Farmers Branch sits in northwest Dallas County where I-35E and LBJ Freeway meet. Downtown Dallas is roughly 13 miles south of City Hall, or about 20 minutes with light traffic, and DFW Airport’s terminals are roughly 15 miles west, also about 20 minutes off-peak. Love Field is closer, about 9 miles away.

Rush hour on I-35E and LBJ can stretch those times considerably. If you’d rather skip the drive, DART’s Green Line runs from Farmers Branch Station to downtown’s West End Station in about 30 minutes.

These drive times are planning estimates that weren’t confirmed with a mapping tool, so test the commute at the hours you’d actually travel.

Yes. Farmers Branch Station, at 12800 Denton Dr., opened on DART’s Green Line on December 6, 2010. Based on DART’s published timetable, southbound trains reach Inwood/Love Field in about 19 minutes, Victory Station by the American Airlines Center in about 26 and West End in downtown Dallas in about 30.

The station has a park-and-ride lot and connects with DART buses and an on-demand GoLink zone. For Love Field, transfer at Inwood/Love Field to the shuttle bus to the terminal. The Silver Line, opened in 2025, doesn’t stop in Farmers Branch; the nearest transfer is Downtown Carrollton, one Green Line stop north.

Check current schedules and fares on dart.org or the GoPass app.

Settlers who arrived in the early 1840s called the creek Mustang Branch, likely for wild mustang grapes or horses. According to the Handbook of Texas, early settler William Cochran later renamed it Farmers Branch for the area’s rich farmland.

The community became the first headquarters of the Peters Colony land company in 1845, which advertised it across the United States and Europe. A post office under the Farmers Branch name opened on January 5, 1848, and the railroad arrived in 1878.

Residents incorporated as a city in 1946 to avoid annexation by Dallas. Farmers Branch Historical Park, at 2540 Farmers Branch Ln., preserves much of that history, including the 1857 Gilbert House.

The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Farmers Branch at 38,320 residents, up from 35,991 at the 2020 Census, a gain of roughly 6.5 percent in five years helped by new housing such as Mercer Crossing.

The city covers about 12 square miles. Its population grew from 915 in 1950 to more than 27,000 by 1970 as postwar subdivisions spread across former farmland, and it held in the mid-20,000s for several decades before the latest growth.

Because Farmers Branch is a major office and industrial location along I-35E and LBJ Freeway, the number of people working in the city on a weekday is much larger than its resident count. For the latest figures, see the Census Bureau’s QuickFacts page.

A 2026 bill combines several taxing units, per $100 of value: the City of Farmers Branch at $0.5435; Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD at $0.9481 or Dallas ISD at $0.985735, depending on the address; Dallas County at $0.24865 if voters approve it on November 3, 2026, or $0.22465 if not; Parkland Hospital at $0.212; and Dallas College at $0.106575.

That adds up to about $2.06 in CFBISD or $2.10 in Dallas ISD before exemptions. Some west-side parcels also pay the Valwood Improvement Authority’s $0.04.

With homestead exemptions, a $390,000 home pays about $5,836 a year in CFBISD or $5,545 in Dallas ISD. Check your parcel’s taxing units at dallascad.org.

On city taxes, Farmers Branch offers a 20 percent homestead exemption, so a qualifying owner pays city tax on 80 percent of the appraised value. Owners 65 or older, or disabled, get an additional $100,000 exemption from city taxes. Whether the city also offers a senior tax ceiling wasn’t confirmed.

Other units have their own exemptions. School districts give the state’s $140,000 homestead exemption, plus $60,000 for seniors and disabled owners with a school tax ceiling, and Dallas ISD adds a 10 percent local exemption. Dallas County and Parkland also offer 20 percent homestead exemptions.

Apply through the Dallas Central Appraisal District after you move in. The homestead cap also limits increases in your taxable value to 10 percent a year.

