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Smiley, Texas
Inside Smiley's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 8% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 4 cities in Gonzales County. A shallow water table limits basements on 8%, the highest of 4 cities in Gonzales County.
That clay share is below Gonzales County's 55%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78159 overlapping the city. Of its 220 homes, 60% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Gonzales 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 Smiley
Foundation repair in Smiley: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 8% of Smiley's mapped land.
About 200 of Smiley's 220 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 Smiley city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 8.0% |
| Mapped soil | 337 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Griter | 70% | n/a |
| Rutersville | 8% | n/a |
| Nusil | 7% | n/a |
| Chazos | under 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 8% and a shallow water table on 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Smiley; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Gonzales County
100% of Gonzales 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 Smiley. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78159 | 100% | 1 | $15,096 |
Homes in Smiley
| Housing units | 220 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $135,300 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
Nearby cities
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