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Georgetown vs New Braunfels: retirement compared

Georgetown and New Braunfels are both Interstate 35 cities with large retiree populations, but they sit in different regions and ask different questions of a buyer. Georgetown is a Williamson County city at the northern end of the corridor described in Austin & Central Texas, and its best-known retirement setting is Sun City Texas. New Braunfels is a river city that the City of New Braunfels describes as lying in central Texas between San Antonio and Austin; it belongs to the Texas Hill Country region and is split between Comal and Guadalupe Counties. The practical contrast is that Georgetown's decisions concentrate on layered local taxes, hail and a very large age-restricted community, while New Braunfels adds river flooding, aquifer-based water rules and a two-county tax structure.

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Georgetown and New Braunfels at a glance

Figures come from each place page and name their own period; sources are listed on those pages.

MeasureGeorgetownNew Braunfels
Population (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)78,80398,700
Residents aged 65 and over (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)28.2%14.1%
Median age (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)44.336.4
Median home value (owner-occupied) (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)$398,600$315,100
Median gross rent (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)$1,671 per month$1,536 per month
Median household income (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate)$91,857$88,257
Property tax context2024 rates per hundred dollars of taxable value: City of Georgetown 0.364700; Georgetown ISD 1.054400; Williamson County 0.355670 plus 0.044329 for farm-to-market and roads (units overlap) (tax year 2024)City of New Braunfels adopted rate 0.415613 per $100 of taxable value for FY 2027 (0.221692 operations and maintenance plus 0.193921 debt), against 0.408936 for FY 2025 and FY 2026; county and school rates are separate (FY 2027 budget page (2026 tax year))
Hospital access (hospital system page read October 2026)St. David's Georgetown Hospital, an inpatient hospital at 2000 Scenic Drive in the city with a 24-hour emergency departmentCHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital - New Braunfels, at 600 N. Union Ave., has an emergency department open 24 hours a day
55+ communities in our research11

Georgetown vs New Braunfels: the short answer

Georgetown and New Braunfels are both Interstate 35 cities with large retiree populations, but they sit in different regions and ask different questions of a buyer. Georgetown is a Williamson County city at the northern end of the corridor described in Austin & Central Texas, and its best-known retirement setting is Sun City Texas. New Braunfels is a river city that the City of New Braunfels describes as lying in central Texas between San Antonio and Austin; it belongs to the Texas Hill Country region and is split between Comal and Guadalupe Counties. The practical contrast is that Georgetown's decisions concentrate on layered local taxes, hail and a very large age-restricted community, while New Braunfels adds river flooding, aquifer-based water rules and a two-county tax structure.

Two cautions apply to everything below. First, the property-tax figures come from different years. Georgetown's rates and exemptions are from the Williamson County table for tax year 2024, while New Braunfels figures come from 2025 schedules and a 2026 budget page. They are shown side by side to show how each city publishes its taxes, not as a like-for-like comparison of what a bill would be. Second, neither city carries a single risk level. Flood, hail, drought and tax exposure vary by address, so each section ends with what a buyer should check. For the statewide rules, see property taxes and appraisal districts and homestead and age-65 exemptions.

Full profiles: Georgetown and New Braunfels.

Which one fits you

Choose Georgetown if

  • You want a hospital and a large, amenity-rich 55+ community inside the same city, with Sun City Texas offering golf, fitness centers, pools and more than 150 clubs and interest groups.
  • You prefer a tax system where one county table lists the county, city, school district and special districts together, and where the county and city are both flagged as having adopted a local option freeze ceiling.
  • You would rather not manage river-flow closures and aquifer-based watering stages, and want the flood question limited to the FEMA map and a lot-level check.
  • You want the Austin-Bergstrom airport and the Austin region's health systems as your travel and specialist base.

Choose New Braunfels if

  • You want a spring-fed river city with Landa Park, more than 40 park properties and about 18.5 miles of trails, and are willing to plan around river closures.
  • You value detailed public documentation of flood, water supply and drought rules, including published aquifer triggers and surcharges, and will read them before buying.
  • You want hospital and freestanding emergency care in the city plus a city-run microtransit service for medical appointments and errands.
  • You are comfortable verifying which of two appraisal districts and which school district apply to the exact address, and checking whether a Guadalupe County address has an over-65 ceiling.