It depends on the exact parcel. Most of the city is in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, which received a B (81) in TEA’s 2026 ratings, while several thousand parcels, many on the east side in the 75244 ZIP code, are in Dallas ISD, which received a B (85).

Two homes a short walk apart can be in different districts, and the districts tax and exempt homes differently: on a $390,000 homestead, the school share is about $2,370 in CFBISD and about $2,080 in Dallas ISD.

To check, look up the property at dallascad.org, where its taxing units list the school district, then confirm the campus with the district’s enrollment center or attendance-zone map.

The Valwood Improvement Authority is a flood-control and levee district along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River covering parts of west Farmers Branch and Carrollton. Dallas County created it in December 1974 as a levee improvement district, and it took its current name in 1989.

Its levees, channels and pump stations protect about 2,200 acres of land that could then be developed, including much of today’s west side. After paying off its bonds in March 2025, it lowered its rate to about $0.04 per $100.

Properties inside the district pay this tax on top of city, county and school taxes, with no homestead exemption. On a $390,000 home that’s about $156 a year. Check whether a parcel is in the district on its DCAD record.

Since 2009, the city’s Demo/Rebuild program has encouraged owners and builders to tear down an older single-family home and build a new one on the same lot. Incentives have included cash grants and multi-year rebates of the city property tax on the added value.

The city has adjusted the terms several times. In 2024 and 2025 the council discussed simplifying the program, including shifting toward city tax rebates; pre-approval is required before demolition, and the new home must be finished on a set timeline.

The program has drawn more than 140 applications and added tens of millions of dollars in property value. Before you buy a teardown, confirm the current terms with the city’s Economic Development office at 972-919-2509.

The City of Farmers Branch runs its own water and sewer utility, buying treated water from Dallas Water Utilities, and bills trash service on the same city utility bill.

To start service, use the “Establishing / Disconnecting a Service” section of the Utility Billing pages on farmersbranchtx.gov or call Utility Billing at 972-919-2525. Expect to provide identification and proof of occupancy, such as a deed or lease, and confirm whether a deposit applies.

Trash and recycling carts come from the city’s contractor, Community Waste Disposal; if the home doesn’t have carts, request them through the city’s Trash & Recycling page. Once the account is open, you can pay online, by bank draft, by mail or in person.

Community Waste Disposal, the city’s contractor, collects residential trash twice a week and recycling once a week, on both sides of I-35E. Pickup days depend on your area, so check the collection map on the city’s Trash & Recycling page.

Carts must be at the curb by 7 a.m., with trash in the grey 95-gallon cart. Bulky items are collected once a month on your recycling day during the first full week of the month, and the city’s Green Grabber picks up brush and yard waste weekly.

Holidays can shift the schedule. The city’s “Where Does It Go” tool covers household hazardous items and other special pickups.

Farmers Branch is in Texas’s competitive electricity market. Oncor owns the lines and handles outages, while you choose a retail electric provider and plan; compare offers on the state’s Power to Choose website.

Natural gas comes from Atmos Energy; contact Atmos directly to start or transfer service. Water, sewer and trash are billed separately by the City of Farmers Branch on one monthly utility bill.

Internet options, including fiber, vary by street, so check the exact address on the FCC National Broadband Map or with providers before you move.

Mercer Crossing is a 370-acre master-planned community on the west side of Farmers Branch, near LBJ Freeway and Luna Rd., developed by Centurion American after it bought the land in 2015. It broke ground in March 2017 as a planned $1 billion project.

Plans call for about 975 home sites, roughly 282 townhomes and 693 single-family homes, plus about 1,700 apartments and independent-living units, office space, trails and a lake. First Texas Homes’ The Abbey lists townhomes and villas from about $565,000, with HOA dues near $3,962 a year.

The area lies within the Valwood Improvement Authority’s levee district, so homes there typically pay that tax too. Build-out is ongoing.

Mercer Boardwalk is a lakeside dining and entertainment district at 1980 LBJ Fwy., at I-635 and Luna Rd., beside Mercer Crossing. Construction began in 2021, and it was planned for eight or more restaurants with patios and lakeside paths.

