Living in Cinco Ranch: Katy's Master-Planned Community

Cinco Ranch is a fully built-out master-planned community in Katy, Texas, roughly 25 miles west of downtown Houston. It covers 8,092 acres across Fort Bend and Harris counties, holds approximately 15,098 homes, and is served entirely by Katy ISD, one of the highest-rated school districts in the Houston area. If you are moving to the west Houston suburbs, Cinco Ranch is the community most people compare everything else against.

What is Cinco Ranch, exactly?

Cinco Ranch is a private residential community divided into two master HOAs by Katy-Gaston Road: Cinco Ranch I (east side, 8,740 lots, governed by the Cinco Residential Property Association) and Cinco Ranch II (west side, 6,358 lots, governed by Cinco Ranch Residential Association II). Within Cinco II, the sections are called Cinco Ranch Southwest and Cinco Ranch Northwest. Homes in the northwest section are generally newer and larger, with correspondingly higher prices.

The community is not within the City of Katy city limits — it sits in Katy's extraterritorial jurisdiction. That means there is no city of Katy property tax, but also no city services; utilities come from one of roughly 19 Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) that serve different sections of the community.

The name, literally, means "five ranch." In 1937, five Houston oil executives paid $50,000 for 4,880 acres of the Blakely Ranch as a weekend hunting preserve. One of the five was J.S. Abercrombie, the wildcatter who invented the blowout preventer — the device that makes modern oil drilling safer. When Cinco Ranch Venture purchased the land in 1984 to build the community, that $50,000 hunting preserve became, at the time, the largest raw land transaction in Houston's history.

What does it cost to live here?

Cinco Ranch is entirely a resale market — development finished in 2020. As of mid-2026, median home prices vary significantly by section:

• Cinco Ranch overall: roughly $565,000–$634,000 median
• Cinco Ranch Southwest: roughly $532,500 median
• Cinco Ranch Northwest: roughly $891,000 median, with luxury homes above $1 million
• Entry-level townhomes start in the low $300s

Properties typically sell in about three weeks. Prices have moved in opposite directions across the two sides — southwest slightly softer, northwest up year-over-year.

HOA fees: Cinco Ranch II charges $1,150 per household per year, due January 1. About 58 percent of that goes to landscaping; the rest covers utilities, amenities, and reserve funds. Cinco Ranch I does not publish its dues publicly; real estate listings suggest a similar range. Each household gets one amenity access key card; additional cards are $25 each, with a maximum of four per household.

MUD and property taxes: Your total tax rate is a composite of Katy ISD (the largest component), your county (Fort Bend or Harris), and the specific MUD covering your parcel. Combined rates typically run 2.3–2.8 percent of appraised value depending on which section you are in. Western sections of Cinco II generally carry higher MUD rates than the older Cinco I sections. The county appraisal district website is the only reliable way to look up the precise rate for a specific address.

Katy ISD schools serving Cinco Ranch

All of Cinco Ranch is in Katy ISD, which the district describes as the top-rated large school district in the Houston area. Most Cinco Ranch students attend one of three high schools:

• Cinco Ranch High School (23440 Cinco Ranch Blvd) — approximately 3,400 students; offers AP Capstone; mascot is the Cougars
• Seven Lakes High School — serves portions of the community, particularly on the eastern side
• Obra D. Tompkins High School — primarily serves Cinco II and northwest sections; boundary adjustments are proposed for 2027–28 that may shift more Cinco Ranch addresses to Tompkins

All three high schools hold an "A" rating from the Texas Education Agency.

Junior high options include Cinco Ranch Junior High (23420 Cinco Ranch Blvd) and Beckendorff Junior High and McMeans Junior High for other sections. Elementary school assignments vary by street: Jenks Elementary, Odessa Kilpatrick Elementary, Creech Elementary, Bethke Elementary, and others all serve different parts of the community. Use Katy ISD's school assignment lookup tool at katyisd.org to confirm your address's zoning.

The amenities: beach club, lakes, and trails

The amenities are a genuine selling point, not marketing copy.

The Beach Club is Cinco Ranch I's signature amenity at 3131 S. Lake Village Dr. It features a half-acre horseshoe-shaped swimming lagoon four feet deep, with 6,500 square feet of clubhouse decking, a sandy beach, sand volleyball, picnic tables, paddle boats, and kayaks. The exercise track around the club is open dawn to dusk. Access is residents-only.

Seven lakes run through the community. South Lake and North Lake anchor Cinco Ranch I; Spring Lake (with a 1.84-mile trail loop) and Ericson Lake (with a 0.75-mile trail loop) are key landmarks in Cinco II. Eleven or more community pools are scattered across both HOAs — Cinco II alone has four guarded pools, open April through October.

