Ramble by Hillwood — Celina's Newest Master-Planned Community

Ramble, from someone who lives ten minutes away

I live in Celina, and I've watched Ramble go from a sign on Preston Road to a neighborhood with coffee, model homes, and moving trucks. This page is what I'd tell you if we were driving through it together: what Hillwood is building, which builders are here and what they cost, what the schools look like, and who I think this community is right for.

Ramble is the biggest thing to happen to Celina housing since Light Farms. Hillwood Communities, the Perot family's residential developer, is building it on 1,380 acres between Preston Road and Custer Road, about two and a half miles north of downtown Celina and roughly a mile from Celina High School. The community broke ground in October 2024, held its grand opening in May 2026, and the first families are moving in now, in late 2026. At full build-out, which Hillwood projects through 2045, Ramble will hold more than 4,000 homes. The first village, West Lake, is about 600 to 700 homes.

What makes Ramble different

Hillwood's pitch is that Ramble is "a community taking shape in a park rather than the other way around," and having walked it, that's fair. The land plan sets aside roughly 220 acres of parks and open space, which is nearly a sixth of the community. There are 28 acres of recreational lakes, including the 18-acre West Lake, and a seven-mile linear park Hillwood calls the Ramble Trailway that stitches the villages together. Add the smaller connector paths and you get something like 30 miles of trails when the community is finished.

The signature amenity is the Turtle Club, a national-park-lodge-styled center on the lake with an infinity pool, splash pad, firepits, beer garden, event lawn, playscape, and a dock. Two more amenity centers are planned for later villages. The Ramble Coffee House, run by 1418 Coffee out of downtown Celina, is already open at the entrance, which tells you something about Hillwood's priorities: the gathering place came before most of the houses did. Pickleball, soccer and basketball courts, a dog park, and disc golf are in the plan.

Hillwood has also reserved 64 acres for commercial use and 18 acres for multifamily, so expect neighborhood retail at the Preston Road edge over time rather than a drive to Frisco for everything.

Builders and prices (fall 2026)

Five builders are in the opening phase. Prices move weekly on new construction and builders are running incentives right now, so treat these as a starting point and call me for current quick-move-in pricing.

Coventry Homes — 40-foot and 50-foot lots, 1,617 to 3,486 square feet, from about $400,000. Coventry currently has a dozen quick-move-in homes between roughly $448,000 and $640,000, some with significant discounts, with completions running from now through November 2026. This is the entry point into Ramble.

American Legend Homes — 40×112 and 60×120 lots, 1,619 to 4,400 square feet, from about $405,000, with 24 floor plans. Model at 1416 Frontcountry Lane, open Monday–Saturday 10–6 and Sunday 12–6.

Perry Homes — 50-foot and 60-foot lots, 2,187 to 4,016 square feet, roughly $525,000 to $803,000, with about 33 floor plans across the two collections. Model near 2287 Preston Road.

Highland Homes — 50-foot and larger lots, 2,106 to 4,464 square feet, from about $517,000 to $1,000,000+, with 27 plans. Model at 2323 N Preston Road. Highland's first completions are expected late 2026.

Drees Custom Homes — the top of the range in the opening phase; call me for current pricing and lot availability.

For context, the median new-construction home in Celina is around $564,000, so Ramble spans from well below the Celina median to well above it. That range is unusual for a single community and it's one reason I expect Ramble to hold value: it isn't a one-price-point neighborhood that rises and falls together.

Taxes and HOA

Ramble's HOA runs about $1,950 to $2,250 a year depending on lot size, and it includes front-yard maintenance, which is worth noting if you're comparing against communities where you mow your own. The quoted total property tax rate is about 2.02%, which is in line with other new Celina communities that use a PID or MUD to fund infrastructure. I'll walk you through exactly what that means on a specific house and lot before you sign anything; the difference between communities' financing structures matters more than most buyers realize.

Schools

Ramble is zoned to Celina ISD. Today that means Bobby Ray and Afton Martin Elementary (about 1.3 miles), Celina Junior High (about 1.2 miles), and Celina High School (about 1.2 miles), so the first residents will have one of the shortest school commutes in town. Two elementary schools are planned inside Ramble itself, which will matter as the later villages fill in. Celina ISD is still a single-high-school district with a Friday-night-football identity, which is a big part of why families choose Celina over Prosper or Frisco. If you'd like to talk through the schools honestly, including growth plans and what a one-high-school town feels like as it grows, that's a conversation I have often.

How Ramble compares to Celina's other communities

Mustang Lakes and Light Farms are more established, with mature amenities and a resale market you can study. Legacy Hills is the other mega-community in Celina, farther west. Ramble's distinguishing features are the sheer amount of green space, the lakes, the national-park aesthetic, and the breadth of price points in one place. The trade-off is that you're buying into a community that will be under construction, somewhere on its 1,380 acres, for most of the next two decades. For some buyers that's energizing; for others it's a reason to look at a finished neighborhood. I'll tell you which camp I think you're in.

Who Ramble is right for

In my experience, Ramble fits three kinds of buyers well. Families relocating to North Texas who want a new home, strong schools within walking distance, and a community that will grow with them. Move-up buyers already in Celina, Prosper, or Frisco who want a larger lot and a lake-and-trail lifestyle without leaving Celina ISD. And buyers in the low $400s who have been priced out of new construction closer to the tollway and want a true master-planned community rather than a small infill subdivision.

Homes for sale in Ramble

Search Homes

Because Ramble is so new, most of what's for sale is builder inventory that never hits the MLS the way resale does. I track quick-move-in homes and incentives across all five builders and I'll send you the current list.

Let's talk about Ramble

Here's what you should know about working with me on a new-construction home: the builder's sales agent works for the builder. I work for you, my representation costs you nothing, and I need to be with you on the first visit for the builder to recognize it. Before you walk into a Ramble model, call or text me and let's go together.

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