Smiley, Texas
Smiley is a small city in Gonzales County, in the rolling farm and ranch country of south-central Texas about 41 miles southeast of New Braunfels. It sits on the gently rolling plains between the San Antonio area and the Guadalupe River country, in a region long tied to cattle, cotton, and other row crops. The community is rural and compact, ringed by open farmland and pasture.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 501
- Change from 2020 base
- +3.9%
- Land area
- 0.5 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Gonzales 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 Gonzales 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 Smiley
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Smiley.
Texas History
Gonzales Fired the First Shot of the Texas Revolution
On October 2, 1835, colonists in Gonzales refused to hand over a cannon to Mexican troops, starting the Texas Revolution.
Property Tax
Two Offices Handle Your Property Tax in Gonzales County
Gonzales County splits property tax work between two offices. One sets your value, the other sends the bill.
Homestead Exemption
Apply for a Homestead Exemption to Lower Your Tax Bill
Texas homeowners who live in their home can apply for a homestead exemption that reduces the value used to calculate property taxes.
Nearby
Places near Smiley
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Smiley
Compare nearby places
Put Census population, land area, county footprints, and official office routes side by side.
Open comparison ->Estimate property tax
Model school and local rates, the homestead exemption, and the appraisal cap.
Open estimator ->Look up another place
Every Texas town and all 254 counties.
Find a place ->