2026 Van Alstyne community guide · Grayson County
Small-town Friday nights, an award-winning downtown and new neighborhoods on the US-75 corridor. Van Alstyne is home base for Ten Twenty Realty.
By Shayla Eadler, Broker & Owner (TREC #747934) · Updated
For sale now
From new homes in Mantua Point and Thompson Farms to one-acre country estates and farmhouses outside town, here are the latest Van Alstyne listings and the searches our buyers run most.
01Overview
For many buyers, yes. Van Alstyne combines a real small-town downtown and a highly rated high school (TEA A, 96, in 2025) with new neighborhoods, one-acre estate lots and quick US-75 access, about 23 minutes to McKinney and 15 minutes to the new Texas Instruments plant in Sherman. The trade-offs are a longer Dallas commute, MUD taxes in many new subdivisions and a school district racing to keep up with growth.
Van Alstyne grew up around a Houston & Texas Central Railway depot in 1873, when the railroad bypassed the older town of Mantua, and it was named for Maria Van Alstyne, widow of a major railroad stockholder. The city celebrated its 150th birthday in 2023 and adopted its first home-rule charter in 2022.
It is changing fast. The Census Bureau estimates Van Alstyne nearly doubled from 4,369 residents in 2020 to about 8,000 in July 2025, and dozens of neighborhoods are building at once, led by Mantua Point, a master plan of roughly 2,000 to 3,000 acres on the Anna line. The city has also invested more than $20 million downtown, including the award-winning Central Social District Park.
This is our home base. We live here, sell here and watch every new phase go in, so we can tell you which streets are in Van Alstyne ISD, which are in a MUD, and which builders are offering the best incentives right now.
Many new Van Alstyne-area subdivisions sit outside city limits in a Municipal Utility District, with MUD rates of about $0.60 to $1.00 per $100. That can add $3,000 to $4,000 a year on a $400,000 home, so compare total tax rates, not just prices.
02Honest take
What we tell our own clients before they make a move.
Pros
Cons
03Where to live
Van Alstyne neighborhoods range from master-planned new construction to one-acre country estates. These are the ones we show most often.
A large master plan on the Van Alstyne–Anna line with an amenity center, resort-style pool and splash pad, about 274 acres of lakes and creeks and roughly 25 miles of trails. Future school sites are planned.
Homes near Mantua PointHighland Homes on 50-foot lots, with plans of about 1,860 to 3,140 square feet.
Homes near Thompson FarmsA Cambridge Homes community near US-75 with homes of about 2,200 to 2,970 square feet.
Homes near Tinsley MeadowsRoughly one-acre homesites with trails, an athletic field, a pavilion and golf-cart-friendly streets.
Homes near Chapel Creek FarmsAbout one-acre country-estate lots with room for a shop, a garden and a big back porch.
Homes near Steeplechase EstatesHomes on the south side of town near Georgetown Village and Georgetown Heights, close to downtown and the schools.
Homes near Georgetown EstatesK. Hovnanian homes on the edge of town, with new homes completed in 2026.
Homes near Lincoln PointeEntry-level new construction on 40-foot homesites.
Homes near OaklawnRolling Ridge (K. Hovnanian, from about $320K) and River Ranch (Pacesetter Homes) are also building, and Centurion American has planned a 2,200-home community, Highpoint Village, along Mantua Parkway. Ask us which phases are selling now.
| Community | Builders | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Mantua Point | Highland, David Weekley, Perry, DRB | 40- to 75-ft lots; from about $360K; Van Alstyne ISD |
| Thompson Farms | Highland Homes | 50-ft lots; from about $400K |
| Tinsley Meadows | Cambridge Homes | About $395K–$475K |
| Oaklawn | M/I Homes, First Texas Homes | 40-ft lots; from about $286K |
| Rolling Ridge & Lincoln Pointe | K. Hovnanian | From about $320K |
Builders and incentives change often. Bring us to your first model-home visit and we’ll represent you, not the builder. How we help new-build buyers →
04Market
Zillow’s typical Van Alstyne home value was about $421,800 in September 2026, down about 3% from a year earlier. In ZIP 75495, Realtor.com counted 169 active listings (up 36% year over year) at a median list price of about $517,500 and a median of 74 days on market, with about 30% of listings showing a price cut. List prices run higher than typical values because so many listings are new construction and acreage homes.
With so much new construction, buyers have choices and leverage: builder incentives, rate buy-downs and room to negotiate on resales. Sellers do best when they price against the new-build competition in their ISD and tax district.
Live from the NTREIS MLS for homes in Van Alstyne (houses, townhomes and condos). Sold figures cover the last 60 days.
Monthly Van Alstyne market report with trends Compare Van Alstyne with nearby towns
Thinking of selling in Van Alstyne?
Get a free, local Comparative Market Analysis — not an automated guess.
05Budget
Inside city limits and outside a MUD, Van Alstyne’s 2025 combined rate is about $2.18 per $100: the city ($0.553713, unchanged since 2023), Van Alstyne ISD ($1.1748), Grayson County and Grayson College. For 2026 the city is keeping its rate, and the school board adopted a slightly lower $1.1687.
