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Van Horn, Texas
Inside Van Horn's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is close to Culberson County's 2%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79855 overlapping the city. Of its 937 homes, 68% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1972.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Culberson 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 Van Horn
Foundation repair in Van Horn: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 0% of Van Horn's mapped land.
About 700 of Van Horn's 937 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 Van Horn city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 0.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 1,823 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Double | 90% | n/a |
| Reyab | under 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 0% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Van Horn; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Culberson County
10.9% of Culberson 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 Van Horn. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79855 | 100% | 1 | $63,112 |
Homes in Van Horn
| Housing units | 937 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $94,300 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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