San Marcos ( SAN MAR-kəs) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. Its population was 44,894 at the 2010 census and 67,553 at the 2020 census. Founded on the banks of the San Marcos River, the area is thought to be among the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the Americas. San Marcos is home to Texas State University and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.In 2010, San Marcos was listed in Business Week's fourth annual survey of the "Best Places to Raise your Kids". In 2013 and 2014, the United States Census Bureau named it the fastest-growing city in the United States. In December 2013, it was named number nine on Business Insider's list of the "10 Most Exciting Small Cities In America".

Dripping Springs is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. It is located west of Austin, the state capital. The population was 1,788 at the 2010 census, and had risen to an estimated 4,667 as of 2018. Dripping Springs is a primarily rural town.

Buda ( BYOO-də) is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,295 in 2010, up from 2,404 at the 2000 census. In 2018 the estimated population was 16,449. Buda is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area and is one of Austin's fastest growing suburbs. Residents of Buda are referred to as Budans.

New Braunfels ( (listen) BRAWN-felz) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers 44.9 square miles (116 km2) and has a 2019 census-estimated population of 90,209. A suburb just north of San Antonio, and part of the Greater San Antonio metropolitan area, it was the third-fastest-growing city in the United States from 2010-2020.