Hays County provides a mixture of all the CAHFC area's features all in one county. From the prairie in the east to the Hill Country in the west, a bustling San Marcos to a quiet Dripping Springs, major retail outlets along IH-35 to the antique and crafts shops in Wimberely, Hays County, in many ways, represents the region as a whole. The county has a wide variety of recreation including Aquarena Springs, Wonder World, and various activities in the Hill Country. Hays County is also home to South West Texas State University, the alma mater of Lyndon Baines Johnson, which is home to nearly 22,000 students.
Hays County has benefited from its location between Austin and San Antonio. Its proximity to both makes it a great location for families with workers in both cities and provides a more affordable option in terms of housing compared to either city. The county's population has grown over 40 percent between 1990 and 1999. Housing starts have ballooned since 1990, when the county registered 18 housing starts to the 754 starts in 1999. Growth in residential construction took hold beginning in 1995, when the county recorded over 100 single-family housing starts for the first time since 1985 and a wave of multifamily apartment construction began after recording only nine new units, in total, between 1989 and 1994.
Hays County has experienced strong economic growth during the 1990s throughout most sectors. The county registered the highest growth rate in manufacturing jobs between 1990 and 1999, while recording the second highest rate in construction employment. The county also benefits from the outlet malls located in San Marcos, which not only serve the county's residents, but draw people in from San Antonio, Austin, and as far away as Mexico as a tourist destination. Hays County is currently experiencing an unemployment rate of 2.2 percent, only slightly higher than the regional average.
While it has not experienced the extraordinary growth of Williamson County, Hays County has a great deal of potential to reap greater economic benefits of Austin booming economy, San Antonio's proximity, and its location on the IH-35 NAFTA corridor. However, the county, which is already experiencing some the effects of Williamson County, should plan to address these growth issues prior to further expansion. As Williamson and Travis Counties become more developed and congested, people have begun to look south as a suburban option to expand. The county should begin addressing the potential infrastructure issues that will arise if such development continues. In addition, as development becomes more prevalent in the western part of the county towards Dripping Springs, the county needs to look into addressing the potential impacts of development occurring over the Edwards Aquifer due to it being a source of drinking water for the region.
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