Historic Neighborhoods

Waxahachie has a large collection of preserved Victorian-era homes

Waxahachie is called Gingerbread City for its hundreds of well-kept Victorian homes. Many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ellis County History & Culture

About 300 buildings in Waxahachie are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most are Victorian-era homes built during the cotton boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The city holds an annual Gingerbread Trail home tour. It lets visitors get a look inside many of these homes.

If you own a historic property in a locally designated historic district, you may face limits on exterior changes. But you may also qualify for state and federal historic tax credits. The Texas Historical Commission runs the state program. Check with them before making any changes to a historic home.

Source to confirm: TSHA Handbook of Texas — Waxahachie, TX

More Ellis County notes

Property Tax Basics

Two different offices handle your property tax in Ellis County

The Ellis County Appraisal District sets your property value, but a separate Tax Assessor-Collector office sends the bill and collects the money.

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Homestead Exemption

File a homestead exemption to lower your property tax bill

Texas law lets homeowners who live in their home claim a homestead exemption that reduces the taxable value of the property.

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Ag Valuation

Farm and ranch land can be taxed on productivity, not market value

In Ellis County, qualifying farm or ranch land is taxed on what it can produce, not what it could sell for. That can cut the tax bill by a lot.

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Vehicle Registration

Ellis County vehicles need an emissions test every year

Ellis County is in the DFW area, so most gas-powered vehicles must pass an emissions test every year before the owner can renew registration.

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