What Is Living in Aubrey, Texas Like?
Aubrey had about 2,600 people when the last decade opened. Today it has 9,066 — and that number keeps moving. The city sits in Denton County along US-380 and US-377, two corridors that funnel DFW commuters north in search of lower prices and more land. What they find is a town that still has a genuine historic downtown, a high school whose football team fills the stands on Friday nights, and a zip code that backs up to a 29,350-acre lake. The tension every buyer eventually confronts here is the same one the city itself wrestles with: how long can it stay small-town Aubrey when Silverado alone is permitted for roughly 5,000 homes?
The economic backbone of Aubrey is still largely what you'd expect from a fast-growing bedroom community — Aubrey Independent School District is the city's largest employer, followed by the City of Aubrey itself. A regional healthcare presence adds stability to the local job base. Most residents, though, work somewhere else: the drive to Frisco via US-380 puts Plano, McKinney, and the broader tech employment corridor within range. The school district — with a B rating, according to the Texas Education Agency — has been racing to keep pace, adding a fourth elementary campus and planning to double high school capacity. Parents with school-age kids consistently name the district as a primary reason for the move.
The typical home price in Aubrey was $346,440 in July 2026, which puts it noticeably below what buyers pay in Little Elm and meaningfully below the broader Frisco market — a real draw for households priced out further south. Aubrey's typical city-wide rent runs $1,785 per month (Zillow ZORI, July 2026), and the effective property tax rate sits at approximately 1.73%. That combination pulls buyers who want new construction and a manageable payment without driving two hours from their office. The catch: the median household income of $100,596 is close to but does not quite cover what the typical home requires, so many buyers here are stretching. For a fuller look at what that means month to month, the cost-of-living page breaks it down.
Whether you're being relocated to the Metroplex and landed on Aubrey as an option, or you've been watching prices in Frisco climb and started looking north, this guide covers what you actually need to know: the neighborhoods taking shape, what the commute looks like in practice, where locals spend their weekends, and the honest trade-offs of living in a town that is visibly mid-transformation.
Aubrey at a Glance
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Why Are People Moving to Aubrey?
The straightforward answer is price and space. Buyers who can't make the numbers work in Frisco or Little Elm keep driving north until they hit Aubrey, where new construction is still possible at a price point that leaves room in the budget. But that explanation undersells what's here.
Aubrey has something most fast-growing suburbs lack: a before. The Historic Downtown — a genuine small-town main street with feed-store bones and a water tower — gives the city an identity that isn't just a developer's marketing packet. City leadership has described the growth philosophy as staying true to the heart of Aubrey while growing in thoughtful and responsible ways, and that framing is taken seriously enough that it shows up in official planning documents, not just press releases.
The economic picture is changing fast. In March 2026, the city approved an economic development agreement with Walmart for a next-generation Supercenter of at least 150,000 square feet along the US-377 corridor, representing roughly $40 million in private investment, with completion anticipated by December 2029. City leadership called it a retail anchor — and for a town where a serious shopping trip has historically meant driving south, that matters to daily quality of life.
On the job side, Aubrey Independent School District and the City of Aubrey are the anchor employers in town. A major regional health system adds a healthcare presence. But most residents commute — US-380 puts Plano, McKinney, and the broader tech employment corridor within range. Remote work has also made Aubrey viable for workers whose offices could be anywhere.
Families with school-age kids are the dominant buyer profile here. The Aubrey Chaparrals have an active UIL athletics program, and Friday night football genuinely draws the community together in a way that newer master-planned communities often simulate but rarely achieve organically. The district added Pete and Myra West Elementary to reach four campuses in 2024-25, with plans to double high school capacity as enrollment keeps climbing. For more on schools, see the Aubrey ISD schools page.
Crime context matters too: Aubrey posts a violent crime rate of 1.91 per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 10.67 per 1,000 residents — well below the Texas state averages of 4 per 1,000 and 20.7 per 1,000, respectively, and below the national figures as well. The safety page has the full breakdown.
What Daily Life Feels Like in Aubrey
Living in Aubrey in 2025 means one foot in a small Texas town and the other in an active construction zone. Drive through Silverado or Sandbrock Ranch and you'll find freshly poured sidewalks, model homes with flags out front, and cul-de-sacs that didn't exist three years ago. Drive through Historic Downtown Aubrey and the pace shifts completely — a two-block commercial stretch where the buildings have actual history.
