Panhandle / High Plains
Hockley 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 · 6 practical · 1 good to know
The practical part
Hockley County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Hockley 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
Levelland · City park
Brashear Lake Park Has a College Thread in Its Story
Brashear Lake Park grew from a South Plains College contribution, leaving Levelland with a campus-side trail, fishing lake, and picnic ground.
Levelland · City park
Levelland City Park Fits a Whole Recreation Map into 116 Acres
Levelland City Park gathers ball fields, a pool, courts, disc golf, gathering buildings, and quieter picnic space on one 116-acre site.
Levelland · City park
Lobo Lake Takes Its Name from Levelland's School Mascot
Lobo Lake Park pairs an old-school Levelland name with a man-made lake, two bridges, a fountain, and one of the city's stranger park features.
All 15 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 15 notes.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Brashear Lake Park Has a College Thread in Its Story Brashear Lake Park grew from a South Plains College contribution, leaving Levelland with a campus-side trail, fishing lake, and picnic ground. Levelland
- Practical Outdoors Levelland Park Pavilions Now Reserve Online Levelland routes ordinary park-pavilion bookings through an online catalog, where an account opens the current calendar and facility details. Levelland
- Stories & local character Outdoors Levelland City Park Fits a Whole Recreation Map into 116 Acres Levelland City Park gathers ball fields, a pool, courts, disc golf, gathering buildings, and quieter picnic space on one 116-acre site. Levelland
- Practical Money & Taxes Farmland in Hockley County May Qualify for a Lower Tax Valuation Land used for farming or ranching in Hockley County may qualify for Texas ag appraisal, which taxes productive value instead of market value.
- Good to know Cars & Driving Blowing Dust Can Cut Visibility Fast near Levelland A 2023 windstorm held visibility near Levelland to a quarter mile or less for an hour, showing how quickly blowing dust can change a familiar drive.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Lobo Lake Takes Its Name from Levelland's School Mascot Lobo Lake Park pairs an old-school Levelland name with a man-made lake, two bridges, a fountain, and one of the city's stranger park features. Levelland
- Practical Money & Taxes Homestead Exemption Can Lower Your Tax Bill in Hockley County If your home in Hockley County is your main residence, a homestead exemption removes part of its taxable value and lowers what you owe.
- Stories & local character History & Culture A Parked Cadillac Served as Hockley County's Opening Meeting Room Before Hockley County had a courthouse, its new commissioners met in a Cadillac on the proposed square and ordered the basics of a county seat. Levelland
- Practical Home & Property Oil and Gas Production Has Shaped Hockley County Since the 1930s Oil was discovered in Hockley County in 1937, and the county remains active oil country, so mineral rights, surface use agreements, and active wells can affect land you buy.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Levelland's Mosaics Turn Local Memory into a Citywide Map A 1968 mosaic made with schoolchildren grew into a citywide collection about cotton, oil, music, schools, and the communities around Levelland. Levelland
- Practical Home & Property Water Wells in Hockley County Come from the Ogallala Aquifer Most water in Hockley County is pumped from the Ogallala, a large but slowly depleting underground aquifer that feeds farms and rural homes across the High Plains.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Three Windows over the Wallace Marquee Hold a Family Story The three windows above the Wallace Theater marquee once belonged to the Blankenship family apartment, putting home directly over the picture show. Levelland
- Practical Money & Taxes Who Sets Your Property Tax Value in Hockley County Hockley CAD sets values in Levelland. The county tax office is the listed collecting unit.
- Stories & local character History & Culture South Plains College Opened with 76 More Students Than Expected South Plains College expected 500 students when classes opened in 1958. It enrolled 576, giving a local campaign an unexpectedly large opening day. Levelland
- Stories & local character History & Culture How Hockley County Went from Open Range to Cotton Country Hockley County was carved from ranchland in the early 1900s, grew fast on cotton and irrigation, and later added oil to become the rural High Plains community it is today.
Nearby counties