Meadowlakes is a small, gated community on Lake Marble Falls in southern Burnet County, bordered on the northeast by Marble Falls itself and about 49 miles northwest of downtown Austin. Development started here in the 1970s, and the city incorporated in the mid-1980s with an estimated 250 residents, it’s grown steadily since, but it’s stayed a small, golf-course community rather than turning into a full-service town.
The population has grown from roughly 250 residents at incorporation to 1,293 at the 2000 census, 1,907 at the 2020 census, and an estimated 1,996 today. Meadowlakes has kept its own mayor and city council the whole time, though Marble Falls provides most of the day-to-day municipal services, a setup that keeps the city’s overhead low without leaving residents without a local voice on zoning and gate rules.
The community is built around a semi-private, 18-hole golf course, Hidden Falls Golf Club, a par-72 layout dating to 1976, with Bermuda fairways lined by mature pecan trees, and that, plus the 24-hour gated entry, is a big part of why Meadowlakes tends to draw retirees and second-home buyers looking for a quieter pace rather than a starter-home crowd. If you’re weighing a move here specifically for retirement, Retiring in Meadowlakes, TX goes deeper into what that gated, golf-centered setup means day to day.
Lake Marble Falls itself, formed by the LCRA’s Max Starcke Dam just upstream of Lake Travis, is one of the constant-level lakes in the Highland Lakes chain, the dam’s floodgates keep the water within about eight-tenths of a foot of the same range year-round, so docks and boathouses here don’t deal with the seasonal drawdowns some of the other lakes in the chain see.
I’m Robbie English, REALTOR and Broker at Uncommon Highland Lakes Realty here in the Highland Lakes.
What Homes Here Cost
As of early 2026, the average home price in Meadowlakes has run around $525,000, at roughly $218 per square foot, with most standard homes falling somewhere between $450,000 and $860,000 depending on size, golf-course frontage, and how recently the home was updated. That’s the everyday range you’ll see most often, three- and four-bedroom homes in the 1,700 to 2,500 square foot range built during the community’s original golf-course-era development. At the top end, true Lake Marble Falls waterfront properties climb well past that, into the multimillion-dollar range for the largest lakefront estates. Homes here have also tended to sit on the market longer than a typical suburban listing, often well over 100 days, which is fairly normal for a small, retirement-oriented community where buyers aren’t in a rush and inventory doesn’t turn over quickly.
Governance, Parks, and Getting Around
Meadowlakes runs its own Property Owners Association, separate from the city government, which holds the CC&Rs and handles the day-to-day rules that come with a gated community, along with a set of city-maintained parks residents don’t have to leave the gates to use. There’s a boat ramp and an adjoining fishing pier right in the community, giving direct lake access without a drive to one of the public ramps in Marble Falls, plus a dedicated RV parking area, worth knowing if you’re the kind of buyer who tows a boat or a camper and doesn’t want it sitting in the driveway. The POA also maintains tennis and pickleball courts alongside the golf course itself, so it’s not a one-amenity community even though golf gets most of the attention.
Kids here go to Marble Falls ISD, a seven-campus district based right next door, four elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools. Being this close to the district means a short bus ride, and being this close to Marble Falls itself means groceries, Baylor Scott & White’s hospital, and downtown are a few minutes away rather than a real errand.
What’s Coming
Meadowlakes isn’t standing still. There’s a new community center in the works that’s expected to add a golf pro shop, a restaurant, meeting space, and a resort-style pool complex to what the community already offers. If amenities are a real factor in your decision, it’s worth asking your agent for the current status of that project, since a community actively reinvesting in its shared spaces tends to hold value differently than one that isn’t.
What to Ask Before You Buy in Meadowlakes
Because the community’s original build-out dates to the 1970s and 80s, ask when a specific home was last updated rather than assuming the whole neighborhood is uniform in age or condition. Confirm current POA dues and what they cover, since golf access, park maintenance, and gate operations are typically bundled into that fee rather than charged separately. If a private dock is part of the property, ask about its permit history and condition, and if golf matters to you, confirm whether course access is included in POA membership or requires an additional golf-specific fee, that structure varies by community even within the Highland Lakes.
Financing and Timeline Considerations
Because Meadowlakes homes tend to sit on the market longer than average, that same patience often shows up on the buying side too. Sellers here are frequently not in a rush, which can work in a buyer’s favor during negotiation, but it also means a lowball offer without solid comparable data behind it is more likely to be ignored than countered. Come in with real comparables from recent Meadowlakes sales specifically, not a generic Marble Falls average, and you’ll have a stronger negotiating position either way. If you’re financing rather than paying cash, a conventional loan covers most homes here without issue, though a jumbo loan may come into play for the larger lakefront estates at the top of the range.
A Few Things Buyers Get Wrong
People sometimes assume a gated, golf-course community this size will be uniformly expensive, but the everyday price range here is actually one of the more accessible entry points into gated Highland Lakes living, it’s the handful of true lakefront estates that pull the top of the range up dramatically. Buyers also sometimes expect a faster-moving market than what actually happens here. Homes in Meadowlakes tend to sit longer than in a typical suburb, which isn’t a red flag, it’s simply the pace of a small, retirement-oriented community where sellers and buyers alike are rarely in a hurry.
Nearby Options
Meadowlakes sits right on the edge of Marble Falls, so most buyers looking here are also weighing Marble Falls itself for more in-town amenities, or Horseshoe Bay if a bigger golf-and-lake community fits better. For the wider picture of what’s available across the chain, take a look at Highland Lakes homes for sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What golf course is Meadowlakes built around?
Hidden Falls Golf Club, a semi-private, par-72, 18-hole course dating to 1976, with Bermuda fairways lined by mature pecan trees.
What’s the price range for homes in Meadowlakes?
Most standard homes have run between $450,000 and $860,000, averaging around $525,000, with true Lake Marble Falls waterfront estates reaching well into the multimillion-dollar range at the top end.
Does Lake Marble Falls have seasonal water-level drops like other Highland Lakes?
No. It’s managed as a constant-level lake by the LCRA’s Max Starcke Dam, with water kept within about eight-tenths of a foot of the same range year-round, so docks and boathouses here don’t deal with the seasonal drawdowns some other lakes in the chain see.
What school district serves Meadowlakes?
Marble Falls ISD, a seven-campus district with four elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools, right next door to the community.
How is Meadowlakes governed?
It’s an incorporated city with its own mayor and city council, though Marble Falls provides most day-to-day municipal services. A separate Property Owners Association handles the CC&Rs and gated-community rules.
If you’d like to see what’s currently listed in Meadowlakes, reach out and I’ll walk you through it.
For a closer look at what day-to-day life here is actually like, read Living in Meadowlakes, TX.
Robbie English, REALTOR, Broker at Uncommon Highland Lakes Realty.
