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Stone ranch home on a large lot along SH-121 in Trenton, Texas

Community guide · Fannin County

Living in Trenton, TX

A small Fannin County town where SH-121 meets US-69, with a new high school, a builder community on the edge of town and downtown McKinney about half an hour away.

Population
894Census July 2025 estimate · 2020 base: 719
County
Fannina small strip extends into Grayson
School district
Trenton ISDTEA rating C (2025 ratings)
Downtown McKinney
~24 miabout 32 min, no traffic
Property tax
≈ 2.15%tax year 2025, in city limits
Growth since 2020
+24%Census estimates, 719 → 894

Trenton, Texas

Is Trenton, TX a good place to live?

Yes — living in Trenton, TX suits buyers who want a very small town, a small school district and a straight run down SH-121 to McKinney in about 32 minutes. The trade-offs are an in-town tax rate of about 2.15% for 2025, mixed campus ratings, and a drive for most shopping and services.

Trenton sits in southwestern Fannin County where SH-121 (the Sam Rayburn Highway) crosses US-69, about 15 miles southwest of Bonham and 20 miles east of Van Alstyne. It’s a town of 894 people by the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate, and City Hall is on Hamilton Street. The town grew up around the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad: the post office opened as Trenton in 1881, and in the 1930s local farmers made it an onion-shipping town, sending 158 rail carloads out in 1933.

What’s new is growth. Trenton added about 70 people in a single year between the 2024 and 2025 estimates, Bloomfield Homes is building Anderson Crossing on the edge of town, and Trenton ISD built a new high school with its 2022 bond. If you’re looking at Trenton TX homes for sale, I’ll help you weigh a new build in town against older homes near downtown and country property on the farm roads.

Jobs, growth and what’s coming

By Census estimates, Trenton went from 719 people (2020 base) to 824 in 2024 and 894 in July 2025 — about 24% growth in five years, with the biggest jump in the last year. It’s still a small town by any measure, but the city’s 2026–27 budget shows the change: it expects to raise $114,319 more in property tax than the year before, including $39,717 from new property added to the roll.

Schools are building for it. In November 2022, Trenton ISD put a $56,225,000 bond before voters for a new high school and upgrades to the existing elementary and middle school buildings. The state construction filing for those 2022 bond projects describes a new 116,000-square-foot, single-story high school with a storm shelter and an 8,000-square-foot ag barn on FM 815, with an estimated cost of $44 million and an August 2025 target completion. The district was also rebuilding its elementary campus after a fire destroyed it in 2023.

The honest version

Pros and cons of living in Trenton

Every town has trade-offs. Here’s what I tell my own clients before they buy.

Pros

  • Straight shot to McKinneySH-121 runs from Trenton to downtown McKinney in about 32 minutes and Melissa in 22, without traffic.
  • New high schoolTrenton ISD’s 2022 bond projects include a new 116,000-square-foot high school, and Trenton High earned an A for 2024–25.
  • Small school districtAbout 700 students, 13.4 students per teacher and a 100% four-year graduation rate (class of 2023).
  • New construction outside Collin CountyBloomfield’s Anderson Crossing lists homes from $339,900 in a Trenton ISD community.
  • Room to spread outFarm roads, acreage and land in every direction, with two highways through town.

Cons

  • Higher in-town tax rateAbout 2.15% combined for 2025 inside city limits, and the city adopted a higher rate (0.654849) for 2026.
  • Mixed campus ratingsThe district rated C for 2024–25, with Trenton Middle School at D.
  • PID on new constructionAnderson Crossing sits in a public improvement district; Bloomfield quotes about $2.30 per $100 all in.
  • Few services in townWith under 900 residents, big-box shopping, hospitals and most dining are in McKinney, Sherman or Bonham.
  • Two-lane highway northSH-121 is still a two-lane “Super 2” from the county line to Bonham, with no set date for four lanes.

For sale now

Trenton, TX homes for sale & home prices

Trenton’s housing is a mix of older homes near downtown, new construction at Anderson Crossing and country homes and land on the farm roads around town. In October 2026, Bloomfield Homes listed Anderson Crossing homes from $339,900 to $527,990.

Search all Trenton homes

Featured listings in and around Trenton

The kinds of homes you’ll find in Trenton

Older homes near downtown

Homes on the streets around Pearl Street, Saunders Street and City Hall on Hamilton Street, in a town platted along the railroad in the 1880s. Expect a mix of ages and lot sizes, and older systems to inspect carefully.

