Community guide · Grayson County
A small Grayson County town on SH 289 where old townsite lots, golf-course homes, open acreage and thousands of planned new homes all sit within a few miles of each other.
By Shayla Eadler, REALTOR® · TREC #0747934 · Based in Van Alstyne · Updated
Gunter, Texas
For buyers who want land, room to build or a golf-course home, living in Gunter, TX makes a lot of sense. It’s a small town with big open tracts and fast-moving development plans along the Tollway corridor. The trade-off is distance: Dallas is about an hour away, and newer neighborhoods carry MUD or PID costs.
Gunter started as a railroad townsite in 1901 on land from Jot Gunter’s ranch, and it stayed small for most of a century. Then the city limits grew from about 1.5 to 17.6 square miles between 2000 and 2010. That’s why so much open land still sits inside the city today, from pasture along FM 121 to the fairways at The Bridges Golf Club.
The Census Bureau estimates 2,574 residents in 2025, up about 25% from the 2020 count. Most of the change is still ahead: Centurion American, REX Real Estate and other developers have thousands of homes planned on large tracts near Preston Road and the planned Tollway corridor. When clients ask me about Gunter, TX homes for sale, I walk them through three things first: which side of the city limits a property sits on, who supplies the water, and whether a MUD or PID applies.
The jobs story is mostly to the north. Texas Instruments began production at its SM1 fab in Sherman on December 17, 2025, on a site with room for up to four fabs and up to 3,000 jobs. GlobalWafers opened its Sherman wafer plant in May 2025. Downtown Sherman is about 25 minutes up SH 289 from Gunter, and Legacy West in Plano is about 40 minutes south.
On the housing side, The Bridges at Preston Crossing was set to start phase two in September 2025, with about 1,000 homes planned in total. Platinum Ranch (announced June 2025) plans 4,200 single-family homes on about 2,000 acres, and the city scheduled PID assessment hearings for Platinum Ranch and Taylor Ranch in July 2026. Elm Creek, a 1,061-acre tract sold in 2022, already has a MUD and a development agreement with the city.
The honest version
Every town has trade-offs. Here’s what I tell my own clients before they buy.
Pros
Cons
For sale now
Gunter’s housing runs from older homes on the 1901 townsite to golf-course homes at The Bridges, acreage outside town and new builder homes. For scale, the city’s 2025 tax notice put the average homestead taxable value at $532,365.
Gunter’s older streets grew out of the townsite Jot Gunter deeded in 1901, around SH 289 and FM 121. Expect mixed-age homes on city lots, a short drive from City Hall on North 4th Street.
The Bridges at Preston Crossing pairs builder homes from GFO Home, Mattamy Homes and Our Country Homes with a resident pool, a playground and The Bridges Golf Club. Newer phases carry PID assessments.
Much of the 17.7-square-mile city, plus the county roads around it, is still open land. Buyers here weigh water service, septic, ag valuation, easements and future road plans before they write an offer.
Platinum Ranch, Elm Creek and Taylor Ranch are planned on big tracts near the Tollway corridor. Most are in early stages, so I track builder lineups, timelines and MUD or PID costs as they’re released.
Be the first to know
I’ll send new listings, price drops and my Coming Soon homes in Gunter — with my honest notes on each one.
Land & acreage
Land is a big reason people look at Gunter. The city limits grew from about 1.5 to 17.6 square miles between 2000 and 2010, so open tracts sit both inside the city and out in the county. Developers have noticed too. Walton sold 1,061 acres here in 2022, and Platinum Ranch covers about 2,000 acres along the planned Tollway corridor.
Raw land doesn’t come with the answers a subdivision lot does, so I check the same list on every Gunter tract before my clients make an offer. Inside the city, Mustang Special Utility District handles water and wastewater. Outside the city, you’ll want to confirm service, or plan for a well and septic, before you fall in love with the view.
What I check on every tract
What’s being built
Four large projects will shape Gunter over the next decade. One is already selling homes, and the other three are in planning or early infrastructure. All four use a MUD or a city Public Improvement District (PID) to pay for roads, water and sewer, so the total tax bill on a new home is higher than the base city rate.