Georgetown and New Braunfels: best for, and think twice if

Georgetown

Best for

  • If you want age-restricted living near a local emergency department: Sun City Texas, marketed 55+ with its own golf courses and more than 150 clubs, is on the west side, and St. David's Georgetown has a 24-hour ER.
  • Buyers 65 or older who want unit-by-unit tax ceilings: the county table flags freeze ceilings adopted by Williamson County and the City of Georgetown, and 28.2 percent of residents are 65 or older.
  • If you want a city recreation center: the 65,000-square-foot Georgetown Recreation Center has indoor and outdoor pools and two gymnasiums, and the city lists SilverSneakers.

Think twice if

  • Think twice about the school rate: Georgetown ISD's home page shows $1.1106 after a November 2026 election, higher than the 1.0544 in the 2024 county table.
  • Buyers should confirm district layers: a Georgetown address can fall in Emergency Services District No. 8 at 0.096817 or Georgetown Village PID at 0.12 on top of city, county and school taxes.
  • Think twice about cost and heat: the median owner-occupied value is $398,600, and the Austin normals show roughly 123 days a year at or above 90 degrees.

New Braunfels

Best for

  • Buyers who want river recreation and senior programs: the city lists more than 40 park properties and about 18.5 miles of trails, including Landa Park on the Comal River, plus free senior socials and pickleball classes.
  • If in-city hospital services matter: CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital - New Braunfels has a 24-hour emergency department connected to a full-service hospital, and Methodist runs a freestanding ER at Oak Run Plaza.

Think twice if

  • Think twice about flooding: the city's floodplain page says the entire community is susceptible to flooding, not only mapped hazard areas, and the October 1998 flood washed homes off foundations along the Guadalupe River.
  • Which school district taxes a home depends on the address, New Braunfels ISD at 1.0377 or Comal ISD at 1.0748 for 2025, and Comal and Guadalupe appraisal districts apply on either side of the county line.
  • Water supply is aquifer-based and managed in stages: buyers should ask NBU for its current conservation stage and drought contingency plan, and expect Comal River recreation limits when flows rise.

Each point restates facts from that place's own page and sources. It is not a rating.

