Home Care In Leander, TX

It's hard to believe, but soon summer will be winding down. So before the kids head back to school, why not spend some time as a family enjoying all that our community has to offer?

If you're looking for a place to get started, we've rounded up five fun things to do in the Cedar Park-Leander area before the kids head back to school. Pro tip: Call ahead to confirm hours and access, stay hydrated, and if you're heading outdoors, bring plenty of SPF and bug spray!

Address: 1717 Scottsdale Dr, Cedar Park, TX 78641Phone Number: 512-528-3211

This state-of-the-art sports, wellness and entertainment complex houses multiple businesses, including an ice rink, an esports center and multiple restaurants. The Crossover also regularly hosts special events, including gaming tournaments and even a summer ice show. Click here for more info.

Address: 13265 N US Hwy 183 Suite A, Austin, TX 78750Phone Number: 512-774-4359

Enjoy the thrill of freefall (safely!) in a vertical wind tunnel at iFly Austin. Trained instructors will guide you through the indoor skydiving experience, and even provide an orientation before you fly. You can book your flight online in advance; iFly is also available for birthday parties and private events. Click here for more info.

Address: 11200 Lakeline Mall Dr, Cedar Park, TX 78613Phone Number: 512-377-5867

Inflatable Wonderland, located at Lakeline Mall, is a fun and safe indoor playground filled with inflatables, playscapes, arcade games and more. It’s open seven days a week for open play (book online to reserve your spot!), and designed for kids aged 11 and under. Click here for more info.

Address: Start at 100 N Brushy St., Leander, TX 78641Phone Number: N/A

Have your own scavenger hunt adventure by following the Leander Trail of Trains, located throughout the city, and taking pictures along the way! You’ll start at the Leander Chamber of Commerce, where you’ll spot the Texas Starry Night Train, then follow the brochure for the rest. Once you’re finished, stop by the Visitors Center to get a prize. Click here for more info.

Address: 1801 Clover Ln, Cedar Park, TX 78613Phone Number: 512-820-3636Extend summer a little longer with a visit to Splash Shack, an indoor water park designed for kids aged 1-10. This climate-controlled space has a 30-foot interactive water play structure, plenty of slides and a giant dump bucket. There’s also a designated area for little ones (36” and under). Click here for more info.

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In 2019, the city had a population of 56,101. According to city, in 2023, that number jumped to 80,331.

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LEANDER, Texas — The Central Texas city of Leander is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It's now Williamson County's third-largest city, and it's growing quickly.

In 2019, Leander had a population of 56,101. That number jumped to 80,331 in 2023.

Leander Mayor Christine DeLise said the city has become particularly attractive to families.

"A lot of that comes down to our quality of life and schools and being a wonderful place to raise your family," DeLise said. "We do see a lot of people here in Williamson County that are moving out of Travis County because Williamson County is a little more affordable than Travis County. And have a little more room to spread out in some of our areas.

Prescilla Rogers, a mother of two, said she moved to Leander for multiple reasons.

"Wanted a bigger home, wanted to be away from the city ... more in the suburbs," Rogers said. "And wanted to close to better schools as well."

Leander has also developed more retail space throughout the city. One of the biggest projects in the works is Northline, which will become Leander's new downtown. The project has retail shops, office space, a hotel and more than 300 housing units.

RELATED: The woman buried over 10,000 years ago near modern-day Leander

"Live, work and play. It's all condensed right there, and right at the end of CapMetro Redline," DeLise said. "Easy for employees, easy access for anyone who wants to shop."

Ani Tucker and his family moved to Leander three years ago. He said one of the reasons was the school system for his kids.

"It's a rapid growth not only from the housing perspective, but you see a lot of businesses," Tucker said.

While Tucker said he loves Leander, he also has concerns with its rapid growth and the water.

“Traffic is one," Tucker said. "It is going to be bottlenecked. Keeping up with the infrastructure is the biggest challenge we have with the growth."

Leander has big construction projects planned like the Ronald Reagan Corridor for RM 2243, also known as Hero Way.

"They are starting this project here in Leander in the fall that's going to be divided highways like 183A," DeLise said.

As for water, Leander will add more water towers that can hold more than 1 million gallons of water each and will continue looking for ways to draw more from its main water source, Lake Travis.