A PID is billed as a yearly assessment per lot, set in the district’s assessment roll. A MUD adds a tax rate per $100 of value. On Grayson CAD’s 2025 rate sheet, county MUD rates ran from $0.60 to $1.00 per $100. I pull the exact figure for any lot before you sign.
| Community | Developer / builders | Size & plan | MUD / PID notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bridges at Preston Crossing | Centurion American · GFO Home, Mattamy Homes, Our Country Homes | 200+ acres off FM 121; about 1,000 homes planned; phase two set to start Sept 2025 | City PIDs for Phase 1B (about 40.65 acres, hearing June 2026) and Phase 2A |
| Platinum Ranch | Centurion American | About 2,000 acres: 4,200 single-family homes, villas (up to 290 units), 277 acres commercial and multifamily, 223 acres green space | City PID covering about 1,715 acres; assessment hearing July 2, 2026 |
| Elm Creek | Partnership led by Rex Glendenning (REX Real Estate) | 1,061 acres on the Grayson–Collin line, east of the planned Tollway; bought in 2022 | MUD established; development agreement with the city; permit for onsite wastewater treatment |
| Taylor Ranch | Ask me for the latest builder news | About 491 acres | City PID; assessment hearing July 2, 2026 |
Plans and phases change. I confirm the current builders, lot sizes and the PID or MUD amount for any home or lot you’re considering.
Where to live
Gunter’s neighborhoods range from the original townsite to golf-course homes and large planned communities still on the drawing board.
Master-planned · New construction
Centurion American’s 200-plus-acre community on FM 121, with about 1,000 homes planned. GFO Home, Mattamy Homes and Our Country Homes build here. There’s a resident pool and playground, and The Bridges Golf Club is next door.
Gunter ISD
Established · HOA
An established Gunter neighborhood with its own clubhouse and a property owners’ board that meets monthly. Exterior changes like fences, sheds, pools and driveway extensions need architectural approval.
Established · In town
The streets around SH 289 and FM 121 that grew from the 1901 townsite. Expect city lots and mixed-age homes close to City Hall, with city services and Mustang SUD water.
Master-planned · Coming
Centurion American’s roughly 2,000-acre plan with 4,200 single-family homes, villas, commercial land and 223 acres of green space with amenity centers. It fronts the planned toll road west of Preston Road.
Master-planned · Coming
A 1,061-acre tract on the Grayson–Collin county line, east of the planned Tollway. It has a MUD, a development agreement with the city and a permit for onsite wastewater treatment.
Master-planned · Coming
About 491 acres with a city Public Improvement District. The city scheduled its assessment hearing for July 2026, a sign that infrastructure planning is moving forward.
Acreage · Outside city limits
Pasture and larger tracts on the county roads around Gunter. These carry no city tax, but county rules apply, and you’ll need to confirm water, septic, easements and ag valuation.
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 Gunter city limits and Gunter ISD, the 2025 adopted rates add up to about $2.16 per $100 of taxable value. Gunter ISD lowered its rate from $1.2552 in 2024 to $1.1872 in 2025, while the city’s rate rose from $0.493101 to $0.525650.
For 2026, the city proposed $0.565506 per $100, which equals its voter-approval rate. The city’s notice estimated the average homestead’s city tax rising from $2,798 to $3,133, and the vote was set for September 17, 2026. I check the final adopted rates on Grayson CAD for any home before you buy.
Schools
Gunter ISD is a small district. It had 1,154 students in 2026, up about 40% since 2016, across three campuses: Gunter Elementary (PK–4), Gunter Middle (5–8) and Gunter High (9–12). The mascot is the Tigers. The district covers about 66 square miles, mostly in Grayson County, with a small piece in Collin County.
The district earned an overall B in the 2026 state ratings. In 2024–25, Gunter High earned an A and Gunter Middle a C. Voters passed a $78 million bond in May 2022 that paid for a new elementary school, finished in 2025 with a storm-rated gym that doubles as a community shelter, plus land for a future high school. A Gunter mailing address doesn’t always mean Gunter ISD, so I confirm the district for every property.
Getting around
Gunter sits where SH 289 (Preston Road) meets FM 121. SH 289 runs north to Sherman and south to Celina, and FM 121 heads east to Van Alstyne and US-75. The Dallas Parkway already reaches Gunter’s west side.
Downtown Dallas
65 min≈ 50 mi
via SH 289 S & the Tollway
Legacy West (Plano)
40 min≈ 29 mi
via SH 289 S & the Tollway
The Star (Frisco)
35 min≈ 27 mi
via SH 289 S
Downtown McKinney
35 min≈ 27 mi
via FM 121 & US-75 S
Downtown Sherman
25 min≈ 18 mi
via SH 289 N
Van Alstyne
17 min≈ 11 mi
via FM 121 E
DFW Airport
65 min≈ 50 mi
via SH 289 S & the Tollway
Lake Texoma (Eisenhower SP)
40 min≈ 32 mi
via SH 289 N
Typical drive times without heavy traffic. Rush hour on US-75 and the Tollway can add 15–30 minutes.
