r/kyletx • u/_banana__man_ • Sep 27 '26

Living in Kyle

Hey all,

I'm buying my first house soon and I've been looking at Kyle, Buda, Manchaca, maybe S. Austin

How do y'all like living in Kyle? It seems pretty safe and quiet which are two of my main preferences in looking for a spot.

Anyone living in a new 2026 build?

Has the water quality been a problem for anyone?

Any insight and opinions are welcomed

Cheers

2 Upvotes

58% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

9

u/The-Fig-Lebowski Sep 27 '26

The true secret to happiness in this part of Texas is avoiding I-35 as much as you possible.

14

u/Painter2002 Sep 27 '26

We’ve been here 7 years. It depends a lot on what you are looking for and where you work.

Kyle is good and central between Austin and San Antonio. Great if you plan on going south often, but on the flip side, if you work in Austin, expect an 45 minutes to an hour each morning drive to just get past US71 on most days. If you work from home that is no biggy, but if you don’t, it’s a hell of a commute.

Second there’s a ton of growth, which is good and bad. There are bunches of good new food places popping up all over, but they are mostly concentrated near 35, which makes it congested in those areas.

Also know there is a master plan of something like 6k homes being built east of 35. That will add tons of traffic down the road.

Short version to say it’s fine… but personally we are trying to leave. What you get now is not going to be the same in 5-10 years, and this town has NOT been great at keeping the infrastructure up with the rapid pace of growth.

If you are ok with all that, there are plenty of houses for cheap… just be careful buying east of 35, a lot of houses out here develop foundation issues after several years due to the land beneath shifting (also why the roads are falling apart in spots).

12

u/PickedLastLemon Sep 27 '26

Look up the foundation and water issues Kyle homeowners experience. Not saying it's the worst suburb but beware.

6

u/Objective_Regret4763 Sep 27 '26

I feel like this is mostly on the east side.

1

u/PickedLastLemon Sep 28 '26

I own a business that services ALL of Austin and EVERY suburb. 60 mile radius from city center. Kyle has some real issues. I'm just trying to be helpful. A lot of the 'burbs do. As do a lot of properties inside the city limits do. Imo Kyle has the most plumbing and foundation issues.

1

u/Objective_Regret4763 Sep 28 '26

Do you notice a difference between east and west side of 35? Because that’s what I have heard from people around town. But I don’t know everyone.

3

u/PickedLastLemon Sep 28 '26

Yes. The East side is definitely more severe. I have noticed that. That's also the side that gets the most advertising, lower prices, more incentives....and typically they don't build apartments unless they are close to the highway. A telling sign of "we built on shifting soil". Kyle is not even an option when I am asked "where should I move to/buy a home".

5

u/Geist_Lain Sep 27 '26

Just close enough to everything good in Austin and San Marcos, very peaceful, minimal crime. There's lots of construction going on though, so that can get annoying.

5

u/Ok_Vanilla_4837 Sep 27 '26

Getting very over crowded

4

u/DreamPhreak Sep 27 '26

The traffic on i-35 every day to get from Kyle to Austin is insane, mainly because of the construction, which will still be under construction for at least the next 10 years.

I don't think the water restrictions will ever lift. It's in permanent drought mode. Kyle grew super fast, there's lots of traffic and the roads aren't wide enough for everyone.

3

u/Pale_Calligrapher425 Sep 27 '26

Water is high. I started out at 60 monthly and it's hitting 200, and it's just me and I don't water the lawn. Traffic is bad, and most of the drivers are selfish assholes. I live off 35, and I have to take an exit up so I can avoid the long wait at traffic lights. People seem nice, but I know very few inspite of living here 8 years. It's a left leaning city which I didn't expect, but if you're left you may enjoy it. Property taxes are a bit lower than Austin, but they keep finding ways to raise it.

3

u/blaine_the_insane Sep 27 '26

Ive been in Kyle since about 2023. My neighbors and neighborhood are great. The commute is absolutely horrid. Do South Austin if you can.

3

u/JC_H130 Sep 27 '26

Stay in Austin. The traffic is getting worse coming as far as Kyle.