The trail system is the community's best-kept secret. The Willow Fork Drainage District maintains approximately 50 miles of trails along the bayou and drainage channels that thread through the community, including a 200-foot Buffalo Bayou pedestrian bridge completed in 2019 and multiple bridges linking schools directly to neighborhoods. Trail signage includes quarter-mile markers — and alligator warning signs, because this is a working bayou environment, not a theme park.

Golf: The Golf Club at Cinco Ranch (23030 Cinco Ranch Blvd) is an 18-hole, par-71 course designed by Carlton Gipson in 1994, with water on 16 of 18 holes. It is a daily-fee public course, now operated by Arcis Golf.

Other facilities across both HOAs include 17 tennis courts, pickleball courts, volleyball and basketball courts, a cricket pitch, league athletic fields, and 91 parks total.

The commute

Cinco Ranch sits about 25 miles west of downtown Houston. Realistic commute times:

• Energy Corridor: 20–35 minutes via Westpark Tollway or I-10 (this is why so many energy-sector workers live here)
• Downtown Houston: 35–50 minutes off-peak; 45–60 minutes or more in rush hour
• Galleria/Uptown: 35–55 minutes
• Medical Center: 40–60 minutes

The Grand Parkway (SH-99) runs along the community's eastern edge and connects directly north toward The Woodlands or south toward Sugar Land, making cross-suburb commutes easier than they once were. Westpark Tollway is the fastest direct route to the Galleria and Medical Center. Plan for toll costs: most practical routes in or out use either the Grand Parkway or Westpark Tollway. See our Houston toll road guide if you are new to the EZ TAG system.

LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch

Cinco Ranch's retail and dining center is LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch (23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd, at Grand Parkway and Cinco Ranch Blvd). The open-air lifestyle center opened in March 2007, covers 34 acres and 412,900 square feet, and draws roughly five million visitors per year. It sold in 2025 to Brixmor Property Group for $223 million.

Anchors and confirmed tenants include Trader Joe's, Flix Brewhouse, lululemon, Sephora, Athleta, Warby Parker, and Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizza. LaCenterra hosts approximately 200 outdoor events per year on its public green space, which makes it as much a community gathering place as a shopping destination.

For a full picture of where to eat nearby, our best restaurants in Katy guide covers the surrounding area, and Katy Asian Town — a dense cluster of Asian restaurants and grocery stores along I-10 — is about 10 minutes from most of Cinco Ranch.

Where locals eat and drink

Cinco Ranch itself doesn't have a freestanding restaurant strip, but the surrounding Katy area does. Here are eight confirmed, currently-open picks for the community:

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

2643 Commercial Center Blvd, Ste. C390, Katy, TX 77494 (LaCenterra) · coal brick-oven pizza · open daily

Grimaldi's is the closest thing to a Cinco Ranch institution. The coal brick-oven pizzas are the draw — thin-crust, charred, and topped with whole-milk mozzarella. The LaCenterra location is one of the original Texas outposts of the Brooklyn-founded chain. Check the website for hours before your first visit.

Best for: family pizza nights and date night at the shopping center.

Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen

23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd, Katy, TX 77494 (LaCenterra) · Mexican · open daily

Ambriza sits at LaCenterra and focuses on interior Mexican cooking rather than Tex-Mex: slow-braised meats, complex mole sauces, and margaritas built for lingering. The patio faces the green space and is a good seat for the outdoor events. Check official hours before you go.

Best for: a sit-down dinner or weekend brunch at LaCenterra.

Postino

23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd, Ste. D100, Katy, TX 77494 (LaCenterra) · wine bar and bruschetta · open daily

Postino is a wine bar and café concept that built its reputation on bruschetta boards and affordable glasses of wine. The LaCenterra location fits the outdoor lifestyle center well and is the go-to for a drink after shopping. Check official hours, as they vary by day.

Best for: drinks and light bites before or after a movie at Flix Brewhouse.

Flix Brewhouse

2707 Commercial Center Blvd, Suite K-100, Katy, TX 77494 (LaCenterra) · dine-in cinema brewery · open daily

Flix Brewhouse replaced the former Alamo Drafthouse at LaCenterra in February 2026 — and Katy got an upgrade. It is the only first-run cinema brewery in the Houston area: watch new releases in a reserved recliner seat while ordering fresh food and house-brewed craft beers from the in-seat menu. The taproom is open seven days a week even without a movie ticket. Check the official site for showtimes and hours.

Best for: date night or family movie night with craft beer and real food at the table.

No Label Brewing Company

5351 1st St, Katy, TX 77493 · taproom · open daily

No Label is Katy's hometown brewery, about three miles from Cinco Ranch in Historic Katy. The taproom typically opens every day of the week (Monday–Thursday 3–10pm, Friday–Saturday noon–midnight, Sunday noon–10pm), with food trucks on-site daily and live music on Saturday afternoons. Look for the Don Jalapeño peppered beer. Our Katy restaurant guide has more of the surrounding area.

Best for: a casual Friday evening, a Saturday afternoon with live music.

