Land for sale in Hunt County, TX — North Texas value play within an hour of Dallas
Hunt County sits one county east of Collin — close enough to benefit from DFW's growth overspill, far enough to still offer land under $20K/acre. Greenville anchors the county, L3Harris is the primary employment driver, and Lake Tawakoni pulls recreational buyers who can't afford Grayson County's semiconductor premium.
Overview
Hunt County is where the DFW land market transitions from premium to accessible. The county seat is Greenville — a working Texas city on I-30, home to L3Harris Technologies (with approximately 6,500 employees, roughly one-third of Greenville's working population) and a growing industrial base. East Texas A&M University in Commerce anchors the northeast corner.
Land prices here reflect Hunt County's position: close enough to Dallas (45–70 miles) to attract buyers priced out of Collin and Rockwall, rural enough that ag-exempt working pastureland still trades in the $15K–$25K range in the county's interior.
Lake Tawakoni — a 37,000-acre reservoir straddling the Hunt/Rains/Van Zandt county line — is the recreational anchor. Waterfront and near-water tracts carry a meaningful premium over interior ag land.
Price Corridors
Hunt County breaks into three sub-markets with distinct buyer profiles and price points.
Market Snapshot
Hunt County is North Texas's best-value land market for buyers who need acreage under $25K/acre within 90 minutes of Dallas.
Median price per acre from Land.com county data for undeveloped parcels. DOM estimates from LandWatch comparable data. All figures reflect parcels 5+ acres; excludes residential lots and commercial pads.
Land Types
Recreational / Hunting
Hunt County's primary buyer type. Whitetail deer, dove, hog, and turkey across rolling pastureland and creek-bottom hardwoods. Lake Tawakoni area for fishing and waterfowl.
Ag / Working Ranch
Cattle and row crop operations throughout the county interior. Sandy loam and blackland soils. Ag exemption widely maintained.
Lake Tawakoni Waterfront
Waterfront and near-water recreational land on the 37,000-acre reservoir. Supply-constrained once Corps setbacks are applied.
Investment / Hold
Western Hunt County near Caddo Mills and Royse City for buyers positioning ahead of Rockwall County's growth spillover. Longer timeline than Collin but lower entry.
Rural Homestead
10–50 acre lifestyle tracts near Greenville and Commerce for buyers wanting acreage without Dallas-area pricing.
Zoning & ETJ
Hunt County has no county-level zoning in unincorporated areas. Land outside city limits and ETJs is generally unrestricted for ag, residential, and light commercial use.
Water & Utilities
Hunt County has three water options depending on location — municipal in incorporated areas, co-op in rural zones, and private wells on larger ag tracts.
Ag Exemptions
Ag exemption is straightforward in Hunt County — the county has deep agricultural roots and HCAD maintains standard qualification requirements.
Investment
Hunt County is a value-market play — patient capital buying at $15–$25K/acre with the Rockwall/Collin growth wave as the long-term thesis.
Hunt County is the right county for buyers who want genuine North Texas acreage under $25K/acre and can hold 5–10 years for the growth front to arrive. Don't buy here expecting near-term appreciation — buy here because the value is real and the trajectory is clear.
Growth Outlook
Hunt County's growth story is a spillover play. Rockwall County has been largely consumed by DFW's eastern expansion, and western Hunt County — Caddo Mills, Royse City adjacent — is the next tract in line. This is a 5–10 year timeline, not 2–3.
The Greenville industrial base (L3Harris, logistics tenants) is a stabilizing factor that most rural East Texas counties lack. Greenville is not purely agricultural — it has an employment center that supports land values independent of DFW growth.
Watch the proposed East Texas Regional Airport improvements and continued I-30 capacity investments as demand catalysts for the Greenville corridor specifically.
Buying Here
Confirm ag exemption status with Hunt Central Appraisal District before closing.
Order a perc test on any well/septic-dependent tract — sandy soils in east Hunt require specific evaluation.
Verify lake boundary and Corps setbacks on any Lake Tawakoni-adjacent purchase.
Pull the survey — Category 1A, $1,500–$3,500. Non-negotiable.
Check for pipeline easements — Hunt County has existing pipeline infrastructure that may affect use.
Verify water co-op availability and tap capacity at the specific property — co-op reach is uneven.
County Facts
Land Buyer Index
FAQ
Yes — interior ag land in the Commerce, Lone Oak, and Wolfe City areas regularly trades in the $12K–$20K range. Road frontage, water access, and proximity to Greenville push prices up.
Yes — waterfront is supply-constrained by Corps of Engineers boundaries. Quinlan-area tracts near the lake are the primary entry point. Verify Corps setbacks and shoreline access before offering.
Greenville is approximately 50 miles northeast of Dallas via I-30. Commerce and eastern Hunt County are 60–70 miles.
Cattle and hay in the county interior. Row crop production (wheat, cotton, sorghum) in the sandier eastern soils. Ag exemption is widely held throughout the county.
More commonly conveyed than in heavily drilled counties. Still verify what conveys with the surface — always confirm in writing before closing.