Community guide · Grayson County
Two small Grayson County towns east and southeast of Sherman, each with its own school district, city water and open land just past the city limits.
By Shayla Eadler, REALTOR® · TREC #0747934 · Based in Van Alstyne · Updated
Bells & Tom Bean, Texas
Yes — if you want a small town with land around it and Sherman’s jobs close by. Bells and Tom Bean are two quiet Grayson County towns of roughly 1,500 and 1,000 people, each with its own school district and city water system. The trade-off is distance: downtown Dallas is about 75–80 minutes away.
Bells sits where US-69 crosses SH-56, with the US-82 freeway running along the north edge of town (exits 653 and 655). It covers about 2.2 square miles and still goes by its old nicknames, “Crossroads of Friendliness” and “The Big Grape.” Tom Bean is about 11 miles southeast of Sherman on SH-11. It’s a 1.6-square-mile railroad town founded in 1888, and county roads and pasture start right where the streets end.
I’ve sold a home in Bells and listed land on Sanford Road there, so I know how these two towns compare. Bells gets you freeway access and a 15-minute drive to Denison. Tom Bean has the lower tax rate and is closer to Van Alstyne. Both are mostly resale homes and land rather than big new subdivisions. If living in Bells TX or Tom Bean is on your list, I’ll drive the roads with you and compare actual properties side by side.
The big change here is in Sherman, not in town. Texas Instruments began production at SM1, its newest 300mm chip fab in Sherman, on December 17, 2025. The site has room for up to four fabs and up to 3,000 direct jobs, and construction on SM2 is complete. GlobalWafers opened its Sherman wafer plant in May 2025. From Bells or Tom Bean, downtown Sherman is about 17–20 minutes away.
The towns themselves have barely grown. Census estimates put Bells at 1,525 in July 2025, almost the same as its 2020 count of 1,521. Tom Bean was estimated at 975, up from 930 in 2020. If you want a small town that still feels small while jobs nearby keep growing, that steadiness is the point.
The honest version
Every town has trade-offs. Here’s what I tell my own clients before they buy.
Pros
Cons
For sale now
Bells and Tom Bean homes for sale are mostly established houses in town and homes or open land on acreage outside the city limits. Inventory is small at any given time, so I set up alerts early for buyers here.
Older and mid-century homes on regular town lots near downtown Bells and along Tom Bean’s main streets. Both cities run their own water systems, so in-town homes are usually on city water and sewer.
Houses on a few acres along the county and FM roads around both towns, often with shops, ponds or pasture. Outside city limits there’s no city tax, but water, septic and electric providers vary by tract.
Open tracts for building, grazing or holding, like my 12.3-acre listing on Sanford Road in Bells. Check road frontage, utilities, floodplain and ag valuation before you write an offer.
Be the first to know
I’ll send new listings, price drops and my Coming Soon homes in Bells & Tom Bean — with my honest notes on each one.
Land and acreage
Land is the main reason a lot of my clients look at this corner of Grayson County. Both towns are small, so pasture and county-road frontage begin just past the city limits. You can still be in downtown Sherman in about 20 minutes and in Denison in about 15 from Bells.
Rural land doesn’t come with the same guarantees as a lot in town, though. Outside city limits you skip the city tax rate. Unincorporated land in Bells ISD runs about 1.59% combined, and in Tom Bean ISD about 1.37% (tax year 2025, before exemptions). In exchange, you need to confirm water, septic and access yourself. This is what I check on every tract before my clients write an offer.
What I check on every tract
Side by side
Clients ask me which of the two to focus on, and the answer usually comes down to commute direction and taxes. Bells is on the US-82 freeway and US-69, so it’s faster to Denison and Bonham. Tom Bean sits on SH-11 southeast of Sherman, so it’s closer to Van Alstyne and US-75.
Inside city limits, Tom Bean’s combined tax rate is about 0.22% lower than Bells’, mostly because Tom Bean ISD has the lowest school rate in Grayson County. In 2026 TEA ratings, Bells ISD earned an A and Tom Bean ISD a B, and both high schools earned an A.
| Compare | Bells | Tom Bean |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025 est.) | 1,525 | 975 |
| Main highways | US-82, US-69, SH-56 | SH-11, FM 902, FM 2729 |
| School district (2026 TEA) | Bells ISD — A (91) | Tom Bean ISD — B (80) |
| School tax rate (2025) | $1.1363 per $100 | $0.9239 per $100 |
| Combined in-city rate (2025) | ≈ 2.19% | ≈ 1.96% |
| Downtown Sherman | 17 min | 20 min |
| Van Alstyne | 35 min | 20 min |
| Downtown Dallas | 80 min | 75 min |
| Town history | Renamed Bells in 1879 | Founded 1888 on the Cotton Belt Railway |
Drive times are no-traffic estimates from each town center (Oct 2026). Tax rates are Grayson CAD adopted rates for tax year 2025, including Grayson County and Grayson College.
