Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood sits in Brown County on the northern edge of the Texas Hill Country, about 68 miles southeast of Abilene. It is the home of Howard Payne University and serves as a trade center for the surrounding ranching and farming country of rolling hills and pecan bottoms. Lake Brownwood, a large reservoir formed by damming Pecan Bayou north of the city, anchors a state park and draws visitors for fishing and boating.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 18,635
- Change from 2020 base
- -1.3%
- Land area
- 14.9 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Brown County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Property here runs through the appraisal district and tax office for Brown County. The homestead exemption, appraisal cap, protests, and any MUD, PID, or special districts all sit at the parcel level.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
Local character
Start with Brownwood itself
A few landmarks, stories, and everyday places that help give Brownwood its shape.
Cemetery
Greenleaf Cemetery Holds a Long Brownwood Memory
Greenleaf Cemetery began with five acres donated in 1868 by Greenleaf Fisk and now holds more than 22,000 graves under native trees.
Railroad history
Brownwood's Depot Block Still Shows the Railroad Boom
The Santa Fe Passenger Depot and the Harvey House on East Depot Street tell the story of Brownwood as a rail junction, wartime stop, and traveler town.
Rail museum
Lehnis Railroad Museum Keeps Brownwood's Rail Story Moving
Brownwood's city-run Lehnis Railroad Museum sits across from the old depot and turns a family rail collection into a local visitor center.
Then zoom out to Brown County
History
Camp Bowie: Brown County's World War II Training Center
During World War II, a massive military training camp covering about 120,000 acres south of Brownwood trained more than a quarter million soldiers and housed German prisoners of war.
Property tax
How the Brown County Appraisal District Handles Your Property Tax
The Brown County Appraisal District sets property values and processes exemptions separately from the tax assessor-collector who sends your bill.
Paddling
Pecan Bayou Gives Brownwood a Quiet In-Town Paddle
The Pecan Bayou paddling trail starts at Fabis Primitive Park and turns a slow stretch of Brownwood water into a short loop under old pecan trees.
Nearby
Places near Brownwood
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
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