Cinco Ranch: Katy’s Big, Built-Out Master-Planned Community

Cinco Ranch at a glance

Figures are point-in-time and vary by section and address — verify before relying. Not legal or tax advice.

Where Cinco Ranch is located

Cinco Ranch is in west Katy, in unincorporated Fort Bend and Harris counties, about 25–30 miles west of Downtown Houston. The Grand Parkway (SH 99) runs north–south through the community, and you reach it from I-10 (the Katy Freeway) to the north and the Westpark Tollway (FM 1093) to the south — the Westpark is the quicker route toward Westchase and the Galleria for many residents. That highway access, plus Katy ISD and proximity to the Energy Corridor, is a big part of why the area grew the way it did.

Cinco Ranch is organized into two halves divided by Katy-Gaston Road: Cinco I to the east (the original, mostly resale side, built from 1991) and Cinco II to the west (the newer Southwest and Northwest sections). Which side — and which village — you’re in shapes your price, your HOA, your MUD tax rate, and your flood picture, so it’s worth orienting on that early.

Highway access and commute times

The Grand Parkway is the spine here, feeding I-10 and the Westpark Tollway, so much of the west side’s job base is reachable without long surface-street drives. As a rough guide, depending on where in the community you start and how traffic is running: the Energy Corridor is roughly 20–35 minutes east via I-10 or the Westpark; Downtown is about 30–60 minutes depending on the hour; and the Texas Medical Center and Galleria are commonly 35–55 minutes, often via the Westpark toward Westchase. Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Hobby (HOU) are each roughly 45–60 minutes. These are typical-traffic estimates — if a commute will make or break the move, drive it yourself at the hour you’d actually be driving it before you commit.

The feel of the area

Cinco Ranch is built around water and amenities, and the list is deep: seven lake areas (some stocked for catch-and-release fishing), 11-plus community pools, the sandy beach-entry Beach Club with a swimming lagoon, the Lake House community center, an 18-hole golf club, 17 tennis courts, more than 12 miles of trails, and the Cinco Ranch Bayou Trail nature preserve along the Willow Fork of Buffalo Bayou. Older eastern villages near Mason Road have mature trees; the newer western and northwestern sections have larger lots and more contemporary floor plans.

LaCenterra — the center of Cinco Ranch

If Cinco Ranch has a heart, it’s LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch — a 34-acre open-air town center at the corner of Cinco Ranch Boulevard and the Grand Parkway that opened in 2007 and now draws more than five million visits a year. It’s genuinely mixed-use: roughly 273,000 square feet of shops and restaurants plus about 139,000 square feet of offices, so people work, shop, dine, and gather in the same walkable place — a real town square rather than a distant strip center.

On the retail side there’s a Trader Joe’s, the Flix Brewhouse dine-in cinema and brewery, national names like Loft and White House Black Market, and local boutiques such as The Cotton Onion and Versona — alongside a deep bench of dining, from fast-casual spots to full-service, patio restaurants (North Italia opened in 2026). At the middle of it all is Central Green, an open lawn that hosts around 200 events a year — fitness classes, family movie nights, seasonal celebrations, and pet-friendly events — and on Sundays the LaCenterra Farmers Market runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with local produce, Texas honey, baked goods, and prepared foods.

For a buyer, that’s a real part of Cinco Ranch’s appeal: instead of driving to a distant center, residents have a true gathering place minutes from home. LaCenterra was acquired by Brixmor Property Group in 2025 and keeps adding tenants, so it’s an established, still-growing hub. Store and event lineups change — see the LaCenterra website for what’s open now.

What homes cost in Cinco Ranch

Cinco Ranch offers a wide range of housing — patio and garden homes, townhomes, one- and two-story single-family homes, and large estates in gated enclaves — built from 1991 in the east through roughly 2016 in the west, by builders including David Weekley, Perry, Toll Brothers, Taylor Morrison, Highland, and Village Builders. Because the community is essentially complete, today’s market is predominantly resale, with established landscaping and proven infrastructure. Buyers wanting brand-new construction are generally pointed to nearby communities such as Elyson, Cross Creek Ranch, Tamarron, and Jordan Ranch — for new-build options across the area, see my New Homes guide.

As of 2025–early 2026, community-wide medians have run from the high $400,000s to about $620,000 depending on the source, month, and section, with a more balanced, negotiable market than the recent peak (days on market lengthened from single digits to roughly 30–40 in some 2025 windows). The real story is section by section, though — from the $300s in older eastern villages to well over $1 million in the Northwest. Figures are point-in-time and small-sample — ask me for this week’s numbers in a specific section.

The sections at a glance

Cinco Ranch isn’t one neighborhood — it’s roughly 50 subdivisions across two HOAs, split by Katy-Gaston Road. Which one you’re in shapes your price, your HOA and MUD costs, and your home’s vintage (verify current options and figures with me):

One distinction worth knowing: the two HOAs (Cinco I east of Katy-Gaston Road and Cinco II west of it) set their own dues and rules, and your MUD — which drives your tax rate — varies by section, with the western Cinco Southwest MUDs generally running higher than the older Cinco I ones. Whichever section you’re considering, I’ll pull the exact tax rate and HOA details before you write an offer.