The Growth Reality
That contrast isn't a flaw — for many buyers it's the point. Longtime residents got here before the master-planned wave; newcomers get brand-new infrastructure alongside reasonable prices. But it does mean Aubrey is genuinely mid-build. Retail is catching up to population. The Walmart announcement signals that gap is closing, but until that opens, many residents do a weekly run south for groceries and big-box needs.
What Locals Know About Seasons
North Texas summers hit hard here. Aubrey averages 229 sunny days a year, which sounds appealing until July arrives with sustained triple-digit heat and no shade in the newer subdivisions whose trees haven't matured yet. Newcomers from outside Texas are almost universally underprepared for how long the heat runs — not just in July but through September. The flip side: mild winters and a genuinely beautiful spring make outdoor life easy for a long stretch of the year.
Where People Actually Gather
Aubrey City Park is the community's most-used gathering spot — sports fields, open lawn, and the kind of place where youth league games draw half the neighborhood on a weekend morning. Lake Ray Roberts and the Ray Roberts Greenbelt trails pull residents who want more than a park — boating, fishing, camping, over 20 miles of trail running through the Elm Fork corridor. These aren't manufactured amenities dropped in by a developer; they're the reason people who could afford to live elsewhere choose to stay.
The civic layer is real too. Aubrey Citizens University — now in its fifth session — is a city-run civic engagement program that has become a genuine pipeline for residents who want to understand how the town works and who end up on boards, commissions, and volunteer committees. It's a small detail that says something about how seriously the community takes its own identity.
For parks and outdoor recreation specifics, the parks page goes deeper.
The Aubrey Housing Market Right Now
The typical home in Aubrey was priced at $346,440 in July 2026 — a figure that has made this city one of the more accessible entry points left in the northern DFW corridor. That said, the median household income of $100,596 runs close to but does not fully clear the income threshold needed to carry the typical home here, which means buyers are often working with tighter margins than the price tag suggests.
New construction dominates the inventory. Silverado is permitted for roughly 5,000 homes when fully built out; Sandbrock Ranch adds another 2,400; Aspen Meadows contributes 312. Most of what sells in Aubrey today is builder-grade new construction with standard upgrades — open floorplans, covered patios, three-car garages on slightly larger lots than you'd find at the same price in Frisco. Some areas of the city run above this city-wide figure; the neighborhoods page covers the character and trade-offs of each community.
Well-priced homes here — particularly in the established master-planned communities — don't sit long. The market isn't the frenzied pace of 2021, but motivated sellers who price correctly find buyers. The effective property tax rate of approximately 1.73% is worth factoring into any budget conversation; at the typical price point, that's a meaningful line item on the monthly payment.
Buyers comparing Aubrey to nearby cities will find Providence Village noticeably lower in typical price, while Little Elm runs noticeably higher. Denton comes in at roughly the same range. For a complete cost picture including utilities and taxes, see the cost-of-living page.
Aubrey Neighborhoods
Aubrey has several distinct areas — each with its own character and appeal. Here’s a breakdown to help you narrow down where to focus your home search.
🏡 Silverado
Silverado is Aubrey's largest master-planned development — permitted for roughly 5,000 homes when fully built out — and draws families seeking new construction with modern amenities and community infrastructure that's growing alongside the neighborhood itself.
🏠 Sandbrock Ranch
Sandbrock Ranch is planned for approximately 2,400 homes and appeals to buyers who want a community-oriented master-planned environment with a small-town feel still attached to the broader Aubrey identity.
🌳 Cross Oak Ranch
Cross Oak Ranch is an established residential community in Aubrey that suits families looking for a settled neighborhood feel rather than the active-construction pace of newer master-planned developments nearby.
🏘 ArrowBrooke
ArrowBrooke is a newer planned community with a strong emphasis on amenity-rich residential living, attracting families with children who want community programming built into the neighborhood from day one.
🏔 Winn Ridge
Winn Ridge is a growing subdivision that fits buyers seeking newer construction in a community that retains some of the quieter, less-dense character of Aubrey before the largest master-planned projects reshaped the city.
🌆 Paloma Creek
Paloma Creek is a well-established master-planned community that straddles the Aubrey and Little Elm areas, offering residents access to community amenities and a central location relative to both cities' commercial corridors.
Pros & Cons of Living in Aubrey
The Pros
- Rapid new-home construction with modern master-planned communities
- Small-town, rural, horse-country feel just minutes from the DFW sprawl
- Above-average local school ratings
- Growing dining and retail corridor along US-380
The Cons
- Denton County property tax rates run well above the national average
- Roads and infrastructure are still catching up to explosive population growth
- Beyond the small freestanding ER, residents must drive to Denton or Frisco for full hospital services
Getting Around & Commuting in Aubrey
A car is essential in Aubrey. Most errands mean a drive, and the city's two main arteries — US-380 and US-377 — are the routes that matter for getting in or out. Understanding how they behave at different times of day is the single most important thing a relocating buyer can learn before committing to a neighborhood.