Local favorites
Gunter is quiet, so most of the fun is golf, youth sports, local history and lake days a short drive away.
An 18-hole course on Fred Couples Drive with public tee times and memberships. There’s a driving range, pro shop, restaurant and bar, pools, tennis and pickleball courts, and a fitness center.
The city’s main park, where a large covered pavilion is planned with help from a $75,000 matching grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife.
The town’s library and local history museum, a good first stop to learn how Gunter grew from a 1901 railroad townsite.
A Grayson County historical marker in town on the site of Jot Gunter’s ranch. By the mid-1890s the ranch covered more than 70,000 acres, and the town was named for him.
Organized youth basketball, football and volleyball programs run locally, alongside Gunter Tigers school sports.
About 25 miles from Gunter, the closest of the three nearby parks and refuges the city lists. It’s an easy trip for a day on the water.
About 32 miles and 40 minutes north via SH 289, on the shore of Lake Texoma. It makes an easy Lake Texoma day trip from Gunter.
A national wildlife refuge on Lake Texoma, about 30 miles from Gunter. It’s a quiet place for a drive, a walk and some birdwatching.
Before you move
Here’s what I tell clients to set up or check first when they’re moving to Gunter.
FAQ
Quick answers to the questions I hear most from people moving to Gunter.
For buyers who want land, a golf-course home or new construction near the Tollway corridor, living in Gunter, TX is a good fit. It’s a small town of about 2,600 people with a lot of open land and big growth plans. The trade-offs are a commute of about an hour to Dallas, a city tax rate that’s rising, and MUD or PID costs in newer neighborhoods.
For tax year 2025, the in-city stack was about $2.16 per $100 of value: City of Gunter $0.525650, Gunter ISD $1.187200, Grayson County $0.305100 and Grayson College $0.145980. For 2026 the city proposed $0.565506. Homes in a MUD or PID pay more, and the school homestead exemption ($140,000) lowers the school portion.
Most of Gunter is in Gunter ISD, which has three campuses (Gunter Elementary, Gunter Middle and Gunter High) and about 1,154 students. The district earned a B overall in the 2026 state ratings. Some properties with a Gunter address can fall in a different district, so I confirm the district for every home.
Downtown Dallas is about 50 miles from Gunter, roughly 65 minutes without traffic. Legacy West in Plano is about 40 minutes, The Star in Frisco about 35, downtown McKinney about 35 and downtown Sherman about 25. Rush hour on the Tollway or US-75 can add 15 to 30 minutes.
Yes, in the newer communities. The city has PIDs for The Bridges (Phases 1B and 2A), Platinum Ranch, Taylor Ranch and The Preserve, and Elm Creek has a MUD. A PID is a yearly per-lot assessment. A MUD adds a rate, which was $0.60 to $1.00 per $100 for Grayson County MUDs in 2025.
Yes. The Census Bureau estimates 2,574 residents in 2025, up about 25% from 2,060 in 2020, and far bigger growth is planned. Platinum Ranch alone calls for 4,200 single-family homes, The Bridges plans about 1,000, and Elm Creek and Taylor Ranch add hundreds of acres more.
Gunter is named for Jot Gunter, whose ranch once topped 70,000 acres. The town was laid out on 328.5 acres of that land in 1901, when the railroad came through, and incorporated in 1914. Today it’s known for The Bridges Golf Club, Gunter Tigers athletics, open land and fast-growing new communities.
Yes. Acreage is one of the main reasons buyers look at Gunter, inside the 17.7-square-mile city and on the county roads around it. Before you buy, I check water service (Mustang SUD or a well), septic, floodplain, easements, deed restrictions and ag valuation.
Compare nearby towns
Collin CountyCelinaAbout 10 miles south on SH 289 — the fastest-growing U.S. city of 20,000-plus in 2025.Read the Celina guide 
Grayson CountyVan AlstyneAbout 17 minutes east on FM 121, with US-75 access and my home office.Read the Van Alstyne guide 
Grayson CountyShermanAbout 25 minutes north on SH 289 — county seat, home to TI and GlobalWafers.Read the Sherman guide 
Collin CountyProsperFarther down the Tollway corridor, about 17 minutes from Legacy West.Read the Prosper 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 Gunter that fit your budget.