Where to live
Neither town has many named subdivisions, so here’s how I describe the different areas to clients.
Established · In town
The older street grid around City Hall on South Broadway and City Park on Park Street. Expect established homes on town lots, city water and sewer, and the City of Bells tax rate.
Bells ISD
Highway access · North side
The north side of town around the US-82 interchanges at exits 653 and 655. It’s the quickest place to live in the area if you head west to Sherman or east toward Bonham every day.
Bells ISD
Acreage · Outside city limits
Rural tracts just past the city limits, where the ETJ extends about a half mile. You’ll find homes on acreage and open pasture. There’s no city tax, but check water, septic and any development rules.
Bells ISD (confirm by address)
Rural · County line
Bells sits right at the Grayson–Fannin county line. A few miles east, properties fall under a different county, appraisal district, tax rates and often a different school district, such as Savoy ISD.
Small town · City water
The streets around City Hall on South Britton Street, where SH-11 runs through town. Homes here are on Tom Bean city water and wastewater and pay the lower Tom Bean in-city tax stack.
Tom Bean ISD
Acreage · Outside city limits
FM 2729 runs north and south through Tom Bean and FM 902 heads west toward Sherman. Both have country homes and open land along them. Grayson-Collin Electric Co-op serves the Tom Bean area.
Tom Bean ISD (confirm by address)
Unincorporated · Rural
Luella is an unincorporated Grayson County community inside Tom Bean ISD’s 54-square-mile district. It’s rural property with no city tax, and water and septic need checking address by address.
Tom Bean ISD
Subdivision names are a starting point. Lot sizes, HOA rules and school zoning vary street by street — I’ll confirm all of it for any home you’re considering.
Cost of living
Inside Bells city limits, the combined tax year 2025 rate is about 2.19% before exemptions. Bells ISD is $1.1363 per $100, the City of Bells $0.60 (up from $0.5729), Grayson County $0.3051 and Grayson College $0.14598. Inside Tom Bean city limits the same stack comes to about 1.96%. Tom Bean ISD is $0.9239, the lowest school rate in Grayson County, and the City of Tom Bean is $0.58857.
Outside city limits you drop the city portion. That’s about 1.59% in Bells ISD and 1.37% in Tom Bean ISD. Grayson CAD hadn’t posted tax year 2026 rates when I checked, so I’ll confirm the current figures for any home you’re considering.
Schools
Bells ISD has about 1,000 students on three campuses and covers 58 square miles of eastern Grayson County. It earned an A (91) in TEA’s 2026 ratings, up from a B (89) in 2025. Its 2024 rating, released in August 2025, was also an A (92). Bells High School earned an A (94), and Bells Elementary and Pritchard Junior High each earned a B.
Tom Bean ISD has about 740 students and covers roughly 54 square miles of southeast Grayson County, including Luella. It moved up to a B (80) in 2026 from a C (76) in both 2025 and 2024. Tom Bean High School earned an A (93), while the elementary and middle schools earned a C. Rural addresses between towns can fall in nearby districts such as Whitewright ISD (B in 2026), Sherman ISD (C) or Van Alstyne ISD (B), so check the district for each address.
Getting around
Bells sits where US-69 meets SH-56, with the US-82 freeway on the north edge of town. Tom Bean is on SH-11, about 20 minutes from both downtown Sherman and Van Alstyne and about 75 minutes from downtown Dallas. The times below are from Bells.
Downtown Sherman
17 min≈ 12 mi
US-82 W or SH-56 W
Downtown Denison
15 min≈ 13 mi
US-69 N
Lake Texoma
30 min≈ 21 mi
north through Denison
Van Alstyne
35 min≈ 23 mi
southwest on rural roads
Downtown McKinney
45 min≈ 38 mi
US-75 S
Legacy West (Plano)
65 min≈ 53 mi
US-75 S
Downtown Dallas
80 min≈ 70 mi
US-75 S
DFW Airport
90 min≈ 74 mi
US-75 S, then west
Typical drive times without heavy traffic. Rush hour on US-75 and the Tollway can add 15–30 minutes.
Local favorites
Day to day, life here is quiet. These are the places I point clients to in town and nearby.
The city park on Park Street, southeast of City Hall, has big shade trees and a pavilion you can reserve through the City of Bells for parties and get-togethers.
