Places to see
Bustling Hill Country destination deemed one of Texas' great places
On your next trek to the Hill Country, you might want to stop in Boerne, where a stretch along Main Street — the Hill Country Mile — has been named one of Texas' "Great Streets."
The Texas chapter of the American Planning Association bestowed the honor upon the charming thoroughfare on April 1 through its Great Places in Texas program, which showcases areas that “exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value,” according to a statement. The street joins five other outstanding Great Places in Texas honored in 2019.
Hill Country Mile, nestled in the heart of downtown Boerne, is a short 40-minute drive from downtown San Antonio. The charming stretch offers many shopping, dining, entertainment, and historical experiences, all of which feel worlds away from the big city.
"Boerne's Hill Country Mile showcases the history of the city while being the center of Boerne's continued evolution and economic growth," the association says. "The importance of the Hill Country Mile begins with its livability; the city has implemented design criteria to ensure that infill development and renovations along the corridor are consistent with the pre-automobile layout of the existing built environment. The result is a walkable, aesthetically-pleasing, human-scale downtown that protects the cultural and historic resources that line it."
This is the third year of the statewide program, which is modeled from the American Planning Association’s ongoing Great Places in America program. The five other Great Places in Texas designees for 2019 are:
- Great Neighborhood: Downtown Bastrop, Bastrop
- Great Neighborhood: Downtown Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches
- Great Public Space: Discovery Green, Houston
- Great Public Space: San Jacinto Plaza, El Paso
- Great Public Space: Levitt Pavilion, Arlington
