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
5.0 on Redfin · Top 1% of DFW agents


Community guide · Fannin County
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.
By Shayla Eadler, REALTOR® · TREC #0747934 · Based in Van Alstyne · Updated
Trenton, Texas
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.
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
Every town has trade-offs. Here’s what I tell my own clients before they buy.
Pros
Cons
For sale now
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.
MLS# 21427081
Weichert Realtors-Solid Ground
MLS# 21424075
Only 1 Realty Group North Dallas
MLS# 21421032
Visions Realty & Investments
MLS# 21418102
eXp Realty LLC
MLS# 21419399
Epique Realty
MLS# 21416081
Redfin Corporation
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.
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.
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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I’ll send new listings, price drops and my Coming Soon homes in Trenton — with my honest notes on each one.
Before you buy new
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
Getting around
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)
Where to live
Trenton is small enough that most buyers choose by setting rather than subdivision, so here’s how I break it down.
Established · In town
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
Local favorites
Trenton’s calendar is small-town, and Bonham’s lake, state park and history are 20 to 30 minutes up SH-121.
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 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.
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.
World Golf Hall of Fame member Lloyd Mangrum, inducted in 1999, was born in Trenton.
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.
The North Texas Municipal Water District’s new lake northeast of Bonham, open for boating and fishing from its public ramps.
Speaker Sam Rayburn’s 1916 home in Bonham, now a state historic site with his original furnishings, about 20 minutes up SH-121.
When you want a bigger night out, McKinney’s historic downtown square is about 32 minutes southwest on SH-121.
Before you move
Here are the practical details I walk every Trenton buyer through before closing.
FAQ
Quick answers to the questions I hear most from people moving to Trenton.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Compare nearby towns
Fannin CountyBonhamThe county seat, 15 miles northeast on SH-121, with Bois d’Arc Lake and the state park.Read the Bonham guide
Collin CountyMelissaAbout 22 minutes southwest on SH-121, the first Collin County town toward McKinney.Read the Melissa guide
Fannin CountyLeonardA fellow Fannin County small town about 10 minutes south on US-69.Read the Leonard guide
Grayson CountyVan AlstyneMy home base, about 30 minutes west via SH-121 and SH-5.Read the Van Alstyne guide 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
I’ll show you around — the neighborhoods, the schools and the places locals love — and put together homes in Trenton that fit your budget.