The quiet East Texas town of Wills Point
The quiet country town of Wills Point, about 50 miles east of Dallas, has a population of about 4,000 residents who enjoy farming, gardening and the simple pleasures of country life. "Most people here like to be quiet – that's kind of the draw of living in the country," says lifelong Wills Point resident and Realtor Kim Bigley with Premier Legacy Real Estate. "They like to go fishing and horseback riding and go to football games and church. We definitely live in the Bible Belt. People like the high school sports, the band, the FFA and the small country feel."
Neighborhood and acreage homes
Homes here are available in a variety of settings, ranging from established neighborhoods to large, rural lots. Ranch-style, New Traditional and bungalows are most common. Prices vary greatly: homes on small lots in neighborhoods typically sell for $100,000 to $300,000, while acreage properties usually go for $300,000 to $700,000. Bigley says many people move to the area to farm, raise gardens or ranch cattle. Residential streets here typically lack sidewalks and curbs.
FFA and CTE in Wills Point ISD
Wills Point Independent School District earns a C-plus from Niche. Wills Point Primary School receives a B-minus, Woods Intermediate School gets a C-plus, Wills Point Middle School gets a C, Wills Point Junior High School receives a C-plus, and Wills Point High School gets a B-minus. Bigley says that the community supports the high school's sports teams and band and that the school's FFA – Future Farmers of America – program is a big deal. "My grandson shows pigs," she says. "They actually have a barn at the school to hold your animals, so you go by the barn twice a day and clean out the stalls and feed your pig, and you clean your pig on weekends." Career and technical education programs in Wills Point ISD include health science, human services, transportation and more.
Lake Tawakoni State Park and the town's original settlement
Lake Tawakoni State Park sits along the nearly 40,000-acre Lake Tawakoni with over 375 acres of forest and over 5 miles of shorefront. Boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, biking, camping and birding are all popular activities here. In town, Lester Park has baseball and soccer fields and a playground, and Bruce Park is home to Wills Cabin, the original home of the first settler in Wills Point. "The Wills Cabin is the halfway point between Dallas and Shreveport," Bigley says. "Back in the horse-and-buggy days, it was a stopping point."
Mexican restaurants, fast food and groceries
Roth's Seafood & Steakhouse is a local restaurant serving its namesake dishes alongside a menu of Mexican-inspired cuisine. Luna’s Tamales is a family-owned shop serving Mexican dishes like tamales and menudo on a small patio and through a drive-through. Bluebird Café is a charming family restaurant serving American and Mexican fare. Fast-food options in town include McDonald’s, Sonic Drive-In and Dairy Queen. Groceries are available in town at Brookshire’s.
The annual Bluebird Jamboree
Each April, the community celebrates its legacy as the "Bluebird Capital of Texas" with the Bluebird Jamboree, complete with live music, local craft and food vendors, a car show and a play zone for kids. The town earned this title in 1995 after a bird count showed that Wills Point had more bluebirds than any Texas town for 11 years in a row.
Getting to Dallas, airports and the hospital
Wills Point is located along U.S. Route 80 about 50 miles east of Dallas. Its nearest medical center, Van Zandt Regional Hospital, is less than 20 miles east. When traveling out of town, residents can fly out of Dallas Love Field, about 60 miles away, or Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, about 70 miles away.