Georgetown and New Braunfels side by side

DimensionGeorgetownNew Braunfels
Property tax rates and the year problemThe Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector's table for tax year 2024 lists Williamson County at 0.355670 per $100 of taxable value plus 0.044329 for the farm-to-market and road levy, the City of Georgetown at 0.364700 and Georgetown ISD at 1.054400. Williamson County Emergency Services District No. 8 for Georgetown is listed at 0.096817, and Georgetown Village PID at 0.120000, a public improvement district assessment set by the district. Georgetown ISD's own home page shows a rate of $1.1106 that is conditioned on a tax ratification election, so the district's direction is upward but the two years should not be set against each other as a like-for-like change.New Braunfels property is taxed through two appraisal districts. For the 2025 tax year the Guadalupe Appraisal District's unofficial summary dated November 20, 2025 lists the City of New Braunfels at 0.408936, New Braunfels ISD at 1.0377, Comal ISD at 1.07480 and Guadalupe County at 0.2784 per $100. The City's FY 2027 budget page, approved September 14, 2026, lists a total city rate of 0.415613, described as the no-new-revenue rate, against 0.408936 for FY 2025 and FY 2026. Which school district taxes a home depends on the address, so the rate stack differs lot by lot. What a buyer should check: the full list of units on the specific parcel, and the year each rate belongs to.
Over-65 exemptions and tax ceilingsThe Texas Comptroller states that Tax Code Section 11.13(b) requires school districts to provide a $140,000 homestead exemption and Section 11.13(c) an additional $60,000 for homeowners 65 or older or disabled. Williamson County's 2024 table lists Georgetown ISD with a $100,000 homestead amount, which differs from the current state figure, so the school amount should be confirmed with the appraisal district. The same table lists amounts of 125,000 in the Williamson County over-65 and disability columns and flags both Williamson County and the City of Georgetown as having adopted a local option freeze ceiling. The Williamson Central Appraisal District says the over-65 exemption begins in the year a homeowner turns 65 and that a surviving spouse who is 55 or older can keep a transferred school-tax ceiling.The Comal Appraisal District's schedule for the 2025 tax year, as of November 4, 2025, marks each over-65 amount as receiving a ceiling. It lists Comal County at 20 percent or $5,000, whichever is greater, with $50,000 for age 65 or older; the City of New Braunfels at 20 percent or $5,000 with $3,750; New Braunfels ISD at $140,000 with $63,750; and Comal ISD at 20 percent plus $140,000 with $60,000. The Guadalupe Appraisal District's 2025 list shows Guadalupe County at 1 percent with a $5,000 minimum plus $10,000 for those over 65, and the City at 20 percent with $3,750, but makes no mention of ceilings, so a Guadalupe County buyer should ask whether the county or city has adopted one. Neither city has a freeze on all taxes: the school ceiling has conditions, and a county or city ceiling applies only if that unit adopts one.
How local exemptions and rates are publishedGeorgetown buyers can see most units in a single document. The Williamson County tax office publishes one table that lists the county, cities, school districts, municipal utility districts, emergency service districts and public improvement districts together, with columns for homestead, over-65 and disability amounts. The Williamson Central Appraisal District's frequently asked questions explain how to apply online for the homestead and age-65 exemptions. The weakness is that the table is dated 2024 and its columns can be difficult to match to amounts, and the school district posts its newest rate on its own site, so a buyer has to assemble the current year from at least two places.New Braunfels buyers work with several publishers. The Comal Appraisal District posts a dated exemption schedule and a separate truth-in-taxation page, the Guadalupe Appraisal District posts its own residential exemption list and a rate summary, and the City publishes its adopted rate on its budget page. The Comal Appraisal District says to file between January 1 and April 30, that there is no filing fee, and that it adds the over-65 exemption automatically if it has the owner's birth date on file. What a buyer should check: which appraisal district covers the address, the date on each schedule, and whether the over-65 exemption was applied after closing.
Flood and river exposureGeorgetown's records rely on the general federal framework. FEMA states that any place with a 1 percent or higher chance of flooding each year is high risk, that floods do not follow city limits or property lines, and that its Flood Map Service Center is the official source for a community's map. Under the National Flood Insurance Program, flood coverage is a separate policy from homeowners insurance. Del Webb's description of the city names the 1,200-acre Lake Georgetown and the San Gabriel River Trail, so water frontage and creek lots exist and deserve a map check, but Georgetown's place page offers no city-wide flood assessment, and none should be assumed.New Braunfels documents its exposure bluntly. The City's floodplain page says the entire community is susceptible to flooding, not only structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas, and notes a 30-day waiting period before a flood policy takes effect. The National Weather Service's account of the October 1998 flood says homes along the Guadalupe River from Canyon Lake to Seguin were washed off their foundations and that over 30 inches of rain was estimated over a small area south of San Marcos. The City's Comal River page ties recreation to flow: all recreation from 100 to 500 cubic feet per second, extreme caution from 500 to 600, and a temporary closure at 600 and above. What a buyer should check: the flood zone determination and any elevation certificate for the exact address, and the FEMA map date, because the city's floodplain page cites maps from 2006 and 2007.