New construction at Anderson Crossing

Bloomfield Homes’ community in Trenton ISD, with a playground, pavilion and picnic area. It has an HOA and sits in a public improvement district, so I check the full yearly cost before you choose a lot.

Country homes and land

Homes on acreage and raw land along FM 814, FM 815, US-69 and SH-121. Outside city limits you skip the city tax, but water source, septic and road frontage come first.

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Get new Trenton listings before everyone else

I’ll send new listings, price drops and my Coming Soon homes in Trenton — with my honest notes on each one.

Goes straight to Shayla — not a call center. I usually reply within the hour.

Before you buy new

New construction in Trenton, TX: Anderson Crossing and its PID

Anderson Crossing is Bloomfield Homes’ community in Trenton, with its model and sales office at 1106 Alexander Street. Bloomfield lists homes from $339,900 to $527,990, assigns the community to Trenton Elementary, Trenton Middle and Trenton High, and names Neighborhood Management Inc. as the HOA manager.

The detail buyers miss is the special district. Bloomfield says Anderson Crossing is in Anderson Crossing Public Improvement District No. 1 and quotes a total tax rate of about $2.30 per $100 — higher than the 2.15 base stack inside city limits, because PID costs come on top of the city, county and school rates. Before you write an offer on a new home here, I pull the PID assessment, HOA dues and the full tax picture for that exact lot.

What I check on a Trenton new build

  • The PID assessment for that lot and how many years it runs
  • HOA dues and what they cover
  • The full tax stack: city, Trenton ISD and Fannin County
  • Which builder incentives apply to rate buydowns or closing costs
  • Lot backing, drainage and where future phases will go
  • Your drive time to work on SH-121 or US-69

Getting around

Living in Trenton and commuting on SH-121

Trenton is one of the few Fannin County towns with a direct state-highway run to Collin County. SH-121 heads southwest to Melissa in about 22 minutes and to downtown McKinney in about 32, without traffic, and northeast to Bonham in about 18. US-69 runs north through Whitewright toward Bells and Sherman, and south to Leonard.

North of the Collin County line, SH-121 is a “Super 2” — two lanes with alternating passing lanes — for the 19 miles to Bonham. South of the line, TxDOT’s environmental review covered widening about 9.5 miles from the Collin County Outer Loop to north of CR 635 into a four-lane divided highway, with overpasses planned at FM 455 and FM 2862. I’ll map your exact drive before you buy.

Trenton drive times (no traffic)

  • Melissa: about 18 miles, 22 minutes
  • Downtown McKinney: about 24 miles, 32 minutes
  • Downtown Bonham: about 15 miles, 18 minutes
  • Downtown Sherman: about 26 miles, 34 minutes
  • Downtown Dallas: about 56 miles, 66 minutes

Where to live

Best neighborhoods in Trenton

Trenton is small enough that most buyers choose by setting rather than subdivision, so here’s how I break it down.

Established · In town

Downtown Trenton

The original town along Pearl Street and Saunders Street, near City Hall on Hamilton Street. Older homes, a mix of lot sizes and city water and sewer.

Trenton ISD

New construction · PID

Anderson Crossing

Bloomfield Homes’ community, with the model on Alexander Street and homes listed from about $340K to $528K. HOA and Public Improvement District No. 1 apply, so compare the full monthly cost.

Trenton ISD

Acreage · Outside city limits

Country homes off FM 814 and FM 815

Homes on larger lots along the farm roads around town, including FM 815, where the new Trenton High School sits. Check water source, septic and road frontage before you fall for the view.

Usually Trenton ISD — confirm by address

Rural · County line

The Grayson County edge

A small part of Trenton extends west along FM 814 into Grayson County. Out here the appraisal district, county rate and even the school district can change from one road to the next.

Confirm by address

Land · Commuter

Land along SH-121 and US-69

Acreage and raw land on the two highways through town, toward Melissa, Bonham and Leonard. A fit for buyers who want room to build and a quick road to Collin County.

Trenton ISD or a neighboring district

Subdivision names are a starting point. Lot sizes, HOA rules and school zoning vary street by street — I’ll confirm all of it for any home you’re considering.

