West Texas / Permian / Trans-Pecos
Jones 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.
7 stories · 2 practical · 0 good to know
The practical part
Jones County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Jones 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.
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A little of what makes this place itself
Jones County · Historic Site
Fort Phantom Hill Still Stands in Stone North of Hawley
Fort Phantom Hill is a frontier army post from 1851 where stone buildings, chimneys, and foundations still stand north of Hawley.
Jones County · Lake Country
Abilene's Big Reservoir Sits in Jones County
Lake Fort Phantom Hill belongs to Abilene's water system, but its 4,213 acres of open water sit on Elm Creek in Jones County.
Jones County · Ranch Tradition
Stamford Built Its Cowboy Reunion for Working Hands
Thirteen Stamford businessmen started the Texas Cowboy Reunion in 1930 for working ranch hands rather than professional rodeo riders.
All 9 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 9 notes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Fort Phantom Hill Still Stands in Stone North of Hawley Fort Phantom Hill is a frontier army post from 1851 where stone buildings, chimneys, and foundations still stand north of Hawley.
- Practical Home & Property Oil, Gas, and Mineral Rights in Jones County Jones County has a long oil and gas history, so if you are buying land here, find out whether mineral rights are included before you close.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Abilene's Big Reservoir Sits in Jones County Lake Fort Phantom Hill belongs to Abilene's water system, but its 4,213 acres of open water sit on Elm Creek in Jones County.
- Practical Money & Taxes Who Handles Your Property Tax in Jones County In Jones County, the office that values your home and the office on the courthouse square are two different doors, and only one of them deals with property tax.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Stamford Built Its Cowboy Reunion for Working Hands Thirteen Stamford businessmen started the Texas Cowboy Reunion in 1930 for working ranch hands rather than professional rodeo riders.
- Stories & local character History & Culture A Railroad Put Hamlin Six Miles From Neinda The railroad bypassed Neinda in 1902 and created Hamlin six miles away, leaving two very different town stories along FM 126.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Anson Outlived the Railroad Bet That Put It There Jones City won the county seat in 1881 on land offered for an expected railroad; the tracks went to Abilene, but the town stayed.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Cotton, Cattle, and the Land: Jones County's Agricultural Roots Jones County's economy was built on cattle ranching in the 1870s and cotton farming by the early 1900s, land use that still shapes the county today.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Cowboys' Christmas Ball: An Anson Tradition Since the 1880s Anson hosts one of Texas's oldest continuing Western dances, most often traced to December 1885 at a local hotel.
Nearby counties