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Celeste, Texas
Inside Celeste's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 84% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 13 cities in Hunt County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is above Hunt County's 78%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75423 overlapping the city. Of its 326 homes, 61% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1974.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hunt County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Celeste
Foundation repair in Celeste: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 84% of Celeste's mapped land, more than in 91% of Texas cities.
About 300 of Celeste's 326 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Celeste city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 83.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 11.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 83.9% |
| Mapped soil | 860 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Black | 49% | 91% |
| Heiden | 22% | 80% |
| Ferris | 9% | n/a |
| Tinn | 7% | n/a |
| Leson | 5% | n/a |
| Fairlie | 3% | 70% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 11.5% by land area here, and 84% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 84% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Hunt County is in drought on the latest map, and 84% of Celeste's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hunt County
100% of Hunt County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Celeste. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75423 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Celeste
| Housing units | 326 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 61% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $184,700 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonard | 7 mi | 77% | under 1% |
| Wolfe City | 9 mi | 68% | 3% |
| Bailey | 10 mi | 92% | 0% |
| Blue Ridge | 12 mi | 85% | 4% |
| Neylandville | 12 mi | 87% | 32% |
| Trenton | 13 mi | 78% | 0% |
| Farmersville | 13 mi | 66% | under 1% |
| Greenville | 13 mi | 81% | 10% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status