Living in Keene, Texas

Keene

A Johnson County town on Old Betsy Road with a 16-acre park and new homes going up.

CountyJohnson

Population7,0992026

Typical home value$259,818Redfin median sale price, Aug 2026

Combined tax rate2.2728%before exemptions

Downtown Fort Worth25 mistraight line

DFW Airport38 mistraight line

What it's like

The short version

Keene sits about 30 miles south of Fort Worth, with Cleburne just to the west. Old Betsy Road is the main north-south street, lined with medical offices, restaurants and shops, and U.S. 67 carries traffic east and west into Cleburne.

What's for sale

Homes sold at a median near $260,000 in the three months ending August 2026. Existing homes include ranch-style houses and bungalows with front porches. D.R. Horton's The Canyons adds mostly brick one- and two-story homes, and it joins Ashton Home Place, Sunset Ridge and Stonehurst in plans for about 1,000 homes.

What it does well

Strong here

Quiet, small-town pace●●○
About 7,100 people, with Old Betsy Road as the main street.
Parks and trails●●○
Elisa Carver Park covers 16 acres with ballfields, pickleball and a nearly one-mile paved trail.
New construction●●○
D.R. Horton is building The Canyons, one of four neighborhoods planned for about 1,000 homes.

The honest part

What to know first

One address, 513 South Old Betsy Road, scores 22 on Walk Score, and almost all errands there require a car.
Full grocery shopping means a trip to Albertsons, Kroger, H-E-B or Walmart in Cleburne.
Interstate 35 into Fort Worth carries typical rush-hour traffic.

Not its strength: walkable, transit options, vibrant, big-city energy, a real downtown, restaurants, shopping, lake days, luxury homes.

Not rated yet: nightlife, golf, land and acreage, horses welcome, established neighborhoods. That means I haven't confirmed it either way, not that it isn't here.

Explore it yourself

See what's around

See this search in Google Maps

Get outside

Elisa Carver Park
16 acres on the north side with baseball fields, a soccer field, a basketball court, pickleball courts, a playground and a nearly one-mile paved walking trail.
Callicot Student Park
A campus park open to the public, with a fishing pond, picnic area, sports fields and courts.

Eat and drink

Buffalo Creek BBQ
Hickory-smoked brisket, pulled pork, turkey breast, sausage and St. Louis ribs on South Old Betsy Road.

Taxes

2025 combined rate per $100 with Keene ISD: city 0.828978, Keene ISD 1.009410, Johnson County 0.339276, Johnson County Lateral Road 0.050000, Hill College 0.045131. Homestead not applied.

The appraisal district's 2026 table shows city 0.810641, Keene ISD 0.949530, Johnson County 0.367000, lateral road 0.050000 and Hill College 0.048052, about 2.225223 per $100. Johnson County ESD1 adds 0.056483 for 2025 where it applies.

School facts

Keene ISD: TEA rating B, 2026

Do your own homework

Take it with you

Want this on paper?

Get the printable Keene report sent to your email.

Sources