Discover the rich history of Georgetown, Texas and why it has become one of the most sought-after real estate markets in the Austin area. Local expert insights from Tanya Kerr Real Estate.
If you have spent any time in Georgetown, Texas, you already know there is something different about it. The historic downtown square lined with Victorian storefronts, the oak-shaded streets, the sense that this is a place with a real story behind it. That feeling is not an accident. Georgetown has one of the most genuinely interesting histories of any city in central Texas, and understanding that history goes a long way toward understanding why so many people are choosing to plant roots here today.
At T. Kerr Property Group, we believe that knowing a community deeply is part of serving our clients well. So let us take you through the story of Georgetown, from its founding through to why it represents one of the most compelling real estate opportunities in the Austin metro right now.
The Founding of Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown was established in 1848, named after George Washington Glasscock, a local landowner who donated the land for the original town site. Located in Williamson County approximately 30 miles north of Austin, Georgetown was formally incorporated in 1870 and quickly established itself as an important regional center for the surrounding agricultural communities.
The town’s early identity was shaped by two things above all else: cotton and education. The fertile blackland prairie soil that surrounds Georgetown made it ideal cotton country, and the town became a significant trading hub for farmers across the region.
The Railroad Changes Everything
The arrival of the International-Great Northern Railroad in 1878 was the defining moment of Georgetown’s early development. Almost overnight the town transformed from a modest agricultural community into a thriving commercial center. Businesses followed the railroad, population grew, and Georgetown began to take on the character of a genuine small city rather than a frontier settlement.
The prosperity of this era is visible today in the architecture of the historic downtown square, much of which was built during the late 1800s and reflects the confidence and ambition of a community that believed it was going places.
Southwestern University: The Oldest University in Texas
One of the most significant and enduring parts of Georgetown’s identity is Southwestern University, founded in 1840, making it the oldest university in the state of Texas. Southwestern was formed through the consolidation of several early Texas Methodist colleges and has called Georgetown home ever since.
For more than 180 years Southwestern University has shaped the culture, the economy, and the character of Georgetown in ways that go far beyond a typical college town relationship. It has attracted faculty, students, and families who value education, arts, and community life, and that influence is still very much present in Georgetown today.
A Downtown Square Worth Preserving
Georgetown’s courthouse square developed through the late 1800s into one of the finest examples of Victorian era commercial architecture in Texas. Recognising its historical and architectural significance, the square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that has helped preserve its character through decades of growth and change.
Today the historic square is one of Georgetown’s most beloved assets. It is home to locally owned restaurants, boutique retail, coffee shops, and community gathering spaces that give Georgetown a downtown experience that most suburban communities simply cannot replicate. For buyers and residents, it is one of the features that consistently comes up when people explain why they chose Georgetown over other suburbs in the Austin area.
Growth Through the 20th Century
Georgetown remained a relatively intimate community through much of the 20th century, functioning as the Williamson County seat and a college town with deep roots and a strong sense of local identity. Growth was steady but not dramatic, and Georgetown retained the small-town character that would later become one of its most marketable qualities.
That began to change in the 1990s as Austin’s expanding economy and population started pushing northward along the IH-35 corridor. Georgetown’s proximity to Austin, combined with its lower land costs, its quality of life, and its community character, began attracting attention from developers, builders, and families looking for an alternative to the increasing density and cost of closer-in suburbs.
Sun City Georgetown: A New Chapter
In 1995 Del Webb broke ground on Sun City Georgetown, an age-restricted active adult community that would go on to become one of the largest and most successful of its kind in the country. Sun City brought thousands of new residents to Georgetown, established the city as a premier retirement destination, and added an entirely new demographic and economic layer to the community.
The Sun City development also demonstrated something important about Georgetown’s appeal: it was not just a place people moved to because they had to. It was a place people actively chose, often from across the country, because of what it offered in terms of lifestyle, community, and quality of life.
The Boom Years and Georgetown’s Transformation
The 2010s brought accelerating growth to Georgetown as Austin’s technology sector expanded and the demand for housing across the metro intensified. Georgetown’s combination of relative affordability, excellent schools, Hill Country adjacency, and community character made it increasingly attractive to families, professionals, and retirees alike.
The pandemic era of 2020 to 2022 supercharged that growth dramatically. Georgetown was consistently ranked among the fastest growing cities in the entire United States during this period. Its population grew from approximately 47,000 in 2010 to well over 100,000 by the mid-2020s, a transformation that brought new infrastructure investment, expanded retail and dining, and significant residential development across multiple price points and product types.
Georgetown Today: A City With Its Own Identity
What makes Georgetown particularly interesting from a real estate perspective right now is where it sits in its own evolution. This is no longer simply a suburb defined by its proximity to Austin. Georgetown is developing its own employment base, its own cultural identity, and its own reasons for people to choose it first rather than settle for it.
The historic downtown square remains one of the most authentic and charming commercial districts in central Texas. The lake access, trail networks, and Hill Country adjacency offer lifestyle assets that buyers are increasingly prioritising. The diversity of housing product, from entry-level townhomes through to larger lot family homes and active adult communities, means Georgetown serves a genuinely broad range of buyers and life stages.
Why Georgetown Makes Sense for Buyers and Investors Right Now
At T. Kerr Property Group, we work across the Austin metro every day and we watch the data closely. Here is our honest read on what the Georgetown market is telling us right now.
Williamson County, which encompasses Georgetown, saw residential sales increase 4.4% year over year in early 2026, even as broader market conditions remained cautious. The median sale price in Williamson County is $395,000, with an average price per square foot of $195 and an average home size of over 2,300 square feet. For buyers comparing options across the Austin metro, that value proposition is genuinely difficult to match.
For investors and developers, Georgetown represents a market that is transitioning from high-growth suburb to established city. That transition historically produces the kind of sustained, stable demand that supports long-term investment. Land is still available at a cost basis that makes projects viable, builder activity is strong across multiple price points, and the underlying demographic demand shows no sign of slowing.
The infrastructure story is maturing. Road improvements, expanded retail and dining, continued community investment, all of these things are combining to make Georgetown a more complete picture of daily life than it was even three or four years ago.
Our Commitment to Georgetown and the Surrounding Communities
T. Kerr Property Group has deep roots in the Austin area and the communities of Williamson County. We are not observers of this market. We are participants in it every day, working with buyers, sellers, builders, and developers to navigate a market that rewards local knowledge, honest advice, and genuine expertise.
We think of ourselves as the local economists of choice for our clients. That means giving you the real picture, the data-backed, experience-informed, honest picture, so that you can make the best decision for your situation.
Georgetown has a remarkable history and we believe its best years are still ahead of it. If you want to explore what that means for your real estate goals, we would love to have that conversation.
Thinking about buying, selling, or investing in Georgetown or the surrounding Austin area communities? Reach out to the team at T. Kerr Property Group. We are here to help you navigate this market with confidence.
Contact us at tkerrrealestate.com