Hill Country Village, TX

Hill Country Village is an incorporated community located on U. S. Highway 281 about two miles north of the San Antonio International Airport and twelve miles north of downtown San Antonio in northern Bexar County. Before World War II the area was a hog farm run by Clyde Stevens. In 1946 developers Meliff, Todd, and Hill Country Water Works began construction of Village Estates, the first subdivision located north of San Antonio. Tracts were a minimum of nine acres and offered residents suburban country living. William Roten organized the Hill Country Village Association in 1954. Given the limitations of selling nine-acre parcels, residents voted to allow the sale of smaller tracts down to two acres. With the encroaching San Antonio city limits and its associated zoning ordinances, citizens of Hill Country Village incorporated the community in 1956 and established a mayor and council form of government. William Roten served as the first mayor. In 1959 compulsory taxes were enacted to address the city's growing operating costs, but residents valued the area's unique suburban lifestyle which permitted the keeping of stock, and the larger tracts promoted privacy. In 1960 the population was 418. That figure increased to 636 in 1970 and 972 in 1980. Through the years city officials and an active homeowners association continued to debate zoning changes and attempts by developers to implement denser construction. A commercial district lies along the eastern border of the city. In 2000 the population was 1,028.