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Bear Creek, Texas
Inside Bear Creek's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Hays County's 14%. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78737 overlapping the city. Of its 209 homes, 11% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1991.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hays County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Bear Creek
Foundation repair in Bear Creek: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 6% of Bear Creek's mapped land.
About 200 of Bear Creek's 209 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Bear Creek city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.6% |
| Mapped soil | 729 acres |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 0% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Bear Creek; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Hays County
100% of Hays County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Bear Creek. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78737 | 100% | 8 | $162,514 |
Homes in Bear Creek
| Housing units | 209 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 11% |
| Built 2000 or later | 31% |
| Owner-occupied | 99% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $847,500 |
| Single-family detached | 98% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hays | 6 mi | 25% | 0% |
| San Leanna | 8 mi | 35% | 0% |
| Sunset Valley | 8 mi | 58% | 0% |
| Bee Cave | 9 mi | 16% | 0% |
| Buda | 9 mi | 61% | under 1% |
| Dripping Springs | 9 mi | 12% | 0% |
| Mountain City | 10 mi | 17% | 0% |
| West Lake Hills | 11 mi | 4% | 0% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status