HomeTexasHunt CountyPoetry
Poetry, Texas
Inside Poetry's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 76% of mapped land, higher than 81% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 24%.
That clay share is close to Hunt County's 78%. Of its 519 homes, 28% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1987.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hunt County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Poetry
Foundation repair in Poetry: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 76% of Poetry's mapped land, more than in 81% of Texas cities.
About 500 of Poetry's 519 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 Poetry city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 76.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 23.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 9.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 88.0% |
| Mapped soil | 2,570 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 9.1% by land area here, and 88% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 76% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Hunt County is in drought on the latest map, and 76% of Poetry's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 24% of Poetry's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 90% 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.
Homes in Poetry
| Housing units | 519 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 28% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 96% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $367,100 |
| Single-family detached | 89% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Valley | 6 mi | 77% | 35% |
| McLendon-Chisholm | 7 mi | 81% | 1% |
| Royse City | 8 mi | 87% | 4% |
| Fate | 8 mi | 81% | under 1% |
| Terrell | 9 mi | 81% | 12% |
| Mobile City | 9 mi | 82% | 0% |
| Quinlan | 9 mi | 86% | 39% |
| Rockwall | 10 mi | 83% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status