The city library in Tom Bean offers books, digital resources and programs for all ages. It’s a good first stop for getting to know the town after you move.
On the shore of Lake Texoma, with more than nine miles of trails, a Wildlife Drive, weekend tram tours by reservation and birding that includes bald eagles in season.
About 30 minutes from Bells through Denison. Lake Texoma formed behind Denison Dam and is the area’s main spot for boating, fishing and weekends on the water.
A state park on Lake Texoma near Denison. From either town it’s an easy day trip when you want time on the lake without driving to the Metroplex.
A state park east of Bells in Fannin County, reached on US-82. It’s the closest state park if you live on the east side of Bells.
The Denison house where President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born, about 15 minutes from Bells up US-69. It’s an easy stop to pair with lunch in Denison or an afternoon at the lake.
A railroad museum in Denison. It fits the area, since Bells grew up around the railroads in the 1870s and Tom Bean was founded on the Cotton Belt line in 1888.
Before you move
Here are the practical details I walk through with clients buying in or around Bells and Tom Bean.
FAQ
Quick answers to the questions I hear most from people moving to Bells & Tom Bean.
For buyers who want a small town with land around it, yes. Bells is a town of about 1,500 on the US-82 freeway, about 17 minutes from downtown Sherman and 15 from Denison. Bells ISD earned an A in TEA’s 2026 ratings. The trade-offs are a roughly 80-minute drive to downtown Dallas, a combined in-city tax rate of about 2.19% and a small number of homes for sale at any time.
For tax year 2025, the combined rate inside Bells city limits is about 2.19% before exemptions. That’s Bells ISD at $1.1363 per $100, the City of Bells at $0.60, Grayson County at $0.3051 and Grayson College at $0.14598. Inside Tom Bean city limits it’s about 1.96%. Outside city limits it drops to about 1.59% in Bells ISD and 1.37% in Tom Bean ISD.
Bells is served by Bells ISD, which earned an A (91) in TEA’s 2026 ratings and has an elementary school, Pritchard Junior High and Bells High School. Tom Bean is served by Tom Bean ISD, rated B (80) in 2026, with an A-rated high school. Rural addresses between towns can fall in other districts, so I confirm the district for every property.
Bells is about 70 miles from downtown Dallas, roughly 80 minutes with no traffic using US-82 and US-75. Tom Bean is a little closer, at about 63 miles and 75 minutes. From Bells, downtown McKinney is about 45 minutes, Legacy West in Plano about 65 minutes and DFW Airport about 90 minutes. Rush hour on US-75 adds more.
None of the special districts on Grayson CAD’s 2025 rate sheet carries the Bells or Tom Bean name. Most homes here are resale houses or acreage outside any special district. Several MUDs on the sheet are named only “Grayson County,” though, so I check the tax statement for every address before you make an offer.
Not much in town. Census estimates put Bells at 1,525 in 2025, almost the same as 1,521 in 2020, and Tom Bean at 975, up from 930. The growth is in nearby Sherman, where Texas Instruments started production at its SM1 chip fab in December 2025 and GlobalWafers opened a wafer plant in May 2025.
Bells got its name in 1879. Local tradition says church bells rang to welcome the railroad in the 1870s, and the town’s nicknames are “Crossroads of Friendliness” and “The Big Grape.” Tom Bean was founded in 1888 on the Cotton Belt Railway and named for surveyor Thomas C. Bean, who donated the railroad right-of-way and 50 acres for the townsite.
Yes, that’s one of the main reasons people look here. Pasture, homes on a few acres and open land sit along the county and FM roads around both towns. I have a 12.3-acre land listing on Sanford Road in Bells. Before you buy any tract, I check water, septic, ag valuation, floodplain, easements and the school district.
Compare nearby towns
Grayson CountyShermanThe bigger city 17 minutes west, with TI’s chip fabs, more shopping and Sherman ISD.Read the Sherman guide 
Grayson CountyDenisonAbout 15 minutes up US-69, with Lake Texoma and Texoma Medical Center.Read the Denison guide 
Grayson CountyVan AlstyneMy home base, 20 minutes from Tom Bean, with quicker US-75 access to McKinney.Read the Van Alstyne guide 
Fannin CountyBonhamEast on US-82 in Fannin County, near Bonham State Park.Read the Bonham guide Facts on this page were checked against public sources in October 2026. Tax rates, school ratings and road plans change — confirm anything important for your decision.
Ready when you are
I’ll show you around — the neighborhoods, the schools and the places locals love — and put together homes in Bells that fit your budget.