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Ponder, Texas
Inside Ponder's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 80% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 33 cities in Denton County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above Denton County's 50%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76259 overlapping the city. Of its 887 homes, 14% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2008.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Denton 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 Ponder
Foundation repair in Ponder: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 80% of Ponder's mapped land, more than in 85% of Texas cities.
About 900 of Ponder's 887 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 Ponder city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 80.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 80.0% |
| Mapped soil | 2,041 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Slidell | 45% | n/a |
| Sanger | 19% | 99% |
| Mingo | 9% | n/a |
| Somervell | 7% | n/a |
| Denton | 4% | n/a |
| San Saba | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.7% by land area here, and 80% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 80% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Denton County is in drought on the latest map, and 80% of Ponder's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Denton County
100% of Denton 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 Ponder. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76259 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Ponder
| Housing units | 887 |
| Median year built | 2008 |
| Built before 1980 | 14% |
| Built 2000 or later | 76% |
| Owner-occupied | 88% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $321,000 |
| Single-family detached | 96% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| DISH | 3 mi | 53% | under 1% |
| Justin | 5 mi | 58% | under 1% |
| Corral City | 6 mi | 78% | 0% |
| Northlake | 7 mi | 73% | under 1% |
| Krum | 8 mi | 77% | 0% |
| Argyle | 8 mi | 21% | 1% |
| New Fairview | 9 mi | 50% | 0% |
| Denton | 10 mi | 49% | 1% |
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