Its website lists Bugatti Ristorante, Sophia’s Cocina y Cantina and La Isla, and a large dinner and cocktail club called Copa Club was announced in 2026. Tenants change, so check the boardwalk’s site before you go.

On the city’s other side, the Station Area by the DART station has chef-driven restaurants including Roots Southern Table and Radici. Our Farmers Branch Eat & Shop guide lists both areas.

Farmers Branch Historical Park, at 2540 Farmers Branch Ln., is a 27-acre city park and outdoor history museum. The city established it in 1981 and opened it in 1986. It holds 13 historic structures along Farmers Branch Creek.

Highlights include the Gilbert House, built about 1857 and called the oldest rock structure in Dallas County still on its original foundation, plus a late-1870s railroad depot, log buildings, a one-room school, an 1885 Queen Anne cottage and the Dodson House, home of the city’s first mayor.

Admission to the grounds is free. The park also hosts the city’s July 3 celebration, Gateway to the Globe and Fall Fest. Call 972-406-0184 for hours and tours.

The city’s Independence Day Celebration is held the evening of July 3 at the Historical Park, with fireworks; in 2026 it ran 6:30 to 10 p.m., free for residents. Gateway to the Globe, a free multicultural festival, has been held each March since 2024.

In October, Fall Fest & Spooky Dash carries on the city’s long-running Halloween in the Park tradition; the 2026 festival on October 10 included a fun run and a free festival. The city also holds an annual Veterans Day Celebration.

Late November through December brings Christmas in the Branch, with a tree lighting, a Christmas Carnival and visits with Santa. Our Farmers Branch events guide has dates and details.

No. Farmers Branch had called a May 2, 2026 election on leaving Dallas Area Rapid Transit, but on February 24, 2026, the City Council voted 4 to 1 to cancel it, so the city remains a DART member.

The vote followed a February 20 agreement in which DART’s board agreed to return $42.5 million in sales tax revenue to its 13 member cities starting in fiscal 2026 and to give every member city a seat on the board. The Dallas Morning News reported that Farmers Branch stands to receive nearly $11.7 million over six years.

Under state law, a city can hold a DART withdrawal election only once every six years.

Dallas County Proposition A asks voters to approve a county property tax rate of $0.24865 per $100, about 2.4 cents above the voter-approval rate of $0.22465. The county adopted the higher rate in August 2026, which triggered the election.

The county says the extra revenue, about $102.9 million, would fund homelessness reduction, mental health treatment and housing stability programs. If Proposition A fails, the rate becomes $0.22465, which is still above 2025’s $0.2155.

For a Farmers Branch homestead worth $390,000, the difference between the two rates is about $75 a year. Early voting ran October 19 to 30; check dallascountyvotes.org for results and polling places.

The city is paying for a multiyear water and sewer capital plan with cash instead of debt. Rates rose 15 percent in November 2025, when the residential sewer cap, which had stopped sewer charges at 10,000 gallons, also ended, so all monthly water use now counts toward the sewer bill.

Another 12 percent increase takes effect November 1, 2026, and the city’s plan programs another 12 percent the following year and two 5 percent steps after that. In October 2026 the council was discussing whether to restore a wastewater cap; nothing had been decided.

Check the current rate table on the city’s Utility Billing page, and budget for higher bills in future years.

Farmers Branch calls itself the “City in a Park.” Highlights include the 104-acre John F. Burke Nature Preserve along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, the 27-acre Historical Park, the Barney Wood Bark Park with separate areas for large and small dogs and a splash pad, and the glow-in-the-dark JOYA playground at Oran Good Park.

Indoors, the city has a community recreation center, the Margaret Young Natatorium, an outdoor water park, a senior center and Manske Library at 13613 Webb Chapel Rd.

The Rose Garden at Gussie Field Watterworth Park hosts community events. Check the city’s Parks & Recreation pages for addresses, hours and membership fees.