The Commute to the Employment Core
The drive is about 25 minutes to Frisco under normal conditions, which puts you in range of the Frisco-Plano-McKinney tech and corporate corridor. That timing holds on US-380 in the morning but erodes badly during peak hours — US-380 through Denton County is a known congestion point, and the afternoon return from the south can stretch well past the baseline. Anyone considering Aubrey with a five-day office commute should make that drive at 7:30 a.m. on a Tuesday before signing anything.
What Commuters Actually Do
A significant share of Aubrey residents work remotely, at least partially — the city's growth trajectory tracks closely with the remote-work boom, and many households chose Aubrey specifically because daily commuting wasn't a constraint. For those who do go in regularly, the standard pattern is an early departure to beat US-380 traffic, or a staggered schedule that avoids the worst of it. US-377 offers an alternative route toward the employment centers to the south and is generally less congested, though it adds distance depending on your destination.
Airport Access
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is 36 miles from Aubrey — a manageable drive for business travelers when timed right, but one that requires planning. There is no express route that skips suburban traffic, so early flights mean early departures from home.
Getting Around Town
Within Aubrey itself, everything is a short drive. The Historic Downtown, Aubrey City Park, and the commercial corridors along US-377 are all within a few minutes of the major residential communities. The newer master-planned neighborhoods have internal trail connectivity, but on-foot access to services is limited — most residents plan on driving for daily errands for the foreseeable future.
Schools in Aubrey
Families relocating to Aubrey have public, private, and higher-education options nearby. Here’s a quick overview.
🎓 School District
Aubrey Independent School District serves K–12 students across Aubrey and the surrounding area. Rated B (source: Texas Education Agency, 2025 A-F accountability rating (2024-25 school year)).
🏆 Graduation Rate
The 4-year high-school graduation rate here is approximately 95.1%.
📚 Higher Education
Texas’s public universities — the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the University of Houston — offer four-year degrees statewide, with one of the largest community college systems in the country (50+ public community college districts) providing two-year and workforce programs.
🌐 Online Learning
UT Austin Online and Texas A&M University Online offer fully accredited online degrees for remote learners across the state.
Safety in Aubrey
A quick look at how Aubrey compares on the numbers that matter most when weighing a neighborhood or a move.
🛡 Violent Crime
Approximately 1.91 per 1,000 residents.
🔒 Property Crime
Approximately 10.67 per 1,000 residents.
Compared to the most recent national figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2024), Aubrey’s violent crime is below the national average (about 3.7 per 1,000), and property crime is below the national average (about 18.4 per 1,000).
Against Texas as a whole, Aubrey’s violent crime is roughly half the state average, and property crime is roughly half the state average (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Crime Known to Law Enforcement, 2024 (tables 2 and 3)).
Crime rates can vary a lot within a single city, so the citywide numbers above are only a starting point. Some neighborhoods in Aubrey run well below these averages, while others run higher — the kind of block-by-block detail that matters most when you’re actually choosing where to live. The full guide below breaks it down neighborhood by neighborhood.
Working in Aubrey
Aubrey’s largest employers span several industries — here are some of the anchors of the local job market.
🎓 Aubrey Independent School District
K-12 education
🏛 City of Aubrey
Municipal government
🏥 Baylor Scott & White Emergency Hospital – Aubrey
Healthcare
Parks & Recreation in Aubrey
Some of the outdoor spaces that shape everyday life in Aubrey.
🌱 Lake Ray Roberts
🌱 Aubrey City Park
🌱 Ray Roberts Greenbelt
Aubrey residents don’t have to go far for green space — spots like Lake Ray Roberts and Aubrey City Park are part of everyday life here, whether that’s a morning walk, a weekend hike, or just somewhere to unwind outside. The full guide below covers more of what Aubrey has to offer for parks and outdoor recreation.
Retiring in Aubrey
Aubrey draws retirees for its balance of amenities, outdoor access, and cost. Here’s what to weigh.
🌤 Climate
Aubrey averages 229 sunny days a year, with mild winters that rarely produce prolonged cold snaps. Spring and fall are genuinely pleasant — warm days, cool evenings, and low humidity compared to the summer months. Summers run long and hot, often exceeding 100°F through July and August, which should factor into any retiree's outdoor activity planning.