Many new subdivisions are in the extraterritorial jurisdiction and inside a MUD. Grayson County MUDs around Van Alstyne levy about $0.60 to $1.00 per $100, so a home in a $1.00 MUD can total roughly $2.6 to $3.2 per $100, depending on whether city tax also applies.
| Taxing unit | Rate per $100 of value |
|---|---|
| City of Van Alstyne (2025) | $0.553713 |
| Van Alstyne ISD (2025) | $1.174800 |
| Grayson County (2025) | $0.305100 |
| Grayson College (2025) | $0.145980 |
| Typical total (in city, no MUD) | ≈ $2.18 |
| MUD, if applicable | + $0.60 to $1.00 |
At about 2.18% before exemptions, a $420,000 home in city limits would owe roughly $9,150 a year. The $140,000 school homestead exemption lowers that noticeably.
MUD rates usually fall as a district pays down its bonds, but not always. We pull the MUD’s rate history and debt before you buy.
| Service | Provider |
|---|---|
| Electricity | Oncor (choose a retail provider) or Grayson-Collin Electric Co-op, depending on the address |
| Water & sewer | City of Van Alstyne (North Texas Municipal Water District supply via GTUA); MUDs in some subdivisions |
| Trash | Community Waste Disposal |
Tax rates are the adopted 2025 rates and change every year. Verify any address with the Grayson Central Appraisal District before you buy. Estimate your payment →
06Education
Van Alstyne ISD covers about 63 square miles, mostly in southern Grayson County, and enrolled about 2,860 students in 2025–26. TEA rated the district B (89) in 2025, with Van Alstyne High School, on a new campus opened in 2024, earning an A (96). Charles & Beth Williams Elementary opened in 2026.
Growth is running about 10% a year, and voters rejected a $550 million bond in November 2025, so the district is planning its next steps for new campuses.
| School district | What to know |
|---|---|
| Van Alstyne ISD | Most of the area; B (89) district, A (96) high school, A (92) junior high in 2025. |
| Anna ISD | Some addresses on the Anna side of town. Confirm by address. |
School boundaries change as districts grow. We confirm the assigned campuses for every home before you make an offer.
07Location
Van Alstyne sits on US-75 (exits 50 and 51), with SH-5 through town and FM-121 running east to west. Anna is just south and Howe just north. There is no DART service; the Texoma Area Paratransit System offers demand-response rides.
| Destination | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Instruments, Sherman | ~13 mi | 15–20 min |
| Downtown Sherman | ~17 mi | About 21 min |
| Downtown McKinney | ~17 mi | About 23 min |
| Legacy West, Plano | ~32 mi | 38 min off-peak |
| Downtown Dallas | ~49 mi | About 1 hr; longer at rush hour |
| DFW Airport | ~53 mi | About 1 hr |
Drive times are typical off-peak estimates. Allow more time at rush hour.
08Lifestyle
An award-winning downtown park and the heart of community events.
Laid out along the railroad in 1873 and now being redeveloped with wider, accessible sidewalks.
A downtown Christmas parade, a Christmas market on Marshall and a tree lighting in the park.
Friday-night lights, plus leagues run through the Van Alstyne Sports Authority.
Boating, fishing and birding about 40 minutes north.
Dining, shopping and festivals on the historic square about 23 minutes south.
09Everyday life
Van Alstyne sits between two of the strongest job markets in North Texas: McKinney and the Collin County corridor to the south, and Sherman’s semiconductor plants to the north. The city is also adding employers of its own.
10Quick answers
Van Alstyne is a fast-growing small town on US-75 with a historic downtown, a highly rated high school (TEA A, 96, in 2025) and quick access to McKinney and the new semiconductor jobs in Sherman. The trade-offs are a longer Dallas commute and MUD taxes in many new subdivisions.
Grayson County. City limits reach slightly into Collin County, but Census estimates place essentially all residents on the Grayson side.
About 49 miles to downtown Dallas, roughly an hour without traffic and longer at rush hour. McKinney is about 17 miles (about 23 minutes).
Van Alstyne ISD, with about 2,860 students in 2025–26. It earned a B (89) district rating in 2025, and the high school earned an A (96). Some addresses on the Anna side are in Anna ISD, so we always verify the address.
About $2.18 per $100 inside city limits for 2025 (city $0.553713, Van Alstyne ISD $1.1748, Grayson County $0.3051, Grayson College $0.14598). Homes in a MUD can pay up to about $1.00 more.
Yes. Its population rose from about 4,400 to about 8,000 between 2020 and 2025, and master-planned communities such as Mantua Point are adding thousands of homes.
Zillow’s typical home value was about $422,000 in September 2026, down about 3% from a year earlier. New construction starts around the $300s, while acreage homes can top $700,000.
About 13 miles, roughly 15 to 20 minutes up US-75.
Oncor (where you choose a retail provider) or Grayson-Collin Electric Co-op, depending on the address. The city handles water and sewer.
Crime statistics are published by the Van Alstyne Police Department. We encourage every buyer to review the data for the specific area they are considering and to visit at different times of day. As agents, we share data sources rather than opinions about which neighborhoods are “safe.”
About this guide. Written by Shayla Eadler, Licensed Broker & Owner of Ten Twenty Realty (TREC #0747934), and reviewed October 2026. Facts come from public sources, including: U.S. Census Bureau (Vintage 2025), Grayson CAD 2025 rates, Van Alstyne EDC, Van Alstyne ISD, TEA 2025 ratings, Zillow home value index.
Your Van Alstyne expert
Van Alstyne is Shayla’s home base. She lives, works and sells here, and knows every new phase, MUD and school zone in town.
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