Gulf Coast / Coastal Bend
Aransas County, Texas
A local guide to the county: the stories that give it a shape, practical checks, and a few things worth knowing before they surprise you. Every note points to its source.
8 stories · 4 practical · 2 good to know
The practical part
Aransas County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Aransas County: who sets your value and who sends the bill.
Homestead exemption →
File Form 50-114 with the appraisal district. It is free. The regular deadline is April 30, and late filing is allowed for up to two years.
Protest your appraisal →
The usual deadline is May 15, or 30 days after your notice arrives, whichever is later.
Estimate a tax bill →
Model a bill from local rates, the homestead exemption, and the appraisal cap.
Start here
A little of what makes this place itself
Fulton · Historic house
Fulton Mansion Still Looks Over the Bay Like a Victorian Surprise
Fulton Mansion gives Rockport-Fulton one of its clearest old coastal landmarks: live oaks, bay air, and a grand 1870s house with bold engineering inside.
Rockport · Bay science
Mission-Aransas Turns the Bays Into a Living Classroom
The Mission-Aransas reserve and Rockport's Bay Education Center make the county's bays feel like habitat, not just water on the map.
Rockport · Beach and harbor
Rockport Beach and the Harbor Turn a Waterfront Drive Into Birding Country
The public edge around Rockport Beach, Little Bay, Aransas Bay, and Rockport Harbor gives the county a shorebird-and-boat identity in one loop.
All 14 local notes
The full county shelf is mixed so stories and useful checks travel together. Use the filters when you need one kind.
Showing all 14 notes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Fulton Mansion Still Looks Over the Bay Like a Victorian Surprise Fulton Mansion gives Rockport-Fulton one of its clearest old coastal landmarks: live oaks, bay air, and a grand 1870s house with bold engineering inside. Fulton
- Practical Outdoors Goose Island State Park: Bay Camping, Fishing, and the Big Tree Goose Island State Park near Rockport offers bayfront camping, a 1,620-foot fishing pier, and access to one of Texas's most celebrated old-growth live oak trees.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Mission-Aransas Turns the Bays Into a Living Classroom The Mission-Aransas reserve and Rockport's Bay Education Center make the county's bays feel like habitat, not just water on the map. Rockport
- Practical Outdoors Whooping Cranes at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is the wintering ground for the only wild flock of whooping cranes, one of North America's rarest birds, and is open to the public year-round for wildlife watching, fishing, and hiking.
- Good to know Home & Property Coastal Windstorm Coverage: TWIA and the WPI-8 Certificate in Aransas County Aransas County is in the Texas windstorm insurance zone. Most properties need a WPI-8 certificate to get wind and hail coverage through TWIA.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Rockport Beach and the Harbor Turn a Waterfront Drive Into Birding Country The public edge around Rockport Beach, Little Bay, Aransas Bay, and Rockport Harbor gives the county a shorebird-and-boat identity in one loop. Rockport
- Practical Money & Taxes How the Homestead Exemption Lowers Your Property Tax in Aransas County If your Aransas County home is your main residence, you can apply for a homestead exemption to lower your property tax bill.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Lamar and St. Charles Bay Hold an Older, Quieter Aransas County Lamar sits by the Copano Bay causeway with a port-town past, shellcrete ruins, live oaks, and winter crane country nearby. Lamar
- Practical Rules & Licenses Short-Term Rental Registration in Rockport and Port Aransas Rockport and Port Aransas both require short-term rental owners to register with the city and collect local taxes. This applies even if you list on a third-party platform.
- Good to know Home & Property Hurricane Evacuation Planning for Aransas County Aransas County sits directly in the Texas hurricane belt, and the City of Rockport uses a phased, time-based evacuation system. Voluntary evacuations begin 40 hours before a storm; mandatory orders start at 32 hours and ramp up from there.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Connie Hagar's Cottage Sanctuary Keeps Rockport's Birding Story Close to Home The Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary ties Rockport's birding reputation to a small motel site, oak mottes, and the woman who made people pay attention. Rockport
- Stories & local character History & Culture Fulton Carries the County's Cattle-to-Fishing Story in One Small Town Fulton began as a bayfront cattle-and-packing place, then settled into the fishing and tourism identity people know along Aransas Bay. Fulton
- Stories & local character Outdoors Rockport's Oak Mottes Are More Than Pretty Shade The live-oak pockets around Rockport-Fulton help explain why birders slow down here during spring and fall migration. Rockport-Fulton
- Stories & local character History & Culture How Aransas County Grew: From Cattle Packeries to Shrimping Aransas County was formed in 1871 out of Refugio County, with Rockport as its seat. The town started with cattle slaughter and shipping, then shifted to fishing, shrimping, and tourism.
Nearby counties