Lorena

Lorena was named after the daughter of the builder of the railroad that runs alongside what is now the I-35 corridor. Lorena is located on the Austin side of the Waco area, just south of Waco proper.

 

 

 

 

Downtown Lorena consists of 1 street that has a white Baptist Church, a handful of businesses including an exceptionally large antique lamp store, a fabulous craft coffee shop called the Boujee Bean where you can get a seasonal caffeinated treat with a neighbor, a run in cup of post drop off coffee with a breakfast taco, another antique store and the Lorena Police Department. This street and its small surrounding city limits are home to 4th of July festivities, the occasional town vendor fair and market, and of course a homecoming or HS Football State Championship parade. Closer to I-35, you can find a few small town Texas required eating establishments including a pizza house, a Mexican restaurant, fried chicken and a Sonic drive in. However, with only 2 exits on a 75 mph strip of Texas highway, most people don’t even know it’s there!

 

For more details on the schools and McGregor community click here.

 

When it comes to houses in Lorena, there are growing options with new construction popping up on what used to be ranches and farm lands, however the local officials and community members do what they can to have slow moving approval systems and little to no access to water meters. The homes built before the 2016+ boom of new developments sometimes come with large 1-3 acre lots and tend to be ranch style in nature. However, what is new tends to be more upscale and will cost you over $500,000 and might come with a larger lot size or a metal shop.

 

• Towne West
• Rancho Lorena
• Hunter’s Meadow
• Ranchcrest
• Royals Ranch
• The Arches
• Westbrook
• Callan Village
• Moonlight Park
• Timberwood Park
• Park Meadows* (midway ISD)

 

Once you accept that you will ultimately drive 25-30 minutes to get to pretty much anything except a Lorena small business or a gas station – it’s not so bad! Just know you’ll be spending a good amount of time on Old Lorena Road going to and from Woodway to get to HEB.

 

There is no HEB or other grocery option in Lorena (yet), but you can get your essentials at Brookeshire Brothers and it’s 20-25 minutes to the Woodway Super HEB.

 

With highly rated PreK-12 totaling only 1782 students, this is the type of community where everyone knows each other (and usually everything). It is said that if your child gets pulled over for running a stop sign, you will hear about it by 2-3 people before they make back home. This of course is for better and for worse. Kids tend to be able to explore clubs and sports more freely than in larger schools but naturally, might have less options in elective studies. The high school recently won the Texas State football championship making for a sweet Cinderella story about a small town. There has also been a well reviewed independently owned school called Summit School that is PreK-9th grade and focuses on outdoor studies and individualized learning.

 

There are no other known Pre-K or childcare options in Lorena, most parents drive into Woodway or Hewitt.

 

 

 

• McBrayer Park
• Old Lorena Walking Trail
• Lorena Little League Fields

20-25 minutes from a major hospital or Urgent Care provider in Woodway.

“My husband grew up in Lorena and so here we are raising our 2 kids here! We have so enjoyed the small town environment and love the peace life brings with a Lorena sunset or the slight drive home from the hustle and bustle of Woodway or Waco. Our kids are able to have a planned community feel while still having a larger lot with hobby farm animals and room to play and our experience with the schools so far have exceeded our expectations.” – Katie Snapp

• First Baptist Church Lorena
• Lorena Church of Christ
• Journey Lorena (Nondenominational)
• Redeemer Presbyterian