Muleshoe, Texas
Muleshoe sits on the level, semi-arid High Plains of the Texas Panhandle, the seat of Bailey County, about 68 miles northwest of Lubbock near the state's western edge. The town is known for the National Mule Memorial, a life-sized statue nicknamed 'Ol' Pete' that honors the mule's role in the settlement of the West. Just south of town lies the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, the oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas, whose playa lakes draw one of the country's largest wintering concentrations of sandhill cranes. Cotton, cattle, and grain farming support the surrounding countryside.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 5,162
- Change from 2020 base
- +0.6%
- Land area
- 3.4 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Bailey 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 Bailey 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 Muleshoe
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Muleshoe.
History
Bailey County Was XIT Ranch Territory Before Becoming Farm Country
Bailey County was named for an Alamo defender, spent its early years as part of the giant XIT Ranch, and became cotton and grain farmland after the railroad arrived in 1913.
Property tax
How Bailey County Property Taxes Work
Bailey County property tax starts with the appraisal district, and a homestead exemption can lower the value used for school taxes.
Water / Wells
Groundwater in Bailey County Comes from the Ogallala Aquifer
Bailey County gets nearly all its water from the Ogallala Aquifer. A local district controls how much you can pump from a new well.
Nearby
Places near Muleshoe
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Muleshoe
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