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille

23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd, Suite Q100, Katy, TX 77494 (LaCenterra) · steakhouse · open daily for dinner, Friday lunch

Perry's is a Houston institution with a Cinco Ranch location at LaCenterra. The Friday lunch pork chop — a thick, carved tableside cut — has been the signature for decades; the dinner menu runs prime steaks, fresh seafood, and an extensive wine list. Reservations recommended on weekends. Check the official site for current hours.

Best for: a celebration dinner or a Friday pork chop lunch worth the drive.

The Rouxpour

2643 Commercial Center Blvd, Ste. A300, Katy, TX 77494 (LaCenterra) · Cajun/Creole · open daily

The Rouxpour brings Louisiana-style Cajun and Creole cooking to LaCenterra: gumbo, shrimp and grits, blackened fish, and a raw bar. The patio faces the green space and is one of the best outdoor seats in the complex. Hours typically run 11am–10pm Sunday through Thursday, 11am–11:45pm Friday and Saturday — check the official site before you go.

Best for: a Friday night dinner or a long Sunday lunch with a patio seat.

Torchy's Tacos

23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. #N-100, Katy, TX 77494 (LaCenterra) · Tex-Mex · open daily

The Austin-founded taco chain has a location at LaCenterra, the community's main retail hub. The "Damn Good" Torchy's taco is the one first-timers order; regulars gravitate toward the specials board. For sit-down Tex-Mex, see our best Mexican restaurants in Katy guide.

Best for: a quick weeknight dinner or a post-trail taco run.

How we chose

Every restaurant and venue listed was confirmed currently open via its own official website or verified social media presence as of October 2026. Hours change — always check the official site before you go. The community facts (HOA dues, MUD structure, school names, amenity details) were drawn from official HOA websites and Katy ISD's public school information. Home price data came from Redfin and Fort Bend County appraisal records through mid-2026.

Save this: a Cinco Ranch checklist for buyers

• Look up your specific address in Katy ISD's school assignment tool at katyisd.org before assuming which school district zone you're in.
• Ask the seller for the specific MUD number covering the property and look up its current tax rate at the Fort Bend or Harris County appraisal district.
• HOA dues are annual (Cinco II: $1,150/year confirmed; Cinco I: ask for the current year's amount in writing).
• Get an amenity key card in your first week — it admits up to four people, and the beach club runs out of parking on hot summer weekends.
• Budget for tolls: the Grand Parkway and Westpark Tollway are the two practical routes into Houston. An EZ TAG pays for itself quickly.
• The trail system connects to public parks via the Willow Fork Drainage District network. Download the district's trail map before your first walk.
• The Tompkins High School boundary adjustment for 2027–28 is still pending; if your child is a few years from high school, confirm the current proposed boundary at katyisd.org.

Nearby and related guides

Cinco Ranch is in the Katy, TX area. For school details, see our full Katy ISD guide and the best suburbs of Houston comparison. If you are weighing other west-side communities, our guides to living in Cypress and living in Sugar Land cover the two nearest alternatives.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cinco Ranch in Katy, TX?

Cinco Ranch is in the Katy area of Greater Houston, but it is not inside the City of Katy. It sits in Katy's extraterritorial jurisdiction across Fort Bend and Harris counties, roughly 25 miles west of downtown Houston. It has a Katy mailing address and is served by Katy ISD.

What are the HOA fees in Cinco Ranch?

Cinco Ranch II charges $1,150 per household per year, due January 1. Cinco Ranch I does not publish its dues publicly; real estate listings suggest a similar figure. Both fees cover landscaping, community amenities, and reserves.

What schools serve Cinco Ranch?

All of Cinco Ranch is in Katy ISD. High school students attend Cinco Ranch High School, Seven Lakes High School, or Obra D. Tompkins High School depending on their address. Boundary adjustments proposed for 2027–28 may shift some zones. Use Katy ISD's online lookup at katyisd.org to confirm your address.

What is the beach club at Cinco Ranch?

The Cinco Ranch Beach Club at 3131 S. Lake Village Dr. is a residents-only amenity featuring a half-acre horseshoe-shaped swimming lagoon (4 feet deep), 6,500 sq ft of decking, a sandy beach, sand volleyball, paddle boats, and kayaks. It is part of Cinco Ranch I (Cinco Residential Property Association).

How far is Cinco Ranch from downtown Houston?

Cinco Ranch is approximately 25 miles west of downtown Houston. The drive typically takes 35–50 minutes off-peak and 45–60 minutes or more in rush hour, primarily via I-10 or Westpark Tollway. Most practical routes involve tolls.

Why is it called Cinco Ranch?

The name means "five ranch" in Spanish. In 1937, five Houston oil executives — including J.S. Abercrombie, inventor of the blowout preventer — bought approximately 4,880 acres as a weekend hunting preserve and named it after their five-person partnership.