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The Hills, Texas
Inside The Hills' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Travis County's 39%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78738 overlapping the city. Of its 1,158 homes, 3% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1996.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Travis 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 The Hills
Foundation repair in The Hills: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 19% of The Hills' mapped land.
About 1,100 of The Hills' 1,158 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 The Hills city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.8% |
| Mapped soil | 692 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.2% by land area here, and 2% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Travis County is in drought on the latest map, and 19% of The Hills' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Travis County
100% of Travis 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 The Hills. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78738 | 100% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in The Hills
| Housing units | 1,158 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 3% |
| Built 2000 or later | 37% |
| Owner-occupied | 96% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $846,000 |
| Single-family detached | 98% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeway | 1 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Point Venture | 3 mi | under 1% | 0% |
| Bee Cave | 3 mi | 16% | 0% |
| Briarcliff | 6 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Lago Vista | 7 mi | 4% | 0% |
| Volente | 8 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Jonestown | 10 mi | 2% | 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