The Bulverde Community Parks and Garden

City of Bulverde

Bulverde, Texas, rests along the Cibolo Creek, nineteen miles west of New Braunfels in southwestern Comal County; it was settled in 1850 and called Pieper Settlement, after Anton Pieper. 

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The City of Bulverde

Bulverde covers approximately 10 square miles.  Once a rural community, its proximity to San Antonio has resulted in growing suburbanized development within the city and San Antonio expansion to the south.  A General Law city, Bulverde is nearly fully commercially developed.  Many residents were originally drawn to Bulverde and the surrounding area by its scenic qualities, availability of open space, strong sense of community and high quality school system.  It is important to ensure that these qualities are maintained in the future.

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Bulverde's Name

The man whose name may be the origin of Bulverde, was Luciano Bulverda who owned 320 acres in the late 1830s in present day Bulverde’s Cibolo Creek Valley.

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Location

Located on the scenic Cibolo Creek in Comal County, 22 miles north of downtown San Antonio and 19 miles west of New Braunfels, Bulverde is the “Front Porch” of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.  It is also one of the newest cities in Texas having been incorporated in 1999. 

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The city is at the crossroads location of U.S. Highway 281, State Highway 46, and FM 1863, and is thus easily accessible to San Antonio and surrounding cities; including Johnson City and Austin to the north; Boerne, Comfort, and Kerrville to the west; as well as New Braunfels and Garden Ridge to the east.

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Geography

Bulverde lies approximately 1,096 feet above mean sea level and encompasses 9.6 square miles of land in the Edwards Plateau.  The area enjoys mild weather conditions throughout the year with an average high/low temperature in July of 92/73°F and in January of 68/41°F. 

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The growing season is 265 days and the average number of days of sunshine per year is 300.  Annual precipitation in Bulverde feeds the Edwards and Trinity aquifers with an average or 30 to 33 inches of rain per year.  There are two soil types in the area: 1) shallow, undulating steep soils over limestone; and 2) in the lower elevations, level to gently sloping soils over loamy clay and gravel sediments.

 

Wildlife

Wildlife, including deer, wild turkey, armadillo, possum, raccoon, and quail are abundant in the area.

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Bulverde’s Neighborhood Focus

Bulverde is a community of distinct neighborhoods.  In a general way, the neighborhoods were physically created by the evolutionary formation of Bulverde.  The present day city was formed from five separate incorporated cities requiring 22 elections beginning in 1996 to eventually become one united city.  In 1998, Bulverde North and Bulverde West requested consolidation with Bulverde South.  In 1999, Bulverde East and in 2000 Bulverde Northwest followed suit.  On May 11, 1999, the Board of Alderman of Bulverde South changed the name of the city to the City of Bulverde.

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As evidenced by its historical beginnings, the present day City of Bulverde developed along the Cibolo and Honey Creeks in an area of exceptional beauty, and was built by people willing to work hard and raise families under sometimes difficult conditions.  The beauty of the area continues to beckon those looking for a more promising and better quality of life, something that is especially important in today’s fast-paced world.

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Bulverde continues to function in a quasi-neighborhood environment.  From a planning perspective, dividing the City into several distinct neighborhoods or areas is helpful in evaluating park and recreational needs.  Addressing issues at the City level, the level of individual neighborhoods, as well as the ETJ; provides a way of thinking and planning for how to best serve all members of the greater Bulverde community.

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To assess the City’s needs by neighborhoods, an early version of the Bulverde Parks Master Plan divided the greater Bulverde into five geographic neighborhoods using major streets and highways as the dividing lines.  The Neighborhood Map of Greater Bulverde Area is included at left. 

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Neighborhoods of the Greater Bulverde Area

The West Neighborhood is composed of the original Bulverde West City Limit and all of the Brand Ranch and Shepherds Ranch subdivisions as well as all of the geography west of a line of streets extending from North to South along Spring Branch Road, a very short piece of Hwy 46, Bulverde Road, Bulverde Lane in the Village, and South along Bulverde Road.

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Most of the original Bulverde Northwest City Limit area is in the Committee’s defined North Neighborhood.  It is bordered on the West by Spring Branch Road, on the South by Highway 46, and on the East by Highway 281.  Subdivisions include Windmill Ranch and Oakland Estates.

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The South Neighborhood lies south of Highway 46, East of Bulverde Lane and the southern Bulverde Road, and West of Highway 281.  This neighborhood includes Bulverde’s City Hall, the BLA Park, Bulverde Hills, Bulverde Oaks, Bulverde Estates, and Bulverde Ranchettes.  The original city limits of Bulverde North and Bulverde South are in this neighborhood.

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The Northeast Neighborhood includes a small portion of the original Bulverde West and a small piece of the Old Bulverde North city limits.  It is located East of Highway 281 and North of Highway 46.  The Northeast Neighborhood is the smallest of the divided areas and is primarily road frontage.

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Original Bulverde East—the present day Oak Village North subdivision—makes up a large portion of our defined Southeast Neighborhood.  It is composed of that area East of Highway 281 and South of Highway 46.  A small portion of the original Bulverde North City Limits extends into this neighborhood.