Emmett Shelton's City in the Hills
West Lake Hills was land planner Emmett Shelton’s idea, and it incorporated in 1953 on steep, cedar-covered hills just west of Austin. The bridge that links the city to Austin still carries his name. Most of the building came in the 1970s and 1980s, when custom homes on large lots and winding roads filled in the south side of the Colorado River.
It’s a small place, about 3.6 square miles and roughly 3,400 people. Like neighboring Rollingwood, it is served by Eanes ISD and sends students to Westlake High School, open since 1970, which is why locals call the whole area Westlake. On a clear evening the view from the ridges runs all the way downtown.