🍴 Lifestyle
Daily life in Aubrey centers on outdoor recreation — Lake Ray Roberts and the Greenbelt trails are the primary draws for active retirees. The Historic Downtown offers a low-key main-street feel, and the local dining and coffee scene provides comfortable options without the noise of a larger city. For arts, medical specialists, and major retail, Frisco and Denton are both accessible drives.
🏚 55+ Communities
No age-restricted communities were found in Aubrey during research. Retirees who buy here typically choose from the same new-construction master-planned communities as everyone else, with single-story floorplans available in several subdivisions. Those specifically seeking an age-restricted community will need to look at neighboring cities. See the retiring in Aubrey page for more detail.
✈ Getting Around
Most errands in Aubrey mean a drive, and daily life here is built around having a car. Most in-town destinations are a short drive, and Frisco's retail and medical corridor is about 25 minutes south. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is 36 miles from Aubrey, manageable for travel when timed to avoid peak traffic.
🏛 Texas Taxes for Retirees — What to Know
- No state income tax — Texas has no personal income tax — constitutionally protected under Article VIII, Section 24. Social Security, pensions, 401(k)/IRA withdrawals, and annuity payments are all untaxed at the state level, with no state return to file.
- Sales tax is the tradeoff — The state sales tax is 6.25%, and local add-ons bring the combined rate in Aubrey to 8.25% (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, city sales and use tax rates, July 2026). Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt.
- Property taxes — the real tradeoff — Texas’s effective property tax rate averages about 1.40%, among the highest in the country, since property tax (not income tax) funds most local government and schools.
- Over-65 homestead exemption and school-tax freeze — Homeowners 65+ (or disabled) get an additional $60,000 exemption from their home’s value for school district taxes, on top of the general homestead exemption — $200,000 off school taxable value combined, following November 2025’s Proposition 11 (SB 23), which raised the over-65 exemption to $60,000, and Proposition 13 (SB 4), which raised the general homestead exemption to $140,000. Once claimed, your school district tax bill is frozen at that year’s amount and cannot increase as home values rise, and the ceiling can transfer if you move to a new home within Texas.
- Deferral option if cash is tight — Homeowners 65+ can defer property tax payment entirely for as long as they live in the home, rather than paying it currently — interest accrues, but no forced sale.
- No estate or inheritance tax — Texas has no estate tax, no inheritance tax, and no gift tax.
- No separate capital gains tax — Because Texas has no state income tax, capital gains — including on investments and home sales — are not taxed at the state level at all, unlike states such as Washington that tax capital gains separately from income.
Tax laws change frequently and individual situations vary. This is general information, not tax advice — always consult a qualified Texas tax professional or CPA for personalized retirement tax planning.
Weekends & Local Favorites in Aubrey
Aubrey's weekend identity splits neatly between the lake and the town. Lake Ray Roberts — 29,350 acres managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — is the dominant recreational draw. Anglers target largemouth bass (the lake record is 15.18 pounds), crappie, white bass, and catfish. A full-service marina rents boats and slips. The Ray Roberts Greenbelt trails connect the lake to Lake Lewisville along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, making it one of the stronger trail networks in this part of Denton County for hiking and mountain biking.
In town, the food and coffee scene is smaller than what most DFW transplants are used to — but it's genuine. Tender Smokehouse Aubrey draws the weekend barbecue crowd. Upper Park Cafe handles the casual sit-down lunch. Tokyo House – Aubrey TX covers the craving for Japanese. Dos Mezclas Restaurant and Bar brings Mexican and cocktails to the evening options, and a handful of independent spots round out options that most towns this size wouldn't have at all.
Coffee is where Aubrey punches above its size. TEACO has built a following well beyond the city. Dumont Creamery & Cafe does double duty as a coffee stop and ice cream destination. Oro Café and Pastries and Canelita Coffee & Co. round out a scene that gives residents real options before they'd need to drive south for a specialty cup.
Historic Downtown Aubrey is worth a wander, particularly if you catch it on a weekday when it's quieter — the scale is intimate, the buildings are real, and it offers a tangible counterpoint to the newness of the master-planned communities a few miles away. The equine heritage is still present in the area, and wedding venues on rural properties outside the incorporated limits draw visitors from across the Metroplex on weekends.
What Aubrey doesn't yet have is a walkable restaurant row or the density of a Frisco or McKinney entertainment district. That's the honest version. The retail gap is real, and the Walmart Supercenter approved in March 2026 — anticipated to open along US-377 by December 2029 — is the most significant infrastructure change on the horizon for day-to-day convenience.
