Anthem

The community

Anthem is a 422-acre master plan on FM 150 west of Kyle’s core, at the seam where the I-35 corridor gives way to Hill Country ranchland. Build-out calls for roughly 1,500 homes, an on-site elementary, and an amenity center anchored by a resort-style pool, clubhouse, courts, and a community garden. The setting is the pitch: you’re a few minutes farther from the interstate than Plum Creek or Crosswinds, and the horizon looks like it.

The math to check is the special-district levy. Anthem’s blended tax rate runs above in-city Kyle, and rates differ by section — get the exact number for the exact lot before comparing monthly payments against nearby communities.

The homes

Anthem’s range is unusually wide for one plan. The Anthem Cottages section (Clark Wilson Builder) started around $294K in July 2026 for compact homes of roughly 1,350–2,070 square feet on very small lots. Standard sections from DRB, Newmark, and Brightland ran from the high $300s to about $700K for homes up to roughly 3,400 square feet on lots up to 50 feet wide. Rosters rotate by phase — verify who’s selling in the current release.

Be honest with yourself about the cottage product: it’s an attainability play, and the lot is a patio, not a yard. The 50-foot sections are conventional production homes close together with young trees. Nothing here is semi-custom.

Location, schools, and the drive

Anthem is zoned to Hays CISD, with an elementary school planned inside the community — verify both zoning and opening timeline, because “planned” and “open” are different school years. The FM 150 approach is scenic but two-lane; add 5–10 minutes to reach I-35 versus corridor-front communities. From there, downtown Austin runs 30–50 minutes at peak and San Marcos about 20. Wimberley and the Hill Country weekend loop are an easy 25 minutes west, which is a genuine lifestyle difference from the east-of-35 plans like Plum Creek.