Market Overview for Smithville
There are 48 active listings in Smithville with a median list price of $340K and a median sold price of $304K.
Homes average 112 days on market.
Over the past 30 days, 7 homes have sold, with 44 sales in the past 12 months.
The average price per square foot is $220.
About Smithville
Smithville is a city of approximately 4,200 residents in Bastrop County, located about 45 miles southeast of downtown Austin along State Highway 71 at the crossing of the Colorado River. The town sits at an elevation of roughly 330 feet on the flat to gently rolling terrain of the post-oak belt, where sandy loam soils support a mix of agriculture, pine, and oak woodland. The Colorado River forms the city's northern boundary, and its bottomlands include pecan orchards and riparian forest. The Union Pacific railroad runs through the center of town, a legacy of Smithville's founding as a railroad stop in the 1880s.
Smithville's housing market is among the most affordable in the greater Austin region. Home prices range from the $100,000s for older frame houses in the original grid neighborhoods to $350,000 for newer or renovated properties on larger lots. The median home price is approximately $225,000. Properties near the Colorado River or on acreage command higher prices. The housing stock includes a significant number of pre-1960 homes, many with the wide porches and tall ceilings characteristic of small-town Texas architecture. Development has been modest, with no large master-planned communities, preserving the town's compact, walkable scale.
Smithville ISD serves the city and surrounding rural area, enrolling approximately 2,200 students across an elementary school, middle school, and Smithville High School. The district is small enough that most teachers know students and families personally. Academic programs are supplemented by strong vocational and agricultural science offerings. For higher education, residents typically commute to Bastrop, where Austin Community College has a presence, or to Austin for four-year university options at UT Austin or Texas State in San Marcos.
The local economy includes the Lower Colorado River Authority, railroad operations, small manufacturing, agriculture, and a growing tourism sector. Smithville gained national recognition as the filming location for the 1998 movie Hope Floats starring Sandra Bullock, and the Smithville Chamber of Commerce has leveraged that connection for tourism. SH-71 provides a direct route to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, about 35 miles to the northwest, and to La Grange and points east. The annual Smithville Jamboree in April has been a community tradition for over 100 years, featuring carnival rides, live music, a parade, and rodeo events. Buescher State Park, with its pine-forested 1,000-acre grounds, sits just north of town.
Living in Smithville
Smithville's population has a median household income of approximately $48,000, with employment spread across government, education, manufacturing, and service sectors. The median age is around 38. The city's demographic composition is roughly 55% White, 30% Hispanic, and 12% Black. About 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The community has a strong multigenerational character, with many families having lived in the area for decades, alongside a smaller number of newcomers attracted by the affordable cost of living and small-town pace.
