Chickasaw County seat with Flywheel heritage
Houston is one of two county seats in Chickasaw County, anchoring the western half of the hill-country region of northeast Mississippi. Although its population has slipped recently, the town keeps its past front and center with the twice-a-year Flywheel Festival, where antique engines, tractors and craft booths celebrate the community’s agricultural and mechanical roots. Today Houston’s economy still leans on poultry farming, row-crop agriculture and small manufacturing plants, supplemented by healthcare and education jobs that serve the surrounding rural area. “Outside of annual festivals there really isn’t too much going on here, so neighbors really lean on each other for entertainment,” says local agent Blake Trehern with Elite Realty.
Midcentury ranch-style homes and acreage options
This community is dominated by older ranch-style homes and Craftsman bungalows. Most sit on unfenced lots along roads with few sidewalks, underscoring the area’s rural character. The median sale price is about $132,000, but acreage drives values higher. Properties with up to 5 acres often list for $450,000 to $500,000. A handful of contemporary designs rounds out the mix, though older ranch-style houses remain the market’s mainstay.
Houston schools earn above-average grades
Local kids can start school at Houston Lower Elementary and Houston Upper Elementary, which earns an overall B-plus from Niche. Houston Middle earns a B-plus, and the B-rated Houston High offers a three-course sequence culminating in a Dual Enrollment Criminal Justice course with the University of Memphis.
Flywheel Festival and Tanglefoot Trail for family fun
Joe Brigance Memorial Park features a small playground and baseball field. Twice a year, the park doubles as the venue for the Flywheel Festival, known for its antique tractors, live music, fair food and family games. Right next door, the Chickasaw County Heritage Museum preserves stories of the region’s railroad, timber and Native history. For longer outings, the 43-mile Tanglefoot Trail starts on nearby Church Street, giving walkers and cyclists a scenic route through the hardwood hills.
Jackson Street anchors dining and retail
Most of Houston’s commerce clusters along Jackson Street, where fast-casual dining options include Sonic, Subway and KFC. Gather Coffee and Brew is the local go-to for specialty drinks and pastries, and Factory Connection stocks budget-friendly clothes. Folks have the option to grab groceries at Grocer’s Pride Supermarket, Save A Lot and a Walmart Supercenter. For more options, many people make the roughly 40-mile drive into downtown Tupelo for everything from department stores and coffee shops to hardware stores, bars and restaurants. The downtown food scene centers around small, locally owned restaurants. Visitors browse the historic Tupelo Hardware Co. for a bit of local history, then grab a bite and catch some live music at Blue Canoe.
Highways 8 and 15 connect to Tupelo and Starkville
Houston sits at the crossroads of Mississippi highways 8 and 15, putting downtown Tupelo about 40 miles east and Starkville about 40 miles south. There is no fixed-route public transit, so most travel is by personal vehicle, though the Natchez Trace Parkway provides a scenic alternative for regional drives and cycling. The closest hospital to is North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. The closest airport is Tupelo Regional Airport, but for international flights, folks will have to travel about 115 miles to the Memphis International Airport.
