Lake Kiowa, Gainesville, TX

About Lake Kiowa

Lake Kiowa is in Gainesville, in the Dallas & Northern Suburbs region of Texas. Developer: Lake Kiowa Property Owners Association, Inc.. Status: Open. Not age-restricted; it is included for retiree-oriented amenities.

Lake Kiowa describes itself as a private lake and golf community established in the late 1960s, set among country roads and equestrian farmland an hour north of the Dallas metroplex. The Lake Kiowa Property Owners Association (LKPOA) owns the lake and operates the community from 107 Kiowa Dr. S. The Texas Water Development Board lists the lake on Indian Creek in east central Cooke County, about seven miles southeast of Gainesville, owned by the association for recreational purposes; the dam was started in 1968, completed in 1970, and impounded water beginning in March 1970. The place-level facts (taxes, hospitals, climate) are in the Gainesville place record; this page covers the community itself.

The association's lake page says Lake Kiowa contains about 0.8 square miles of water with a shoreline of just under 9 miles; the Water Development Board's reservoir page gives a surface area of approximately 563 acres and a storage capacity of 7,000 acre-feet. Everyone who boats on Lake Kiowa must complete the community's own boater safety course, and anyone born after September 1, 1993 must also complete a Texas Parks and Wildlife approved course and be able to show proof. The golf page describes the privately owned 18-hole course as one of the most popular and well-manicured in Texas, with holes that require shots to islands in the lake. The lodge combines a formal dining room, a bar, an outdoor patio, a ballroom with seating for 200, a board room and a smaller meeting room, and the association says the lodge is busy with card players, line dancing, exercise groups, golfers and committees. The association describes a pavilion with 180 degree sweeping water views, holiday events at Easter, the Fourth of July and Christmas, and a monthly newsletter, the CommuniQué.

The retirement case rests on who lives there and how the community is set up. The Census Bureau's survey for the Lake Kiowa census designated place estimates a population of 2,496, a median age of 58.8 and 822 residents aged 65 or older, which is 32.9 percent. Median household income is $123,098 and the median owner-occupied home value is $467,500, and 94.6 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. The survey counts 1,312 housing units, of which 14.6 percent are vacant, a share that may include second homes.

Age restrictions at Lake Kiowa

The association markets Lake Kiowa as a private lake and golf community and does not describe an age requirement. Its governing documents (amended bylaws, restrictive covenants, rules and procedures and an architectural control handbook) are posted on its Governing Documents page, and a buyer should read the covenants and rules for any occupancy restrictions before purchase. Without a governing-text age rule, the community is treated as all-age.

Housing types at Lake Kiowa

• Single-family homes on lake, golf-course and interior lots
• Vacant lots

Pricing at Lake Kiowa

The Census Bureau's 2019-2023 survey estimates a median owner-occupied home value of $467,500 for the Lake Kiowa census designated place, with median monthly owner costs of $2,599 for homes with a mortgage and $958 for homes without one. These describe the whole community; waterfront, golf-course and interior lots will sit above and below them, and the association does not set resale prices. Use current listings, an appraisal and a survey for any specific home.

HOA and fees at Lake Kiowa

Dues and any initiation or transfer charge are set by the association, and none is quoted here because no dated fee schedule is available. Ask the association for the current dues, the transfer or initiation fees, any special assessments, and the budget and reserve study, in writing with effective dates, before making an offer. See the guide to HOA, club fees and special assessments.

The Cooke County Appraisal District lists Cooke County, school districts including Gainesville, Callisburg, Valley View and Era, North Central Texas College, the Gainesville Hospital District and several municipal utility districts among the county's taxing entities. Which units tax a Lake Kiowa lot, and at what rates, depends on the lot; the Comptroller's county directory is the starting point and the appraisal district can confirm. See the guide to appraisal districts.

Amenities at Lake Kiowa

• Private lake of about 0.8 square miles with a shoreline of just under 9 miles
• Privately owned 18-hole golf course with water-carry holes
• Lodge with formal dining room, 19th Hole Bar, patio and a ballroom seating 200
• Pavilion with sweeping lake views
• Gated, private community with a security lake patrol
• Monthly community newsletter, holiday events and committees

Healthcare near Lake Kiowa

No hospital is inside the community. North Texas Medical Center, owned by the Gainesville Hospital District, is at 1900 Hospital Blvd. in Gainesville, and the Water Development Board places the lake about seven miles southeast of Gainesville. The hospital reports 42 medical and surgical beds, a 6-bed intensive care unit and an 11-bed emergency room. The association gives no drive times, so test the route to the emergency room you would use before buying, and confirm your Medicare plan's network. See Texas healthcare geography and Medicare.

Airport access from Lake Kiowa

The association describes the community as an hour north of the Dallas metroplex and gives no airport distances, so none is quoted here. Plan the drive to the Dallas-area airport you would use at the times of day you would travel.

Why Lake Kiowa is included

Lake Kiowa is an established, gated, all-age lake and golf community in Cooke County whose residents skew old: the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2019-2023 estimates a median age of 58.8, 32.9 percent of residents aged 65 or older and 94.6 percent owner-occupied homes. It is a retirement-friendly all-age community, not a 55-plus restricted one.

Alternatives to Lake Kiowa

• Del Webb at Legacy HillsA Del Webb 55+ community of one-story homes from 1,274 to 2,782 square feet inside the Legacy Hills master plan in Celina, with its amenity center, restaurant and pickleball courts open and a separate private golf club listed as opening soon.
• Del Webb at Trinity FallsA Del Webb new-construction community marketed as 55+ and active adult, set inside the master-planned Trinity Falls in McKinney, with its own amenity center and access to the larger community's trails and pools.
• Frisco LakesA 55+ active adult community of more than 3,000 single-story homes on the east shore of Lake Lewisville in Frisco, with three amenity centers and a resident-governed association.
• Pecan PlantationA gated golf, marina and airpark community of about 3,000 acres south of Granbury, open to buyers of all ages, with a mostly Hood County location, an owners association and, by the Census estimate, a population in which nearly half are 65 or older.

Guides relevant to Lake Kiowa

• 55-plus communities versus all-age master plans in Texas
• HOA, condo, club and special assessments for Texas retirees: what the charges are and what to ask
• Texas lake retirement markets: water levels, flood and drought exposure, and private versus public lakes
• Texas property taxes and appraisal districts: how to compare actual total tax bills