State park / Outdoor recreation

Stephen F. Austin State Park offers camping and trails near the Brazos

Stephen F. Austin State Park sits along the Brazos River in San Felipe and offers year-round camping, five miles of trails, and easy access to the adjacent state historic site.

Austin County The Great Outdoors

Stephen F. Austin State Park is located in San Felipe, about 50 miles west of Houston. The park sits along the Brazos River inside the wooded bottomland where Austin's original colony was centered. Five miles of hiking and biking trails run along the riverbank and through upland swamp terrain. The park offers full-hookup RV sites, tent sites, screened shelters, and a cabin. Day-use admission for adults is $5; children 12 and under enter free.

The park is open year-round. It sits next to the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, which has a separate museum focused on Austin's colonial capital. Reservations for camping are managed through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reservation system. The park phone is 979-885-3613.

Wildlife in the bottomland includes white-tailed deer, raccoons, armadillos, and foxes. The spring and fall months tend to be the most comfortable for outdoor activity in this part of Texas.

Source to confirm: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — Stephen F. Austin State Park

More Austin County notes

Property tax

Austin County has two separate property tax offices

The appraisal district values your property and collects taxes. The tax assessor-collector handles vehicle titles and registration. They are different offices at different addresses.

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Agriculture / Property tax

Productive land in Austin County can qualify for ag valuation

Landowners who farm, ranch, or manage land for wildlife may qualify for ag valuation (1-d-1). It taxes land on what it produces, not what it would sell for — often a much lower bill.

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Flood

The Brazos River forms the eastern edge of Austin County — and a real flood risk

The Brazos River runs along Austin County's eastern border. Property near the river and its tributaries can sit in a FEMA high-risk flood zone. That can mean required flood insurance and stricter building rules.

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History / State historic site

San Felipe de Austin was the original capital of Texas's first Anglo colony

The San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site in Austin County preserves the townsite of the first colonial capital of Stephen F. Austin's settlement — burned by its own residents during the Texas Revolution and now open to the public with a museum and trails.

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