Dallas residents Pat and Cindy Fox wanted a rural retreat with easy urban access. They chose to build in Dripping Springs, a small Texas town that calls itself “the Wedding Capital of Texas.” Here they paid $1 million for 100 acres of land and built a $3 million, modern country home on it.

“You can hear the wind and the birds, and see the stars, but in 30 minutes you can have dinner” in Austin, said Mr. Fox, a 58-year-old a real-estate investor who commutes from Dallas and plans to retire on the property.

The Foxes, who built their home in 2010, are among the Texas Hill Country’s latest wave of settlers, affluent buyers from large metro areas seeking getaways in the countryside. Located in central Texas near Austin and San Antonio, the Hill Country covers about 17 counties across 11 million acres of terrain noted for gnarly live oaks, spring-fed streams and rocky hills.

The area’s first nonnative settlers were Spanish missionaries and mountaineers, followed by German immigrants as well as pioneers from states like Tennessee and Arkansas. Agriculture was the main industry at first, but soon lone trading posts expanded into small towns that attracted even more pioneer families to the area.

Today’s settlers are reshaping the landscape in their own way, building modern getaways with little interest in herding cattle or growing crops. These newcomers are attracted to the remote, rural lifestyle within distance of cosmopolitan cities. Retirees from across the U.S. often relocate here for an active lifestyle and low cost of living relative to many other states. And while there’s still a strong cowboy vibe, there are plenty of cultural offerings and some creative fare for foodies.