Cost of living

Trenton property taxes & cost of living

For tax year 2025, the combined rate inside Trenton city limits is about $2.15 per $100 of value: Trenton ISD 1.2072, City of Trenton 0.589692 and Fannin County 0.350311. Outside city limits but still in Trenton ISD, drop the city line and the stack is about 1.56.

Rates are moving up for 2026. The City of Trenton adopted 0.654849 for its 2026–27 budget, and Fannin County adopted 0.384549 for tax year 2026. Homes in Anderson Crossing also carry a PID cost — Bloomfield quotes about $2.30 per $100 all in.

  • Texas school homestead exemption: $140,000, plus another $60,000 if you’re 65+ or disabled (since the November 2025 election).
  • Over-65 and disabled homeowners get a school tax ceiling once the exemption is in place.
  • Anderson Crossing sits in Public Improvement District No. 1. Ask me for the assessment on any lot before you buy.
  • Land under agricultural valuation is taxed on its productive value, not market value — a change in use can trigger rollback taxes.

Schools

Trenton schools

Trenton ISD is a small district — 698 students in 2023–24 across three campuses — with about 13.4 students per teacher. In the 2025 TEA ratings (school year 2024–25), the district earned a C. Trenton High School earned an A, Trenton Elementary a C and Trenton Middle School a D. The high school’s four-year graduation rate was 100% for the class of 2023, against 90.3% statewide.

The district has been rebuilding and growing at the same time. A 2023 fire destroyed the elementary campus, and the district broke ground on a larger replacement in March 2024. Its 2022 bond projects include a new 116,000-square-foot high school on FM 815. Trenton ISD reaches into Grayson and Collin counties, and nearby rural addresses can fall in neighboring districts, so I check the district for every address.

Getting around

Commute from Trenton: drive times & highways

SH-121 (the Sam Rayburn Highway) runs southwest to Melissa and McKinney and northeast to Bonham; US-69 runs north toward Whitewright and Sherman and south to Leonard. The two cross at an interchange on the north side of town.

Van Alstyne

30 min≈ 20 mi

via SH-121 & SH-5

Downtown Sherman

34 min≈ 26 mi

via US-69 N & SH-56

Downtown Bonham

18 min≈ 15 mi

via SH-121 N

Melissa

22 min≈ 18 mi

via SH-121 S

Downtown McKinney

32 min≈ 24 mi

via SH-121 S

Downtown Dallas

66 min≈ 56 mi

via SH-121 & US-75 S

DFW Airport

75 min≈ 61 mi

via SH-121 & Sam Rayburn Tollway

Bonham State Park

24 min≈ 17 mi

via SH-121 & FM 271

Typical drive times without heavy traffic. Rush hour on US-75 and the Tollway can add 15–30 minutes.

Road projects to know about

  • TxDOT’s environmental review (2018 notice) covers widening SH-121 to a four-lane divided highway for about 9.5 miles from the Collin County Outer Loop to north of CR 635, with overpasses at FM 455 and FM 2862.
  • Between the Collin–Fannin county line and SH-56 in Bonham, SH-121 is a 19-mile “Super 2” with alternating passing lanes; long-term plans call for four divided lanes. No construction date has been set.

Local favorites

Things to do in Trenton

Trenton’s calendar is small-town, and Bonham’s lake, state park and history are 20 to 30 minutes up SH-121.

Christmas Tree Lighting

The City of Trenton hosts a Christmas Tree Lighting and takes vendor sign-ups through the city website — check City Hall for this year’s date.

Trenton Tigers

Trenton High’s teams are the Tigers in UIL Class 2A, and the school has won BEST Robotics championships (2017, 2019 and 2021). Home games are a big part of the local calendar.

Trenton’s railroad and onion history

Settlers called the area “Wild Cat Thicket” in 1852. The MKT railroad brought a depot and a townsite, and by the early 1980s Trenton was the third-largest onion-shipping point in North Texas.

Lloyd Mangrum’s hometown

World Golf Hall of Fame member Lloyd Mangrum, inducted in 1999, was born in Trenton.

Bonham State Park

About 24 minutes away: a Civilian Conservation Corps-built park with a 65-acre lake, fishing pier, campsites and 8.75 miles of hiking and biking trails.

Bois d’Arc Lake

The North Texas Municipal Water District’s new lake northeast of Bonham, open for boating and fishing from its public ramps.