“We have done a tremendous job of staying on top of that and planning for our future. It’s not just Leander when you talk about these communities in Williamson County that are booming," DeLise said. "Water is the most important thing to all of us and the hardest thing to deal with."

Leander's population is expected to reach 130,000 by 2040.

Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown.

RELATED: 'Gets your blood pumping' | A Central Texas company is headed to the moon

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Thousands of years before the area around RM 1431 and U.S. 183 in the Leander-Cedar Park area became communities, the region was home to indigenous tribes.

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AUSTIN, Texas — On a wet and cold day in December 1982, archeologists are called out to investigate buried human bones found deep in the ground where construction crews with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) were building Ranch to Market Road 1431.

Soon, it became clear that what the archeologists uncovered was an extraordinary discovery: The oldest intact human skeleton ever recovered in the U.S., carbon dated to between 10,000 and 13,000 years ago.

The carefully recovered and removed the skeleton belonged to a woman who was about 5 feet, 3 inches tall and probably around 30 years old. She had been carefully and respectfully buried with some tools and a shark tooth.

Former KVUE anchor Judy Maggio had recently begun her news career in early 1983 and still remembers reporting from the scene 41 years ago.

“This young woman was so lovingly buried,” Maggio recalled. “It was exciting news that scientists had found a burial site dating back to 9,000 B.C. here in Central Texas.”

The woman who had been buried was given the name "Leanne" because she had been found near the present day city of Leander. Some nicknamed her the "Leanderthal Lady," although she had no connection to the much earlier epoch of the Neanderthal people.

“To me, finding her burial site was a poignant reminder that indigenous people lived here long before any Texans did,” Maggio said. “I think we should always remember them with a lot of reverence and respect.”

Today, a TxDOT roadside marker off U.S. 183 tells some of Leanne’s story. But like all discoveries from long ago, there's much more about who she was and the people with whom she lived that is yet to be told.

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The city of Leander has pulled out of a deal that would have produced the $1 billion Leander Springs development, after nearly four years of planning and negotiating with the project’s developers.

As proposed, Leander Springs would be a 78-acre mixed-use project featuring a 4-acre crystal lagoon as well as restaurant, retail, entertainment, hospitality, residential and office elements. The site for the proposed development is at the southwest corner of RM 2243 and 183A.

What happened

Leander officials sent a notice of termination letter to the Leander Springs developers March 18. The letter informed the developers the 2020 development agreement with the city of Leander was canceled due to their failure to meet the construction deadlines and requirements outlined in the agreement, according to a copy of the letter provided to Community Impact.

As stated in the agreement with the city, Leander Springs developers were required to complete construction on 35,000 square feet of commercial property as well as the lagoon portion by December 2023.

For the last few months, the city has left the door open allowing the developers to submit an amended proposal in order to continue with the project. However, as of April 4, an amended project proposal has yet to go before City Council.

A closer look

According to the March 18 letter, city officials have made “previous attempts to assist the developers in completing milestones for the development of the property,” such as allowing them to submit required documents as a package to expedite the review process. The letter also states that city review of any submitted documents was completed on time.

However, Andrey Derevianko—CEO of iLand Development Group, the company behind Leander Springs—told Community Impact in a February interview the reason construction deadlines were not met was primarily due to permitting delays during the height of the pandemic.

In the letter, the city outlined several other contributing factors that led to the termination of the agreement, including:

As of press time, Leander Springs developers have not responded to Community Impact’s request for comment.

The bottom line

The Leander Springs developers still own the property and are allowed to pursue commercial development, as long as it’s in accordance with Leander’s development regulations, according to the letter.

However, the crystal lagoon portion is no longer cleared for development, officials said, and the developers will not receive economic incentives from the city.

In the letter, officials stated “the city welcomes the opportunity to continue dialogue with the Leander Springs developers on a path forward for development of the property.”

Government Reporter

Zacharia joined Community Impact in January 2022 after a year spent working at the Texas Observer. She is a government reporter covering Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander and Liberty Hill. Prior to CI, Zacharia graduated from Huston-Tillotson University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in communication; shortly after, she graduated from The University of Texas with a master’s degree in journalism and media. Zacharia has a passion for journalism, service and the community, and she's honored to work at a place with the same values as her own.

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