Local favorites in Aubrey
Restaurants
- Tender Smokehouse Aubrey
- Upper Park Cafe
- Tokyo House - Aubrey TX
- Dos Mezclas Restaurant and Bar
- Mr.Cone Shawarma - Aubrey
Outdoors
- Lake Ray Roberts
- Ray Roberts Greenbelt trails
- Aubrey City Park
Coffee
- TEACO
- Dumont Creamery & Cafe
- Oro Café and pastries
- Canelita Coffee & Co.
- Keasie B's Coffee Cafe- Boutique
Top Things Locals Say About Aubrey
The best intel about a city comes from the people who actually live there. Here’s what Aubrey residents say when newcomers ask the questions everyone’s thinking.
“I knew the drive to Frisco was supposed to be 25 minutes, but I didn't test it on a Tuesday afternoon in February before we closed. That return trip is a different experience. We adjusted — earlier mornings, work-from-home Fridays — and honestly the tradeoff with the space we got and Lake Ray Roberts ten minutes away is still worth it. I just wish someone had told me to test the commute both ways.”
— Recent Aubrey home buyer
“What's the most surprising thing about living in Aubrey?”
How much the pace changes once you get off US-380. Inside the Historic Downtown or out on the Ray Roberts Greenbelt, it feels nothing like the construction zone in Silverado or Sandbrock Ranch. People who assume the whole city is one or the other are usually wrong in both directions. The two Aubreys coexist, and figuring out which one you're spending most of your time in matters a lot for whether you'll love it here.
“What do locals love most about Aubrey?”
Lake Ray Roberts, without much debate. Having a 29,000-acre lake with a full marina, real trails, and legitimate fishing within ten minutes of a neighborhood price point you can actually hit — that combination doesn't exist many places in the Metroplex. And the Friday night football culture around the Chaparrals is real. It's not manufactured community; people actually show up.
“What should newcomers to Aubrey know?”
Don't underestimate how long retail will take to arrive. The Walmart announcement in 2026 was genuinely big news here, and it's not even open yet. Until it and other retail follows, a weekly grocery run means driving south. Build that into your mental model of daily life before you move, not after. Also: the summers are longer and hotter than anywhere outside Texas will have prepared you for, and the newer subdivisions have almost no mature shade trees yet.
“How much do you need a car in Aubrey?”
A car is essential for everything — daily errands, school pickups, work commutes, coffee runs. Most of what you need day-to-day is a short drive within the city, but it is always a drive. The master-planned communities have internal walking paths and trail connections, but on-foot access to any commercial services is effectively zero in most of them. Plan your household logistics around two-car access.
Cities Near Aubrey
Other communities near Aubrey worth a look — each with its own character and price point.
| City | Distance | Best For | Vibe | Median Rent | Median Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton | 12 mi | University town feel, established amenities | Walkable, cultural, college-city energy | $1,533 | $350,224 |
| Providence Village | 3 mi | Budget-conscious buyers, smaller community | Quiet, affordable, compact | $1,700 | $280,000 |
| Little Elm | 10 mi | Lakefront lifestyle, higher-end new builds | Polished, lake-adjacent, busier | $2,294 | $400,423 |
More Helpful Guides for Aubrey
Going deeper on Aubrey? Our blog series covers everything from first-time buying to retiring here — explore the guides below.
Local Expert Takeaway: Aubrey is genuinely mid-transformation — not a finished suburb, but not a wide-open rural town either. The price point along US-380 is real, Lake Ray Roberts is right there, and the Historic Downtown gives the city an anchor that most master-planned neighbors lack. The commute to Frisco is about 25 minutes on a good morning; budget more for the return. Buy here because you want space, value, and access to the lake — not because you're expecting Frisco amenities to materialize before 2030.
Quick Takeaways & FAQs
✅ Aubrey's typical home price of $346,440 (July 2026) is noticeably below Little Elm and well below Frisco, making it one of the few remaining entry points in the northern DFW corridor with new construction at scale.
⚠️ US-380 traffic is the honest catch — the morning drive to Frisco is manageable, but afternoon congestion on that corridor regularly stretches well past the 25-minute baseline, and there's no quick alternative route that avoids it.
📍 Lake Ray Roberts — a 29,350-acre reservoir with over 20 miles of trails, camping, and a full-service marina — sits just outside the city limits and is the recreational anchor that sets Aubrey apart from other Denton County bedroom communities.
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