Sam Rayburn House

Speaker Sam Rayburn’s 1916 home in Bonham, now a state historic site with his original furnishings, about 20 minutes up SH-121.

Downtown McKinney

When you want a bigger night out, McKinney’s historic downtown square is about 32 minutes southwest on SH-121.

Before you move

Moving to Trenton, TX: what to know

Here are the practical details I walk every Trenton buyer through before closing.

Water & sewer
The City of Trenton supplies water and sewer, inside and outside city limits. Residential water is $59.95 a month plus $3.70 per 1,000 gallons; in-city sewer is $57.90 plus $2.24 per 1,000 gallons. City Hall is at 216 Hamilton Street, 903-989-2237. For rural property, confirm the water source and septic.
Electric
The provider depends on the address. Fannin County Electric Cooperative, based in Bonham since 1937, serves parts of five counties, so I confirm who serves each home and any line-extension costs for land.
Trash
The city provides trash service; residential hand pickup is $12.88 a month on the city’s posted rates. Call City Hall for your pickup day and dumpster rentals.
City limits vs. ETJ
Inside city limits you pay the City of Trenton rate (0.589692 for 2025) and get city services. The city posts a city-limits and ETJ map, plus zoning, subdivision and impact-fee ordinances, on its City Information page.
Your homestead exemption
File with the Fannin Central Appraisal District (831 W. State Hwy. 56, Bonham, 903-583-8701) once you own and live in the home. It cuts the school taxable value by $140,000.
Local tip
Sign up for the city’s TextMyGov alerts, and if you’re near the Grayson County line, check which appraisal district bills your property.

FAQ

Trenton FAQ

Quick answers to the questions I hear most from people moving to Trenton.

Is Trenton, TX a good place to live?

Trenton is a good fit if you want a very small town, a small school district and a quick drive to McKinney — about 32 minutes on SH-121. The trade-offs are an in-town tax rate of about 2.15% for 2025, a C district rating with a D-rated middle school, and a drive for most shopping.

What is the property tax rate in Trenton, TX?

For tax year 2025, the combined rate inside Trenton city limits is about $2.15 per $100 of value: Trenton ISD 1.2072, City of Trenton 0.589692 and Fannin County 0.350311. Outside city limits in Trenton ISD it’s about 1.56. Anderson Crossing adds a PID cost, and the city adopted 0.654849 for 2026.

What school district is Trenton, TX in?

Trenton is served by Trenton ISD, home of the Tigers, with Trenton Elementary, Trenton Middle and Trenton High. The district earned a C in the 2025 TEA ratings, with the high school at A, the elementary at C and the middle school at D. Some rural addresses nearby are in other districts, so I confirm it for every home.

What county is Trenton, TX in?

Trenton is in Fannin County, and the Census Bureau counts all of its residents there. A small part of the city extends west along FM 814 into Grayson County, and Trenton ISD reaches into Grayson and Collin counties, so I check the appraisal district for properties near the line.

How far is Trenton, TX from Dallas?

Downtown Dallas is about 56 miles away — roughly 66 minutes without traffic via SH-121 and US-75. Downtown McKinney is about 32 minutes, Sherman about 34, Bonham about 18 and DFW Airport about 75 minutes.

Are there new homes in Trenton, TX?

Yes. Bloomfield Homes is building Anderson Crossing, with homes listed from $339,900 to $527,990 in October 2026. It has an HOA and sits in Anderson Crossing Public Improvement District No. 1, so I pull the full yearly cost for any lot before you buy.

Is Trenton, TX growing?

Yes, from a small base. The Census estimate went from 719 (2020 base) to 894 in July 2025, including about 70 new residents in the last year. Trenton ISD built a new high school with its 2022 bond, and Bloomfield is building Anderson Crossing.

Are there homes with acreage near Trenton?

Yes. Country homes and land come up along FM 814, FM 815, US-69 and SH-121. Check water source, septic, road frontage, floodplain and whether agricultural valuation will carry over before you buy.

Sources & data notes

Facts on this page were checked against public sources in October 2026. Tax rates, school ratings and road plans change — confirm anything important for your decision.

Ready when you are

Thinking about Trenton?

I’ll show you around — the neighborhoods, the schools and the places locals love — and put together homes in Trenton that fit your budget.