Riesel, Texas
Riesel is a small farming city in eastern McLennan County, about 13 miles east of Waco in the Blackland Prairie country of Central Texas. It sits amid the fertile dark soils of the prairie, an area long given over to cotton, grain, and cattle. The surrounding land is flat to gently rolling farmland, and the town serves as a market and school center for the rural community around it.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 1,061
- Change from 2020 base
- +1.1%
- Land area
- 4.2 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- McLennan 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 McLennan 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 Riesel
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Riesel.
Local History
Waco Grew Up as a Cattle Town on the Chisholm Trail
After the Civil War, Waco became a major cattle crossing point, with hundreds of thousands of cattle driven through town by 1871.
Vehicle Registration
No Annual Safety Inspection Required to Register Your Car
As of January 1, 2025, McLennan County drivers no longer need a safety inspection to renew vehicle registration, but a small replacement fee applies.
County History
McLennan County Was Created in 1850
McLennan County was established in January 1850 and named after Neil McLennan, a Scottish settler who came to Texas in 1835 and moved to the Bosque River area in the 1840s.
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