Living in Burleson, Texas

Burleson

A growing I-35W suburb with a real old downtown and new west-side communities.

CountyJohnson

Population56,2532024 Census estimate

Typical home value$344,772Redfin median sale price, all home types, Aug 2026

Combined tax rate2.4020%before exemptions

Downtown Fort Worth15 mistraight line

DFW Airport30 mistraight line

Working with me in Burleson

What it's like

The short version

Burleson sits about 15 miles south of downtown Fort Worth on I-35W, split by the interstate and SH 174. Old Town is the 1881 townsite, a few walkable blocks of brick buildings around a one-acre plaza. New master-planned land is opening on the west side along Chisholm Trail Parkway, with pasture and county roads just past the city limits.

What's for sale

A wide mix. Older homes sit right behind Old Town, including an 1894 Queen Anne on Clark Street. Established subdivisions run off Wilshire and Alsbury, and Thomas Crossing surrounds Southern Oaks golf course. New building centers on Chisholm Summit (about 3,066 homes planned, first-phase lots due January 2027, semi-custom from $500,000), High Country, Parks at Panchasarp Farms and Parks of Village Creek, with published new-home prices from about $349,990 in October 2026. Past city limits, tracts get larger and the rules change.

What it does well

Strong here

A real downtown●●●
Old Town has a one-acre plaza, a museum in the 1912 interurban building and more than 15 dining options.
Parks and trails●●●
About 777 acres of parks and open space, or 14.1 acres per 1,000 residents against a 10.2 benchmark.
New construction●●●
Chisholm Summit and Tallgrass together plan about 7,000 homes on the west side.
Quiet, small-town pace●●○
Old Town keeps a small-town core, though the city now has about 56,000 residents.
Restaurants●●○
Old Town and The Standard at Chisenhall offer several independent restaurants, plus a winery nearby.
Shopping●●○
Named centers and stand-alone stores cover Target, Home Depot, Kohl's, Kroger and H-E-B, plus Old Town boutiques.
Golf●●○
Hidden Creek and Southern Oaks are both 18-hole courses with public tee times.
Land and acreage●●○
Tracts sit just outside city limits in Johnson County, and city Agricultural zoning has a 3-acre minimum.
Horses welcome●●○
Estate (SFE) zoning allows horses from 1 fenced acre, and the city head count stops at the ETJ line.
Established neighborhoods●●○
Established subdivisions, a golf community and houses near Old Town sit alongside the new builds.

The honest part

What to know first

I-35W narrows from three lanes to two at SH 174, and that stretch is a known bottleneck. Widening has been studied since 2019 with no start date yet.
SH 174 through town is a construction zone until mid-2028.
The 2026 combined rate tops 2.40 per $100 before exemptions, and the city rate rose from 0.6627 in 2024 to 0.7218 in 2025 and 0.7298 in 2026.
School lines do not match city lines. All of Chisholm Summit and Tallgrass is Joshua ISD, so check each address.
Trails do not connect to Fort Worth or any regional network, are largely unlit, and fall 16.6 miles short of the national standard the city's plan uses.

Not its strength: walkable, transit options, vibrant, big-city energy, nightlife, lake days, luxury homes.

Explore it yourself

See what's around

See this search in Google Maps

Get outside

Bailey Lake Park
An 8-acre stocked city lake with a 0.6-mile loop, nature trail, picnic area and winter trout stocking.
Chisenhall Fields
A 136-acre city sports park with baseball, softball and football fields, hike and bike trails, and a 1.5-mile link to Tinker Trail.
Oak Valley Trail
A 2.4-mile, 10-foot-wide concrete trail that passes under I-35 and links to Old Town.
The BRiCk
City recreation center with indoor and outdoor pools, gym, track, rock wall and pickleball.
Hidden Creek Golf Course
City-owned, 18 holes, par 72, 7,024 yards, at 555 E Hidden Creek Parkway.
Southern Oaks Golf & Tennis Club
An 18-hole course with a tennis facility at 13765 Southern Oaks Drive.

Eat and drink

Babe's Chicken Dinner House
Fried chicken and chicken-fried steak with sides passed around the table, in Old Town at 120 S. Main.
Old Texas Brewing Co.
Old Town brewpub with rotating taps, a patio and weekend live music.
Station 330
Old Town scratch kitchen with steaks and cocktails, on a patio facing a red caboose.
American Revelry
Chef-driven American restaurant at The Standard at Chisenhall, 279 W. Hidden Creek Parkway.
The Rim
Southern comfort food on E. Renfro Street, known for chicken and waffles.
Lost Oak Winery
Estate vineyard and tasting room on County Road 802, open since 2006, with live music.

Shop and errands

Old Town Burleson
A walkable district of independent boutiques and shops with more than 15 dining options.
South Towne Shopping Center
Anchored by Target and Home Depot.
Gateway Station
Anchored by Kohl's, with national and smaller brands.
Burleson Commons
Anchored by Kroger Marketplace and Premiere Cinemas, on SW Wilshire Blvd.
H-E-B Plus
Full-size grocery store, listed by the city's economic development group.

On the calendar

Burleson Farmers Market Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in season, monthly in winter
Local produce, meat, baked goods and crafts in Old Town.
Hot Sounds of Summer Friday nights, late May through June, plus a July 4 show at Chisenhall Fields
Free concerts at Mayor Vera Calvin Plaza.
BTX-MAS: Christmas in Burleson December 5, 2026
Parade of lights, tree lighting and a drone show ending at the plaza.
Red, White & BTX July 4
July 4 parade, live music and fireworks.

What's coming

Tallgrass: 621 acres at Chisholm Trail Parkway and FM 1902, about 4,000 homes and over 1 million square feet of commercial space. Approved October 2025. Developer expected construction by the end of 2026; builders not yet selected as of June 2026.
Chisholm Summit: about 3,066 homes planned, first-phase lots and streets due January 2027 and the amenity center due August 2027.
SH 174 widening from 4 to 6 lanes with sidewalks, north of Elk Drive to south of Hulen Street. Registered schedule is August 3, 2026 to June 26, 2028.
The Bailey House: 80-room Hilton Tapestry Collection hotel next to Chisenhall Fields, about $18 million, targeting late 2027.
Burleson Legacy Park: 30-acre city park at Hulen Street and Alsbury Blvd, with three softball fields in Phase I, targeting late summer 2027.

Taxes

2026 rate, Johnson County side, Burleson ISD, per $100: Burleson ISD 1.2552 + City of Burleson 0.7298 + Johnson County 0.367 + county Farm-to-Market/Lateral Road 0.05 = 2.402. Homestead exemptions not applied.

Two counties: the Tarrant County side, still Burleson ISD, totals 2.45 for 2026 (Tarrant County 0.186, hospital district 0.159, college 0.12). The Joshua ISD part of Johnson County totaled about 2.418576 for 2025 (Joshua ISD 1.2575 plus Hill College 0.05), so confirm the current figure on the parcel. Chisholm Summit uses a Public Improvement District, and Tallgrass will sit in a Municipal Maintenance District outside city limits.

School facts

Burleson ISD: TEA rating B, 2026
Joshua ISD (covers part of Burleson): TEA rating B, 2026

Do your own homework

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Sources