RiverRat wrote:"RiverRat"....I grew up and still live on Lake Austin. I had a boat named the RiverRat .......that was how full time lake residents referred to one another.
40-50 years ago most people of modest resources could afford to keep a weekend cabin on one of the central Texas lakes and very few folks lived in permanent residences on the lake. Massive taxes, better roads, bridges, and extreme population influxes with the advent of high tech industry in the area have pretty much limited peoples ability to afford secondary residences on the lakes. Now, most lake homes are primary residences.
No one uses the term much anymore except when the tourists are out on holiday weekends. During those periods a "RiverRat" keeps his boat wound to the top of the boat lift and wouldn't get near the water.
Yes, much has changed over the years. Back in the late 60's through the mid 70's things were still pretty good. A number of full time residents on the lake but not really that much between "Boat Town" and "City Park". From CP on up to Mansfield was mostly ranch land on one side and few houses on the other side. I'll bet if you could find a place to put a home there now...land would sell by the square foot. I wonder if the Steiner ranch is still there.
I spent many a day on the Slalom Course on Lake Austin growing up. By the mid 80's Austin had changed so much and gotten so big....we decided to move. Great place still (for a big city), but not like it was 40 yrs. ago (pretty much heaven back then).
