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Stephenville, TX is a small Cross Timbers town about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth, and Tarleton State University gives it a steady student pulse the second classes start. The city built itself around a historic courthouse square, where murals, live music nights, and seasonal festivals keep downtown busy after dark. Tarleton students fan out into the residential streets ringing campus, so most of town sits a short hop from class. For green space, the Bosque River Trail links City Park to the square along a wooded ribbon of river, and the 112-acre City Park stacks ball fields, an amphitheater, and a skate park. Stephenville leans hard into its Cowboy Capital identity, with rodeo culture and a music scene that punches above the town's size.
Most Tarleton students cluster here, where you can roll out of bed and walk to class.
The blocks just west of campus hold the bulk of the larger student complexes and stay walkable to the academic core.
Older houses and apartments with quick access to live music and seasonal festivals.
Here's what you need to know about getting around Stephenville.
Stephenville is a walk-and-drive town, not a transit one, so there's no city bus network to lean on. Most students keep a car for grocery runs, jobs, and trips toward Fort Worth. With no public transit, plan on driving or biking for daily trips. Treat the lack of a bus system as a given when choosing housing.
Tarleton sits surrounded by residential streets, so if you land within a few blocks of campus you can handle class, the square, and the Bosque River Trail entirely on foot. Biking works well in the flat campus core, and the river trail doubles as a car-free route between City Park and downtown. The flat terrain makes pedaling easy close in. Students near campus can cover daily life on foot.
Most students keep a car for grocery runs, jobs, and trips toward Fort Worth, which is roughly 70 miles northeast. Parking near campus fills up fast on weekday mornings, so plan your commute and give yourself a buffer. If you live on the edge of town, a car isn't optional, it's the whole plan. Budget for parking close to campus.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
Off-campus rentals near Tarleton commonly run about $400-$800 a month for a room in a shared place, while a full apartment averages closer to $1,200-$1,500. Living a bit further from campus usually shaves 15-25% off what you'd pay right next to Tarleton, so roommates and a short drive go a long way.
Browse student housing near each Stephenville-area university.