Hempstead, Texas
Hempstead is a city in Waller County on the coastal plain northwest of Houston, sitting near the Brazos River about 37 miles west of The Woodlands. It developed as a railroad and trading town and remains a market center for the surrounding farmland, long associated with the watermelons and produce grown in the fertile bottomlands nearby. The town lies at a crossing of highways and rail lines in the largely rural country between Houston and the Brazos Valley.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 7,194
- Change from 2020 base
- +32.8%
- Land area
- 7.3 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Waller 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 Waller 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 Hempstead
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Hempstead.
County Seat History
Hempstead Grew Because of the Railroad, Not the River
Hempstead became the county seat of Waller County because the Houston and Texas Central Railway chose it as a terminus in 1858, making it a major trade hub almost overnight.
Property Tax Basics
Two Separate Offices Handle Your Property Taxes
In Waller County, one office sets your home's value and another collects the taxes, and you need to know which is which.
Early Settlement
One of Texas's First Cotton Plantations Stood in This County
In early 1822, Jared Groce set up a plantation near present-day Hempstead. It helped shape early Texas farming — and the area's plantation history is part of why Prairie View A&M is located here.
Nearby
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Local notes for nearby counties
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