Small town Winnie hosts the Texas Rice Festival each fall
Sixty miles east of downtown Houston and southwest of Beaumont is the town of Winnie, a small community of a little more than 3,000 people off Interstate 10. The population grows each year in the early Fall as Winnie is the site of the Texas Rice Festival. “Winnie and Chambers County, in general, are one of the top rice producers in Texas, and it’s a cause for celebration,” says Kevin King, a Realtor with RE/MAX with 12 years of experience. “My sons ride horses and competed in the competition leading up to the Rice Festival. The main event happens the first weekend in October.”
Housing mix includes older ranch-style homes and large-acre farms
Modestly sized cottages or Craftsman homes are standard along the streets on the west side of Winnie. The older houses go back to the 1940s, while a few were built in the past 20 years. Floor plans are closer to 1,500 square feet with two to three bedrooms. East of Gulfway Drive, the main north-south road in Winnie, spacious ranch-style homes with larger front yards are common. The home prices range from $225,000 to $350,000 for single-family homes on smaller lots. There are farms on multiple acres where the price will be closer to a million dollars. Sidewalks are rare in Winnie and when walking, residents walk along the sides of the road.
Winnie Stowell Park hosts the Rice Festival and has outdoor rec
The festival is held in Winnie Stowell Park, which is evident by the covered outdoor stage and livestock show facilities. Aside from being the host site for the Texas Rice Festival, there’s playground equipment in the attached Safari Park and a small splash pad where kids can cool off. Camping is available with a permit from the Chambers County Parks and Recreation Department.
Flooding from Hurricanes Imelda and Harvey prompted highway upgrades
Winnie was affected by flooding from Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019 and, to a lesser extent, Hurricane Harvey in 2017. “That area has fully recovered from the rains from those two storms,” King says. “The concrete barrier on the highway median on Interstate 10 between east and westbound traffic was not designed to allow water to get past it, and it acted as a dam.” The Texas Department of Transportation has since replaced the barrier with something more effective during flooding.
Groceries and breakfast favorites are close to home
Residents often start their day with a donut or croissant from Dannay’s Donuts. Or they get a kolache, a pastry that originated in Czechoslovakia. It’s circular, doughy and normally fruit-filled, but can be made with bacon, sausage, or egg. Residents shop for groceries at Market Basket Foods, which has a smokehouse where shoppers can pick up homemade sausage and boudin, a Cajun-spiced link.
B-rated East Chambers ISD serves local students
Kids can attend East Chambers Elementary, rated B-plus by Niche; B-minus-rated East Chambers Junior High and B-rated East Chambers High. All three are part of the East Chambers Independent School District, which has a student-to-teacher ratio of 14-to-1 and a B rating on Niche. High schoolers can participate in various academic clubs, including persuasive speaking and computer science.
Commuters trade suburban life for land and lower taxes
Distance doesn’t seem to matter, as Winnie also serves as a bedroom community for some. “Even though Houston is about an hour away, there are some people who live in Winnie and work in Houston,” King says. “This is not suburban living. People are attracted to Winnie because taxes are lower, there’s more of a small town feel and the opportunity to live on more land.”
![Jeff Stapleton]()
Written By
Jeff Stapleton
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Photography Contributed By
Brandon Fox
