Living in Southlake, Texas
Southlake
A nearly built-out, high-priced city centered on Southlake Town Square and SH 114.
What it's like
The short version
Southlake covers 22.5 square miles along SH 114, about five miles west of DFW Airport, with FM 1709 and FM 1938 as the main surface roads. It is close to build-out, with more than 18 million square feet of commercial space and Southlake Town Square as the center of town. Grapevine Lake is close by, and Corps of Engineers land adds 577 acres of leased open space.
What's for sale
Mostly established neighborhoods. The city reports a 2026 median sale price of $1,396,625 and expects only about 40 residential permits a year, down from a peak of 267 in 2001. New homes come in small pockets: Carillon Parc has 79 lots with homes around 4,400 to 4,600 square feet, and Jane's Place has one-acre minimum lots on 22.7 acres. Timarron is the best-known golf community. Older neighborhoods like Timber Lake, about 271 homes, were built out by 1999.
What it does well
Strong here
- A real downtown●●●
Southlake Town Square is a mixed-use downtown with shopping, dining and community gatherings. - Shopping●●●
More than 260 retail venues and 96.4 percent retail occupancy. - Parks and trails●●●
More than 628 acres of parkland plus a 700-acre-plus preserve with 20 miles of trail. - Established neighborhoods●●●
Permits peaked in 2001, and neighborhoods like Timber Lake built out in the 1990s. - Luxury homes●●●
A $1.4 million median sale price and a Zillow index near $1.27 million. - Walkable●●○
Town Square is built to walk. The neighborhoods around it are not. - Vibrant, big-city energy●●○
A real job and retail center five miles from DFW Airport, with Town Square as a downtown. - Restaurants●●○
Town Square anchors a broad range of restaurants, with new names like Hudson House on the way. - Golf●●○
Timarron is built around a private country club course.
The honest part
What to know first
- Entry cost is high: the city reports a $1,396,625 median sale price for 2026.
- A Southlake address does not guarantee Carroll ISD. About 22 percent of the land area is in Northwest, Keller or Grapevine-Colleyville ISD.
- Very little new supply. The city is near build-out at about 40 residential permits a year.
- Utility costs are climbing. The storm water fee goes from $8 to $10 a month, and water purchased from Fort Worth rises 15 percent as a pass-through.
- No public transit operates inside city limits.
Not its strength: transit options, quiet, small-town pace, nightlife, lake days, land and acreage, horses welcome, new construction.
Get outside
- Bob Jones Nature Center & Preserve
700-plus acres of Cross Timbers habitat and more than 20 miles of hiking trail at 355 E. Bob Jones Road. - City park system
More than 628 acres of parkland across 12 community and 14 neighborhood parks, plus 577 leased acres of Corps of Engineers open space. - Southlake Tennis Center and Pickleball Complex
19 outdoor and two indoor tennis courts, plus nine outdoor pickleball courts. - Grapevine Lake
Corps of Engineers lake built in 1952, and one of five lakes within 30 minutes of the city.
Eat and drink
- Southlake Town Square
The city's main dining district, with a wide range of restaurants in a walkable mixed-use setting. - Truluck's
Special-occasion dinner spot. - Whistle Britches
Brunch spot.
Shop and errands
- Southlake Town Square
Mixed-use downtown with shopping, dining and professional services. - Citywide retail
Visit Southlake counts more than 260 retail venues, and the city reports 96.4 percent retail occupancy through Q2 2026. - Park Village
East Southlake Boulevard center, where Hudson House is going into the former RA Sushi space.
On the calendar
- Art in the Square April; ran April 24-26 in 2026
Outdoor art festival hosted by the Southlake Women's Club at Town Square. - Stars & Stripes July 3
Free festival with fireworks at Town Square. - Oktoberfest October; ran Oct. 16-18 in 2026
Free three-day festival at Town Square. - Home for the Holidays Saturday before Thanksgiving; Nov. 21, 2026
Free tree lighting at Town Square with a three-lane snow hill.
What's coming
- Carillon Parc, 42.5 acres at SH 114 and N. White Chapel Blvd. Housing is underway, with Beckett Graham listing homes for spring 2026 completion. The commercial zoning change was tabled again in December 2025.
- New park planned on the recently acquired Old Dragon Stadium property. The city will work on a vision and concept plan; no date or cost yet.
- FY 2027 capital program of $21.05M in cash, with final allocations set when the Capital Improvements Program is adopted in February 2027.
- Hudson House at 1131 E. Southlake Blvd is under construction with no firm opening date as of September 2026.
- Bear Hollow, 34 homes on about 21 acres off Davis Blvd, passed first reading in August 2026. Confirm final approval with the city.
Taxes
2026 combined rate for a Southlake home in Tarrant County and Carroll ISD: Carroll ISD 0.926900 + City of Southlake 0.290000 + Tarrant County 0.186000 + Tarrant County Hospital District 0.159000 + Tarrant County College 0.120000 = 1.681900 per $100. Homestead exemptions not applied.
Two counties: the Denton County part pays Denton County at 0.183394 instead of the Tarrant County line, and it runs through a different appraisal district. About 22 percent of the city's land is outside Carroll ISD, so swap the school line where needed. 2025 rates were Keller ISD 1.085200, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD 0.868600 and Northwest ISD 1.084100. Tarrant Appraisal District also lists a Tarrant Regional Water District rate of 0.027300, which would make it 1.7092, but the city's bill breakdown does not include it, so confirm on the parcel. The city keeps its 20 percent homestead exemption.
School facts
- Carroll ISD: TEA rating A, 2026
- Northwest ISD: TEA rating B, 2026
- Keller ISD: TEA rating B, 2026
- Grapevine-Colleyville ISD: TEA rating A, 2026
Take it with you
Want this on paper?
Get the printable Southlake report sent to your email.
Sources
- City of Southlake FY 2027 Budget, City Profile
- Zillow, Southlake TX home values
- Tarrant Appraisal District, 2025 Tax Rates per $100
- Carroll ISD, Carroll ISD Once Again Earns 'A' Rating from Texas Education Agency
- Community Impact, Northwest ISD receives 'B' rating from state for 2025-26
- Community Impact, Keller-Roanoke-Northeast Fort Worth education section (headline: Keller ISD retains 'B' accountability rating in 2025-26 from TEA, Aug. 17, 2026)
- Community Impact, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD gets 'A' rating from TEA for 2025-26
- Visit Southlake, Bob Jones Nature Center
- Sophie Teldiaz blog, Why Southlake's Biggest Restaurant Openings Keep Missing Their Deadlines (Sept. 3, 2026; real estate blog)
- Visit Southlake, Shopping and Dining
- Visit Southlake, Art in the Square
- Visit Southlake, Stars & Stripes
- Visit Southlake, Oktoberfest
- Visit Southlake, Home for the Holidays
- Community Impact, Carillon Parc development changes tabled (Dec. 2025)
- City of Southlake FY 2027 Budget Overview
- Riley River Realty blog, New Construction in Southlake (Sept. 8, 2026; real estate blog, check against city records)
- City of Southlake, City Profile (prior edition, FY 2026 figures)
- Southlake, Texas (Wikipedia)
- Rebecca Kennedy, Southlake city page (her published page, not independently re-verified)
- Denton County, 2026 Notice of Tax Rate (shows FY 2026 county rate)
- Community Impact, Northwest ISD lowers tax rate, adopts plan to manage debt for FY 2026-27
- Beckett Graham Homes, Carillon Parc Southlake
- Community Impact, Southlake's $400M Carillon Parc project takes shape (May 2024)
- Community Impact, Timber Lake, Southlake (2013 neighborhood profile)