Featured Cinco Ranch Homes For Sale

A live look at homes for sale in the Cinco Ranch area (ZIP codes 77450 and 77494), pulled from the HAR MLS and refreshed through the day:

$575,000 Active

26422 Red Cliff Ridge Katy, Texas

4 Beds 3 Baths 3,004 SqFt 0.152 Acres

$429,900 Active

4503 Butler Springs Lane Katy, Texas

5 Beds 2 Baths 2,377 SqFt 0.261 Acres

$497,500 Active

4907 Erin Ashley Lane Katy, Texas

4 Beds 3 Baths 2,940 SqFt 0.152 Acres

$415,000 Active

25402 Melody Canyon Court Katy, Texas

3 Beds 2 Baths 1,909 SqFt 0.21 Acres

$899,900 Active

4722 Mesquite Meadow Lane Katy, Texas

3 Beds 5 Baths 4,363 SqFt 0.276 Acres

$605,000 Active

27903 Hunters Rock Lane Katy, Texas

5 Beds 4 Baths 3,424 SqFt 0.168 Acres

See all Cinco Ranch homes for sale →

Schools

Cinco Ranch is zoned entirely to Katy ISD — consistently ranked among the top districts in the Houston area. The Katy ISD / Lamar CISD boundary in this corridor runs along FM 1463, and all of Cinco Ranch — including the westernmost Southwest and Northwest sections — sits east of that line, on the Katy ISD side. The frequently repeated Lamar CISD association applies to neighboring Fulshear-corridor communities at or west of FM 1463 (Tamarron, Cross Creek Ranch, Jordan Ranch), not to Cinco Ranch itself.

The community is served by three comprehensive Katy ISD high schools — Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes, and Obra D. Tompkins — all rated “A” by the Texas Education Agency in 2025 (a few neighborhoods feed James E. Taylor HS), plus well-regarded junior highs (Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes, Beckendorff, McMeans) and elementaries (Fielder, Williams, Griffin, and more). Zoning is set by the exact address and the district rezones as it grows, so always confirm a home’s campuses before you rely on them — check current ratings and assignment at txschools.gov and with Katy ISD directly. I also keep area homes organized by high school on my Schools page.

Search homes zoned to Cinco Ranch High School.

Search homes zoned to Cinco Ranch Junior High.

Flood risk — real and property-specific

This is the section I’d pay closest attention to in any Cinco Ranch purchase. Parts of the community sit near Barker Reservoir — a federal flood-control reservoir on Buffalo Bayou — and the Willow Fork of Buffalo Bayou runs through it. During Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, record pool elevations behind Barker Reservoir caused flooding in parts of Cinco Ranch. Fort Bend County counted roughly 3,000 damaged homes in the Canyon Gate/Cinco Ranch area, and the gated Canyon Gate at Cinco Ranch section — about 721 homes that sit within the reservoir’s flood pool — was extensively flooded, with many residents learning only then that they lived in the pool and relatively few carrying flood insurance.

The honest takeaway: risk here varies dramatically by exact lot. Most of Cinco Ranch did not flood, but some sections carry real, documented history. So before you make an offer on any specific home, pull its flood designation at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, ask for the property’s flood history, and consider an elevation certificate. I’ll help you work through it lot by lot.

Things to do nearby

Inside the community, you’ve got the lakes (fishing, paddle boats), the Beach Club lagoon, 11-plus pools and splash pads, the golf club, 17 tennis courts, the trail network, the Cinco Ranch Bayou Trail preserve, and CincoLife events. LaCenterra anchors shopping and dining day to day.

Beyond the gates, Katy gives you a real menu:

• Shopping: Katy Mills — a large indoor outlet mall a few minutes north, plus everyday retail all along the Grand Parkway and I-10.
• Water park: Typhoon Texas — a Katy waterpark for summer weekends.
• Parks: Willow Fork Park and Mary Jo Peckham Park — lakes, trails, and fishing in and around Katy.
• Old Towne Katy: the historic City of Katy square, with local restaurants and No Label Brewing nearby.

Quick Answers

Is Cinco Ranch in Katy ISD or Lamar CISD?

Cinco Ranch proper is zoned entirely to Katy ISD (Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes, and Tompkins high schools, with a few neighborhoods to Taylor). The Katy / Lamar line runs along FM 1463, and Cinco Ranch sits east of it. Lamar CISD serves adjacent Fulshear-corridor communities, not Cinco Ranch itself. Always verify the exact address with each district.

Did Cinco Ranch flood in Harvey?

Parts did — notably Canyon Gate at Cinco Ranch, which sits within the Barker Reservoir flood pool, plus sections near the reservoir and Willow Fork. Most of the community did not, but risk is property-specific — check the FEMA map and the individual home’s flood history before you offer.

Is new construction still available in Cinco Ranch?

Essentially no — the developer considers Cinco Ranch complete, so it’s a resale market. New-home shoppers are generally directed to nearby communities such as Elyson, Cross Creek Ranch, Tamarron, and Jordan Ranch.

What are the property taxes in Cinco Ranch?

Combined rates run roughly 1.8%–2.7% depending on your MUD and county, with no city tax. The newer Cinco Southwest MUDs generally run higher than the older Cinco I ones — verify the exact rate for the specific address.

How much are HOA dues, and is there a resale fee?

Dues are roughly $1,200–$1,500 a year, varying by section (confirm via the listing or an HOA quote). Sellers pay a resale-certificate fee — about $275–$375 documented on the Cinco I side. No percentage-based transfer fee was verified. (Not legal or tax advice — I’ll help you confirm the exact figures for your home.)

What ZIP codes cover Cinco Ranch?

Mainly 77450 (the older Cinco I, east side) and 77494 (the newer Cinco II / Southwest and Northwest), with some 77493 nearby.

What’s the commute from Cinco Ranch?

The Energy Corridor is roughly 20–35 minutes via I-10 or the Westpark Tollway; Downtown is about 30–60 minutes depending on the hour; and the Medical Center and Galleria are commonly 35–55 minutes. The Grand Parkway, I-10, and Westpark are the main arteries.

Questions About Cinco Ranch? Send Me a Note

Have a question about a specific section, school zoning, the flood history, or what’s on the market right now? Send me a message and I’ll get back to you personally.