Water supply and droughtGeorgetown's materials point to drought as a regional condition. The National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio office maintains a drought information page and issues local statements when widespread impacts occur, and Georgetown's place page cites no city water-restriction schedule. A buyer should ask the city's utility for the current watering rules and rate structure for the address instead of assuming them.New Braunfels has an unusually detailed water record. New Braunfels Utilities says the Edwards Aquifer is managed by the Edwards Aquifer Authority with no new permits being issued, that Canyon Reservoir and Guadalupe River permits are fully allocated, and that a Surface Water Treatment Plant expansion is expected online in 2029. Stage 2 took effect August 10, 2026, limiting sprinkler irrigation to once a week. Stage 1 begins when the aquifer is at or below 660 feet above mean sea level or Comal Springs discharge is at or below 225 cubic feet per second, and Stage 2 at 650 feet or 200 cubic feet per second. The updated plan approved September 28, 2026 raises the Stage 3 and 4 surcharge from $1.00 and $2.00 to $4.18 and $4.89 per thousand gallons, while customers using less than 6,000 gallons a month will not pay drought surcharges. A large irrigated lawn is the main cost exposure.
Healthcare inside each cityGeorgetown has a hospital inside the city: St. David's Georgetown Hospital at 2000 Scenic Drive describes a 24-hour emergency department with a Level IV Trauma Center, a Certified Primary Stroke Center, critical care and surgery. Baylor Scott & White operates a clinic on Williams Drive as an outpatient department of its Round Rock medical center, and its Austin Avenue urgent care says that medical center, with a full-service 24-hour emergency room, is less than 15 minutes away. Admission and specialist care can therefore point to a second city, depending on the physician group.New Braunfels has CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital at 600 N. Union Ave., whose emergency department is open 24 hours a day and which lists orthopedics, oncology, cardiology and labor and delivery among its services. Methodist Healthcare operates Methodist ER New Braunfels, a freestanding emergency room on State Highway 46 West that it calls an extension of Methodist Hospital Northeast's emergency room; a freestanding room has no inpatient beds. Hospital networks change, so match physician and hospital to the Medicare or private plan before choosing a city.
Airport and getting aroundGeorgetown sits in the Austin region, where Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, owned and operated by the City of Austin, describes itself as one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States. Sun City Texas does not publish a distance or drive time to the airport, and I-35 congestion varies by hour, so no drive time is quoted here. The practical step is to drive the route at the hour a household would fly.New Braunfels is described in the Hill Country region overview as served by two commercial airports, San Antonio International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom, and which one is easier depends on the address and the time of day. No drive times are quoted for the same reason. Locally, the City operates Ride the Rio, an on-demand microtransit service that its seniors page says runs seven days a week within its service area, with six fully accessible vehicles for medical appointments and errands.
Climate and heatNo climate station inside Georgetown was available, so the regional reference is the 1991-2020 normals for Austin Bergstrom Airport: a normal daily high of 62.5 degrees Fahrenheit in January, 96.1 in July and 97.0 in August, with 24.4, 28.4 and 29.4 days at or above 90 degrees in June, July and August. Monthly precipitation normals run from 1.89 inches in February to 5.00 inches in May. This is a regional reference, not a Georgetown measurement.New Braunfels' place page gives no station normals for the city, only a regional drought picture. The National Weather Service's October 1, 2026 statement for South Central Texas reports that 80.57 percent of its service area was in at least moderate drought, 56.55 percent in severe drought or worse and 10.61 percent in extreme drought after a very dry and hot September, while the seasonal outlook called for drought to be removed for most areas. Those are office-wide figures, not a measurement for the city. Both cities share Central Texas summer heat, so the difference lies less in heat than in water and flood stress.
55+ housing options and housing cost evidenceGeorgetown's retirement housing is anchored by Sun City Texas, a Del Webb community marketed as 55+ with homes from $340,990 on the developer's page, annual association dues of $1,535 and a one-time working capital fee of $650 on the developer's HOA page, which carries no effective date. The age restriction rests on the developer's marketing; the recorded declaration should be requested before relying on it. For all-age housing the 2019-2023 Census profile estimates a median owner-occupied value of $398,600 and a 69.4 percent owner-occupied share, with 22,215 residents aged 65 and over, or 28.2 percent of the city.The New Braunfels records identify no specific 55+ community, so a buyer there should treat any 55+ marketing as unverified until the governing documents are reviewed. The Census profile for the city uses the 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimate and shows a median household income of $90,284, 46,855 households and 51,612 housing units, with a 2020 census count of 90,403 residents. Because the Georgetown figures come from a five-year survey and the New Braunfels figures from a one-year survey, the two are not directly comparable. Both appraisal districts list municipal utility districts among their taxing units, so any new-construction purchase should be checked for a district tax.
Hail, wildfire and insuranceHail is the main insurance topic in Georgetown's materials. The Texas Department of Insurance tells homeowners to file claims as soon as they can after hail damage, explains replacement cost versus actual cash value on a roof, and says insurers may charge more or refuse to insure based on a roof's condition. It also advises asking whether the wind and hail deductible differs from other deductibles. Roof age and material are therefore worth examining before an offer.New Braunfels shares the same hail guidance, since the Texas Department of Insurance hail checklist applies statewide, and adds flood insurance as a separate, address-level cost. The City says a standard homeowner's policy does not cover flood damage and that a federally related loan on a building in a Special Flood Hazard Area requires flood insurance. Texas A&M Forest Service is the lead wildfire agency for the state and publishes a risk assessment portal and evacuation guidance for both cities. Premiums are not quoted for either city because they vary by address, roof, claims history and carrier.

