Quick Answer: Apartments near Hunter Industries and Caterpillar sit best along the I-35 frontage road in New Braunfels, roughly 10 to 17 miles from the Hunter Road yards to the north and the Seguin and Schertz engine plants to the south. Compass Flats keeps both commutes under half an hour off-peak.
Two of the largest industrial employers in the New Braunfels area are not actually inside city limits. Hunter Industries runs its highway and bridge operation from Hunter Road north of town, and Caterpillar assembles engines in Seguin and machines components in Schertz. Apartments near Hunter Industries and Caterpillar have to work in both directions at once, which is exactly what a spot on the frontage road does well. Compass Flats serves the I-35 corridor between San Antonio and Austin from 1051 Interstate 35 Frontage Road.
What to look for in apartments near Hunter Industries and Caterpillar
Two things matter more than anything else: direct access to I-35 or SH 46, and a lease that keeps costs predictable on an hourly paycheck. Route quality beats raw mileage here. A 17-mile run on open highway is easier at 5 a.m. than an 8-mile crawl through downtown New Braunfels.
Shift schedules change what you need from apartment rentals
Engine assembly in Seguin runs around the clock inside a plant of roughly 1.7 million square feet. Road crews leave before sunrise. That rhythm rules out plenty of otherwise decent apartment rentals, because what a shift worker actually needs is a parking space nobody took overnight and a bedroom dark enough to sleep in at two in the afternoon.
Ask the leasing office two specific questions. Is resident parking assigned? And is maintenance staffed on site, or dispatched from somewhere else when a unit needs work at eleven at night?
Weighing cheap apartments near me against the real monthly cost
Hourly workers here have less cushion than the national average. Workers across the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro averaged $28.58 an hour in May 2024, against $32.66 nationally, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That gap is why a search for cheap apartments near me so often ends in frustration. The advertised rent is only the first line of the bill. Electricity in a Texas August, internet, trash, pest control, and a valet fee stack up quickly, and by the time you total them the cheapest listing on the map has moved into the middle of the pack. Compass Flats folds major utilities and internet into one monthly payment, and the fitness center and coworking space are included rather than sold as the amenity package you see priced separately at luxury apartments elsewhere in Comal County.
How far are the local apartments from each plant?
The figures below are measured from the Compass Flats address on the northbound I-35 frontage road. Treat them as approximate. Drive times move with shift change traffic and with whatever TxDOT has coned off that month.
| Worksite | Approx. driving distance | Typical off-peak drive | Main route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Industries head office, Hunter Rd | About 12 miles north | 15 to 20 minutes | I-35 north to Hunter Rd |
| Colorado Materials quarry, Hunter, TX | About 10 miles north | 15 minutes | I-35 north to FM 1102 |
| Caterpillar engine plant, Seguin | About 15 miles southeast | 20 to 25 minutes | SH 46 east |
| Caterpillar components plant, Schertz | About 17 miles southwest | 20 to 25 minutes | I-35 south to Doerr Ln |
| All four worksites | 10 to 17 miles | Under 30 minutes | I-35 and SH 46 |
One point of confusion is worth clearing up before you start applying. Hunter Industries, Ltd. of Texas is the heavy highway and bridge contractor with more than 1,000 employees and the Colorado Materials quarry at Hunter. It has no connection to the California irrigation manufacturer that shares almost the same name. Check which company is on your offer letter.
The Seguin side of the map is the one most likely to change. TxDOT has an active study to widen SH 46 between I-35 and I-10, which is the road most New Braunfels residents take to the Caterpillar engine plant. Caterpillar also put $90 million into its Schertz and Seguin facilities to build the new C13D industrial engine, with production slated to start in 2026, so hiring on that corridor is not slowing down.
Are there pet friendly apartments near me for plant workers?
Yes, and it matters more for shift workers than most renters expect. A dog left alone through a ten-hour night shift needs somewhere to burn energy at seven the next morning, not a strip of grass beside the mailboxes. Compass Flats has a fenced outdoor pet park on the property. Whichever pet friendly apartments you tour, get the breed restrictions, the weight limit, the one-time pet fee, and the monthly pet rent in writing before you sign anything.
What to ask about 2 bedroom apartments and roommate setups
Here is the honest version: Compass Flats does not offer 2 bedroom apartments. The community is studios and one-bedrooms running from 249 to 697 square feet, which suits a solo commuter or a couple, and the studio and one-bedroom layouts are worth a look before you rule out the smaller footprints on square footage alone. Roommates set on splitting a two-bedroom farther out should price the second commute honestly. Two people each driving 30 miles a day eats the savings faster than you would think. Anyone weighing whether a compact floor plan really works can walk through the photo gallery first.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How far is Compass Flats from the Caterpillar plant in Seguin?
About 15 miles southeast by road, almost all of it on SH 46, which usually runs 20 to 25 minutes outside of shift change. The Schertz components facility on Doerr Lane is a comparable trip in the opposite direction, roughly 17 miles south on I-35.
2. Is Hunter Industries actually located in New Braunfels?
Its head office is on Hunter Road near San Marcos, about 12 miles north of the frontage road in New Braunfels, and the Colorado Materials quarry at Hunter sits slightly closer. The Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce still lists Hunter Industries among the area's major employers.
3. What will gas cost me on this commute?
Gulf Coast regular gasoline averaged $3.654 a gallon in the week ending August 3, 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. A 15-mile each-way commute is 30 miles a day. At 27 mpg, that lands near $4 daily, or about $85 over a 21-day work month.
4. Which costs are included in the rent?
Compass Flats leases are all bills paid. One monthly payment covers:
- Major utilities
- Internet
- Use of the pool, fitness center, and coworking space
- On-site maintenance
Ask any community you tour to put that list in writing, since "utilities included" means different things at different properties.
5. Can I get a short lease if my plant assignment is temporary?
Compass Flats posts lease terms in the 7 to 15 month range, which suits contract crews and temporary plant assignments. Shorter terms normally carry a higher monthly rate. Confirm current terms and pricing directly with the leasing office, because availability and specials shift week to week.
Choosing between the two commutes in New Braunfels
Deciding between a 12-mile drive north and a 15-mile drive south is a far better problem than choosing between two long ones. That is the practical case for apartments near Hunter Industries and Caterpillar along the New Braunfels frontage road. Neither commute crosses half an hour on a normal morning, and both run on highways built for the volume. The utility bill you never open stays in your account. For anyone working the I-35 corridor between San Antonio and Austin, that combination is hard to beat.
