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Mountain City, Texas
Inside Mountain City's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is close to Hays County's 14%. FEMA's flood data list 19 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 299 homes, 10% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1986.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hays County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Mountain City
Foundation repair in Mountain City: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 17% of Mountain City's mapped land.
About 300 of Mountain City's 299 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 Mountain City city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 17.3% |
| Mapped soil | 338 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.3% by land area here, and 17% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Hays County is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Mountain City's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hays County
100% of Hays 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 Mountain City. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78610 | 86% | 18 | $272,344 |
| 78640 | 14% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in Mountain City
| Housing units | 299 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 10% |
| Built 2000 or later | 5% |
| Owner-occupied | 100% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $494,800 |
| Single-family detached | 99% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle | 3 mi | 51% | under 1% |
| Buda | 3 mi | 61% | under 1% |
| Hays | 6 mi | 25% | 0% |
| Niederwald | 8 mi | 84% | 1% |
| Uhland | 8 mi | 82% | under 1% |
| San Leanna | 8 mi | 35% | 0% |
| Creedmoor | 10 mi | 85% | under 1% |
| Bear Creek | 10 mi | 6% | 0% |
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