Living in Joshua, Texas

Joshua

A small railroad town on SH 174 with county land around it.

CountyJohnson

Population9,1462024 Census estimate

Typical home value$367,257Redfin median sale price, 27 sales, Aug 2026

Combined tax rate2.3862%before exemptions

Downtown Fort Worth21 mistraight line

DFW Airport36 mistraight line

What it's like

The short version

Joshua is about 7 miles down SH 174 from Burleson and 8 miles from Cleburne, roughly 22 miles from Fort Worth. It grew from an 1881 rail stop, and its short Main Street sits near the BNSF tracks. New communities are going in around town near Chisholm Trail Parkway and FM 917.

What's for sale

A mix of older in-town homes, county tracts and new master-planned sections. Mockingbird Hills offers 60- to 65-foot homesites from $387,990 and limited 1-acre homesites from $539,990. Silo Mills is an 840-acre community west of Chisholm Trail Parkway, priced from about $339,990 to $599,990. Lennar's Frontier is listed from $217,999. Land listings seen in the Joshua area in November 2026 included tracts of about 2 to 7 acres.

What it does well

Strong here

Quiet, small-town pace●●●
About 9,100 residents, a railroad-era Main Street and county land right around town.
Land and acreage●●○
Land listings around Joshua include 2- to 7-acre tracts, and Mockingbird Hills sells 1-acre homesites.
Horses welcome●●○
Texas counties cannot zone, so unincorporated land has no city head count; deed restrictions still apply.
New construction●●○
Silo Mills and Mockingbird Hills are actively selling, with several builders.

The honest part

What to know first

Dining and shopping are limited in town, and most errands mean driving to Burleson or Cleburne.
The FM 917 project could displace 22 residences and two other structures downtown, subject to final design.
At 2.386244 per $100 for 2025, the in-city rate tops both Crowley and the Johnson County side of Burleson.
It is the farthest of the three from Fort Worth, at about 22 miles.
Thin sales make prices hard to read. August 2026 had 27 sales, a median 69 days on market and a median price down 12.8 percent.
The city names Johnson County Special Utility District as its water source, so ask who serves any given address.

Not its strength: walkable, transit options, vibrant, big-city energy, a real downtown, restaurants, nightlife, shopping, parks and trails, lake days, golf, established neighborhoods, luxury homes.

Explore it yourself

See what's around

See this search in Google Maps

Get outside

Joshua City Park
The city's main park, with a splash pad and rentable pavilion.
Joshua Community YMCA
Gym and classes with a seasonal outdoor pool and water park at 1009 Joshua Station Blvd.
Mountain Valley Country Club
Private 18-hole course opened in 1965, with homes on the course, off Lakeside Drive. Details come from an older listing.

Eat and drink

The Brickhouse Grill
Locally owned sports bar with brick oven pizza and wings at 107 N. Main St.
La Mesa Mesquite Grill
Mexican restaurant at 203 N. Main St.
The Owl's Nest Cafe
Sandwich shop and cafe at 101 N. Main St.
The Burrito Loco
Mexican food on SW Wilshire Blvd (SH 174).

On the calendar

Christmastime in Texas Thanksgiving night through December; see its calendar for open nights
Drive-through light park with food vendors and Santa at 5801 County Road 904Z.
Winter Wonderland on Main Street
City holiday event downtown.
Hometown Christmas
City holiday event listed by Parks and Recreation.

What's coming

TxDOT proposes realigning FM 917 from west of Avenue F to east of SH 174, widening it to three lanes and adding an overpass over the BNSF tracks and Main Street, plus a shared-use path. Public meeting held May 2026; no construction date posted.
A new Joshua ISD elementary on Wicker Hill Road in Burleson is scheduled to open in 2027, from the district's $106.2 million 2024 bond.
Silo Mills Phase 2 is selling, with homes listed for delivery in late 2026.

Taxes

2025 rate inside Joshua city limits, per $100: Joshua ISD 1.2575 + City of Joshua 0.689468 + Johnson County 0.339276 + county Farm-to-Market/Lateral Road 0.05 + Hill College 0.05 = 2.386244. Homestead exemptions not applied.

Many homes with a Joshua address sit outside city limits and do not pay the city rate. Silo Mills, for example, is listed in the ETJ of Godley, Burleson and Cleburne, and its builder lists Godley schools, so confirm the district. Adopted 2026 rates hold the city and ISD flat, but Johnson County rises to 0.367, for about 2.413968 combined. Check each address for a MUD or PID.

School facts

Joshua ISD: TEA rating B, 2026

Do your own homework

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Sources