Barstow, Texas
Barstow sits in the flat, arid country of Ward County in the Permian Basin of West Texas, near the Pecos River about 66 miles southwest of Odessa. In its early years the town was the center of an ambitious irrigation venture that drew water from the Pecos to raise grapes, peaches, and other fruit, though rising soil salinity later brought that farming era to an end.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 252
- Change from 2020 base
- -5.6%
- Land area
- 0.7 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Ward County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Property here runs through the appraisal district and tax office for Ward County. The homestead exemption, appraisal cap, protests, and any MUD, PID, or special districts all sit at the parcel level.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
County context
What to know around Barstow
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Barstow.
Property Tax
Who handles property taxes in Ward County
Ward County has two separate offices for property taxes: one appraises your property, and a different one collects the bill.
Mineral Rights
Surface rights and mineral rights can be owned separately in Ward County
In Ward County, a deed can give you the surface while someone else keeps the oil and gas rights.
State Park
Monahans Sandhills State Park: dunes you can sled in West Texas
A 4,717-acre park of active sand dunes in Ward and Winkler counties offers camping, horseback riding, and sand-disc sledding year-round.
Nearby
Places near Barstow
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Barstow
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