21 miles and 30 to 35 minutes to Marble Falls for groceries, the hospital, and anything else beyond the basics, and about 24 miles to Llano in the other direction. Austin is a longer haul than either, around 62 miles and a little over an hour under normal traffic, so this isn’t a spot I show people who need to be in an office five days a week.
It’s a genuinely small place. The whole city covers less than two square miles of land, which is part of why it still feels like a town you can get your arms around rather than a sprawling lake development. There’s no strip of restaurants or shops right in town; residents drive to Marble Falls or Llano for that, and most seem to plan their week around it rather than resent the drive.
How Sunrise Beach Village Got Its Start
This is one of the oldest stories on the lake. San Antonio developer David Miller platted Sunrise Beach in 1958 as a resort and retirement community, making it one of the very first subdivisions built on what was then a brand-new lake, years before Horseshoe Bay, Kingsland’s newer sections, or most of the rest of the Highland Lakes had any real development at all. By 1966 it already had motels, restaurants, and the recreational facilities you’d expect of a young lake town, and the population climbed to around 800 by 1970 and peaked near 1,025 in the mid-1970s.
The city incorporated in 1973, with M. Bruce McNair serving as the first mayor, and it was around then that it took on the name Sunrise Beach Village. Like a lot of small resort towns, it didn’t grow in a straight line. The population actually dropped through the late 1970s and into the 1990s before climbing back to around 700 by the 2000 census, and it’s held steady in that range ever since, 739 residents as of the 2020 census. What that history tells me, more than any brochure would, is that this is a town that found its size and settled into it rather than one still figuring out what it wants to be.
Lake LBJ and Public Water Access
Lake LBJ is a constant-level lake, meaning the Lower Colorado River Authority holds the water line steady year-round instead of drawing it down the way Lake Travis gets drawn down in dry summers. That matters more here than almost anywhere on the lake, since a lot of Sunrise Beach Village’s identity is built around the water. Boating and fishing stay reliable regardless of drought conditions elsewhere in the Hill Country, which is a real reason this stretch of shoreline has held onto long-term owners instead of turning over every few years.
You don’t need waterfront property to get onto the lake here, either. The city maintains public parks with boat ramps and picnic areas along the shoreline, so residents a few streets back from the water still have a straightforward way to launch a boat or spend an afternoon on the bank. Homes with private docks are common, especially on the older waterfront lots, but they’re not the only way in.
Why There’s No Rotating Cast of Renters
The detail that surprises most people I talk to is that Sunrise Beach Village doesn’t allow short-term rentals. City ordinance bars renting a home out for less than 30 days at a time, which is a real departure from how a lot of Lake LBJ has developed. Drive through parts of Horseshoe Bay or the newer sections near Kingsland on a summer weekend and you’ll see a steady rotation of vacation renters. Drive through Sunrise Beach Village and the people on the docks and in the yards are, for the most part, the same people who were there the week before.
That has practical effects beyond just quiet streets. Buyers here are choosing a neighborhood where they’ll actually get to know the people next door, where a house doesn’t turn into an unofficial short-term rental income property the moment the seller moves out, and where the town’s small-city government, not an HOA, sets the rules. If your plan is to buy on the lake and run it as a vacation rental, this isn’t the right town for that. If your plan is to actually live here, full-time or on weekends, it’s one of the more deliberate choices you can make on this lake.
Housing in Sunrise Beach Village
I won’t quote sale figures since Texas is a non-disclosure state, but the general shape of the market here is consistent. Housing stock ranges from older lake cottages, some that have been in the same family for decades, to newer custom builds on the remaining vacant lots, and a good number of properties come with private docks already in place. It tends to run less expensive than Horseshoe Bay and is competitive with, sometimes a step below, comparable waterfront in Kingsland, though as always the premium goes to true waterfront with a dock over anything set back from the shoreline.
Schools
Sunrise Beach Village is served by Llano ISD, the same county-wide district that covers the city of Llano, Kingsland, and part of Horseshoe Bay. It’s a small, county-style district rather than a large suburban system, and students commute into Llano proper for most campuses, about 24 miles from Sunrise Beach Village. That’s worth weighing honestly against what you’d get in a bigger Austin-area district if you’re moving a family here rather than retiring or buying a weekend place.
Who Sunrise Beach Village Is a Good Fit For
I point buyers toward Sunrise Beach Village when they want a real small town on the water, not a subdivision that happens to touch the lake, and they’re not bothered by a longer drive to Austin or to the nearest grocery store. It’s a strong fit for retirees, weekend owners who want to actually recognize their neighbors, and anyone who’s watched a house next door turn into a rotating vacation rental somewhere else and decided they’d rather not deal with that again. It’s a tougher sell if you need restaurants and shopping within walking distance, if you’re commuting into Austin daily, or if part of your plan is renting the place out short-term to cover the mortgage, since the city won’t let you do that. For everyone else who actually wants to live here rather than just visit, it’s one of the more settled, genuinely small towns left on this lake.
If you’re also weighing other spots on this stretch of the lake, Living in Kingsland, TX covers a nearby community with a different feel worth comparing.
If you want to see what’s actually available right now, you can search current listings here.
