Sunset Valley, Texas

Geography

Sunset Valley is located at 30°13′32″N 97°48′58″W (30.225631, -97.816133), 5 miles (8 km) southwest of downtown Austin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.

History

The first land transaction in the area dates back to 1835, but it wasn't until the early 1950s that the community of Sunset Valley was developed. It was at that time that two brothers, Clarence and M.H. Flournoy purchased a large tract of land for a residential subdivision. The landscape, a wooded valley nestled among rolling hills on the western edge of Austin, inspired the name Sunset Valley. In September 1954, Sunset Valley was incorporated as a town and established a mayor/council form of government. Clinton Vilven became the first mayor of the newly incorporated community. About a month after incorporation, Sunset Valley experienced the first of a series of deannexations through the years as petitioners applied to deannex various tracts while the town annexed other tracts.

During the 1960s, city services were developed, including the installation of natural gas lines and the paving of roads. The growth of nearby Austin began to impinge upon the boundaries of Sunset Valley in the 1970s, causing disputes over territory and jurisdiction. One example of this tense relationship occurred in 1970, when Sunset Valley residents objected to the Austin Independent School District's plans to build an athletic complex within the corporate limits of the city. A court would later rule in favor of Austin ISD's right to build the complex, which was completed in 1976. Sporadic disputes between the two cities would continue into the 1980s and 1990s.

Sunset Valley's first city hall was completed in 1977 and a police department was established in 1979. By 1990, the population had grown to 327. A wastewater system was constructed in the early 1990s with a grant from the Texas Water Development Board. In 1998, Sunset Valley entered into an inter-local agreement with the city of Austin to provide firefighting services. The population rose to 365 by 2000, an 11.6 percent increase over the 1990 figure.

In 2001, the U.S. Postal Service officially recognized Sunset Valley as a destination for mail delivery. While a vast majority of the city's land remains residential, commercial development has increased in recent years.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 365 people, 146 households, and 109 families residing in the city. The population density was 265.0 people per square mile (102.1/km²). There were 154 housing units at an average density of 111.8/sq mi (43.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.05% White, 0.27% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 4.66% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.33% of the population.

There were 146 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $75,470, and the median income for a family was $78,937. Males had a median income of $52,083 versus $34,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,833. About 7.3% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The City Council consists of one Mayor and five Council Members. As of 2016 the Mayor is Rose Cardona and the Council Members are Mayor Pro tem Jeff Burdett, Marc Bruner, Walter Jenkins, Mickie Powers, and Rudi Rosengarten.

Education

Sunset Valley is within the Austin Independent School District. The city is zoned to Sunset Valley Elementary School in Sunset Valley, Covington Middle School, and Crockett High School.