Communities worth a look

  • Sun City TexasA large Del Webb active adult community in northwest Georgetown, marketed as 55+, with three championship golf courses, four fitness centers, eight pools and new single-family homes from $340,990.

Time-sensitive details

  • Georgetown ISD's home page shows a rate of $1.1106 that takes effect only after a tax ratification election in November 2026 passes. (as of October 8, 2026; valid through November 22, 2026). Confirm before relying on it.

Sources and review date

Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources below; where a rule or figure can change, check the linked source before relying on it.

  1. 2024 Tax Rates and Exemptions by Jurisdictions — Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector (accessed 2026-10-08)
  2. Exemptions (frequently asked questions) — Williamson Central Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
  3. Property Tax Exemptions — Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (accessed 2026-10-08)
  4. Georgetown ISD home page (By the Numbers: tax rate) — Georgetown Independent School District (accessed 2026-10-08)
  5. Exemptions - Comal Appraisal District — Comal Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
  6. Exemption Schedule for 2025 Tax Year (as of 11/04/2025) — Comal Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
  7. Residential Exemptions (2025) — Guadalupe Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
  8. Unofficial Summary of Jurisdiction Tax Rates (Nov. 20, 2025) — Guadalupe Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
  9. FY 2027 Approved Budget & Plan of Municipal Services — City of New Braunfels (accessed 2026-10-08)
  10. Floodplain Management — City of New Braunfels (accessed 2026-10-08)
  11. Comal River — City of New Braunfels (accessed 2026-10-08)
  12. Flood Maps — Federal Emergency Management Agency (accessed 2026-10-08)
  13. National Flood Insurance Program — Federal Emergency Management Agency (accessed 2026-10-08)
  14. South Central Texas Flood Event - October 1998 — National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio (accessed 2026-10-08)
  15. Drought Information Statement for South Central Texas (valid October 1, 2026) — National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio (accessed 2026-10-08)
  16. Current Conservation Stage — New Braunfels Utilities (accessed 2026-10-08)
  17. Drought Contingency Plan — New Braunfels Utilities (accessed 2026-10-08)
  18. NBU's Water Supply Portfolio — New Braunfels Utilities (accessed 2026-10-08)
  19. Critical Period/Drought Management (CPM) — Edwards Aquifer Authority (accessed 2026-10-08)
  20. St. David's Georgetown Hospital — St. David's HealthCare (accessed 2026-10-08)
  21. Baylor Scott & White Clinic - Georgetown — Baylor Scott & White Health (accessed 2026-10-08)
  22. Baylor Scott & White Urgent Care+ Georgetown (Austin Ave) — Baylor Scott & White Health (accessed 2026-10-08)
  23. CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital New Braunfels - Emergency Room — CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System (accessed 2026-10-08)
  24. Methodist ER New Braunfels — Methodist Healthcare System (accessed 2026-10-08)
  25. About Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) — City of Austin, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (accessed 2026-10-08)
  26. U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Austin Bergstrom AP, TX (monthly) — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (accessed 2026-10-08)
  27. Hail damage to your home or car? What to do next. — Texas Department of Insurance (accessed 2026-10-08)
  28. Insurance and your roof: What to know when buying a policy or filing a claim — Texas Department of Insurance (accessed 2026-10-08)
  29. Wildfire & Other Disasters — Texas A&M Forest Service (accessed 2026-10-08)
  30. Sun City Texas, Georgetown (community page) — Del Webb (PulteGroup) (accessed 2026-10-08)
  31. The benefits of our Homeowners Association (Sun City Texas) — Del Webb (PulteGroup) (accessed 2026-10-08)
  32. American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP05 Demographic and Housing Estimates, Georgetown city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
  33. American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP04 Selected Housing Characteristics, Georgetown city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
  34. New Braunfels city, Texas - Census Bureau profile — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
  35. Seniors — City of New Braunfels (accessed 2026-10-08)
  36. 55+ Active Adult Communities in Georgetown, TX — Del Webb (PulteGroup) (accessed 2026-10-08)
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