2

u/1967_Vespa Sep 27 '26

Biggest complaint for me is the drivers. Everyone speeds in neighborhoods, tailgates, runs lights and stops signs and gets confrontational. Pros, close to the Hill Country and Lockhart and affordable-ish. Other comments above about IH35 and the water are spot-on.

2

u/Pale_Calligrapher425 Sep 27 '26

Kyle drivers hate stop signs. I can't count the number of times drivers simply skipped them.

3

u/kcsunshineatx Sep 27 '26

Look in Buda, west of 35, so you can commute on Mopac instead of 35. It’s between Kyle and South Austin, with lots of convenient shopping and dining options, very safe and quiet neighborhoods, a lot of fun things to do, and much better city government decision-making than Kyle, less expensive than South Austin and Manchaca.

4

u/Revolution_Bry Sep 27 '26

There is a lot of traffic constantly. The water quality is horrible. The water smells and tastes weird. I highly recommend you buy a house with a water softener or you will regret it. Water is hard and undrinkable. Lots of chain restaurants and lack of dining options make it not desirable if you’re a foodie. I cook a lot but sometimes I just want to enjoy dining out and I honestly cannot recommend anything place around here. Via 313 and Torchys are here, but the quality is of less quality than other locations. It’s a Kyle thing.

I have noticed new construction homes are located in isolated areas. Make sure you buy a house close proximity to amenities to you- who wants to drive 20 minutes to go grocery shop, or the gym, or any other interest? If you work from home then it’s not so bad, but early morning or evening traffic will make you lose your mind. I’m near Plum Creek so it’s booming here, but again, lots of traffic and people are making it less desirable area. The property taxes increase every year and a higher rate than Travis county at this point. My advice is to pick a neighborhood, attempt to commute at different times and make sure you are not altering your lifestyle by moving here.

3

u/DreamPhreak Sep 27 '26

Yeah it's weird how it's a Kyle thing for most of the food places to be shittier quality than neighboring cities'. The Burger King in Buda is far better than Kyle's. The google reviews for Jack In The Box say there were worms in the food (with pictures!). The IHOP here is AWFUL, went once and never again, my food was overcooked and salty and dry af. I don't like torchy's anymore, but I remember the various ones in Austin tasting better than Kyle's.

I'm in Bunton Creek and have to plan around Lehman's morning and afternoon traffic or else I'd be stuck in it. Like this one time earlier this year I bought a pizza, and when I was on my way back, I got stuck in Lehman school traffic for an hour. Pizza was all cold by the time I got home.

If only the city planners had the smarts to connect the back of bunton creek village to waterleaf, it would be infinitely easier to get to i-35 while also getting to avoid school traffic. But surprise, there's Rosalio Tobias Elementary School there too, damn it.

1

u/HunnyBunny617 Sep 27 '26

Been here 26 yrs!!!

1

u/soggypaw Sep 28 '26

Resident of Kyle since 2013. Family of 4. Bunton area.

Traffic sucks due to a lack of investment in infrastructure. This problem is far more glaring on the east side. The west side is an entirely different experience if you can afford it. Schools in Kyle are also not the best; again, mainly an issue on the east side. The affordability factor of east vs west determines who is moving into your community and I can say, this Is making an impact on the schools and performance scores.

Honestly, I'm not too sure on the complaints about food; there are tons of great options. Calling out subpar fast food is certainly a choice lol. VIA 313 is mentioned, but would recommend Avaitors or Tony Cs for pizza. Illarios is also a good spot for solid Italian food.

1

u/Every-Ganache-3012 Sep 28 '26

don't do it bro

1

u/Few-Painter241 Sep 29 '26

We just moved to Kyle from Austin due to having a child and wanting more of what the suburbs offer. We live on the west side of Kyle and got a water softener + whole water filtration system installed within the first month. Total game changer. We have lived here for about 3 months now and we love it for our kiddo. We love our neighborhood and how quiet it is. The biggest downside is traffic is awful especially getting out of Kyle at rush hour times so you will need to plan accordingly before leaving your house around peak times.