Ennis Apartment Locator: Older Gardens and Houses on I-45
As your Ennis apartment locator, we check the prices here every week. Ennis sits on I-45 in Ellis County, about 35 miles south of Downtown Dallas, with no DART service. Most rentals are older garden apartments, duplexes and houses from individual owners, so a flat utility fee on top of the rent is common. The I-45 drive north runs close to 47 minutes at 8am.
- Places with homes available
- 1
- With a special
- 0%
- Our help costs you
- $0
After free rent, before fees. Checked . See this week's deals
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Costs you nothing
Your list and our help are free
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No credit pull
We never touch your screening report
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We reply during our hours
Mon to Fri, 9:00am to 6:00pm. Your budget and move date are all we need.
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TREC #562021
Spirit Real Estate Group
Ennis apartments by size this week
We checked 1 place in and near Ennis on November 6, 2026. Prices count any firm free rent, spread over the lease, and are before fees. Pick your size to see the best deals.
This week in Ennis
We didn't find enough available apartments in and near Ennis this week to give you solid numbers. Send us your dates, and we'll look up what's open for you.
Find your best deal in Ennis
Pick what you want. We compare each deal with buildings like it here: same size, about the same age.
Nothing here matches all of that this week. Tell us what you want and we'll look for buildings that fit.
Why our prices are lower than what the community quotes
When a community gives free rent, we spread it over the whole lease and show what you pay a month on average. The community quotes the full rent, and many take the free rent off your first months. You pay the same total either way. Our way lets you compare one deal with another. Fees and the deposit are extra.
See all the numbers: prices by size, newer vs. older, week by week
Prices by size
"Middle half" is the range half the places here start in. A price under it beats about 3 in 4 places.
| Size | Typical | Cheapest | Middle half | Per sq ft | Since November 1 | Places open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bed | n/a | $1,070 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 |
| 2 bed | n/a | $1,375 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 |
| 3 bed | n/a | $1,630 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 |
Newer vs. older buildings
Newer means built or redone since 2015. Middle means mostly 1995 to 2014. Older means built before 1995. Prices are for a 1 bedroom. How we sort them
| Buildings | Typical 1 bed | With a special | Usual weeks free | Per sq ft | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle (Class B) | n/a | 0% | n/a | $1.46 | 1 |
Each place's price is its lowest listed available apartment of that size, after any firm free rent and before fees. We leave out income restricted, tax credit, 55+ and student housing. Prices can change any day, so get the final price in writing from the building before you apply.
Areas we cover inside Ennis
Historic Downtown EnnisThe old brick downtown around Ennis Avenue and Main Street grew up as a railroad town, and the Railroad and Cultural Heritage Museum sits there.
Rentals close by are older houses, with a handful of apartments over or behind the shops.
North EnnisNorth of downtown toward I-45's northern exits, the streets are older neighborhoods with some newer houses at the edges.
Rentals are mostly houses, and I-45 is the drive toward Dallas.
South EnnisThe south side runs toward the outskirts and farmland on the way to Lake Bardwell.
Leases are mostly older houses on larger lots, with a few small apartment complexes closer to town.
East EnnisEast of the rail line, the neighborhoods are older blocks of frame houses with some duplexes mixed in.
It's close to downtown and Ennis Avenue, and the railroad brings train noise at all hours.
West EnnisWest Ennis sits along I-45 and the frontage roads, where most of the town's garden apartments and highway retail are.
It's the quickest spot for the interstate north to Dallas or south to Corsicana.
Highway 34 CorridorState Highway 34 crosses Ennis east to west, connecting to Kaufman one way and Italy the other.
Shopping, gas stations and a few apartment complexes line it, with steady traffic through the day.
Lake Bardwell VicinityLake Bardwell, an Army Corps of Engineers reservoir, sits southwest of town with parks, boat ramps and campgrounds.
Rentals out here are scattered houses on rural roads, and town is a short drive back up SH-34.
Photos: Historic Downtown Ennis: Renelibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Lake Bardwell Vicinity: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.
Ennis Apartments Where Some Landlords Take a Lower Score With a Bigger Deposit
- Flat utility fees at the older complexes, to add to the rent before you compare
- Landlords who have said yes to lower scores, often for a bigger deposit, on your list
- Houses and duplexes listed next to the apartments, since they're a big share of what rents here
- A heads up on spring and fall event weekends that jam I-45, US-287 and downtown
I-45 Commute and Getting Around Ennis
I-45 is the road north to Dallas, roughly 35 miles to Downtown, and northbound rush hour stretches it to about 47 minutes at 8am by our drive times. US-287 heads northwest toward Waxahachie and Midlothian and southeast toward Corsicana, and TX-34 runs northeast toward Kaufman. Ennis isn't in DART and no train reaches it, so you'll need a car for everything.
A few weekends a year bring their own traffic. Bluebonnet season in April fills the local roads around the trails. The National Polka Festival packs downtown on Memorial Day weekend. Drag races at Texas Motorplex back up US-287 near the track, most of all during the fall nationals in October.
Freight trains run through town at all hours, so check how close the tracks are before you sign.
Rentals in Ennis: Apartments, Houses, and Screening
Most rentals are older garden apartments spread across town, with a few modest buildings in the middle price range and a good number of houses and duplexes from individual owners. Newer communities run by big companies are rare, so expect low rents and older buildings.
Those middle priced buildings are more likely to have washer and dryer hookups and updated kitchens. Most older complexes haven't been updated, so compare unit by unit.
Older buildings often run on a shared meter and add a flat fee for electricity, water or both. At these rents, that fee makes a real difference. What about screening? It's often flexible here. Many landlords will take a credit issue with a bigger deposit, but income still has to qualify.
Small town life in Ennis
Ennis is an old railroad town on I-45 with a brick downtown, a prairie preserve and two big yearly events. Daily life is quiet, and the drive to Dallas is long.
Ennis by car
Ennis has no train or bus to Dallas, so plan on driving. We time the 8am drive at about 47 minutes to Downtown Dallas, 56 to the Medical District, 66 to DFW Airport and 71 to Legacy West. Errands are short: the big grocery and the supercenter sit on Ennis Avenue, between I-45 and downtown.
Interstate 45
The road north to Dallas; leave before 7am to stay ahead of the worst of it.
- Commuting north
- Trips to Houston
Prairie walks and a small lake
Kachina Prairie is a protected stretch of native prairie on the northeast side of Lake Clark Park, off West Baldridge Street. A short dirt trail loops through it. Lake Clark Park has fishing, picnic tables and a walk along the water. Veterans Memorial Park on Ennis Parkway has soccer fields and a summer Freedom Fest.
Lake Clark Park
A quiet lake walk or an hour of fishing on an evening after work.
- Evening fishing
- Lakeside picnics
- Short walks
Kachina Prairie
Walk the short dirt loop in April when the wildflowers peak; go early before the heat.
- Wildflower walks
- Bird watching
Groceries in Ennis
H-E-B has run its downtown Ennis store for decades and plans a larger store in town. The Walmart Supercenter on East Ennis Avenue near I-45 covers the rest of the weekly run.
Historic Downtown Ennis
The old brick blocks near the H-E-B; walk them on a weekday for the small shops.
- Small shops
- Downtown errands
Polka, bluebonnets and drag racing
The National Polka Festival takes over downtown every Memorial Day weekend, with polka bands all weekend and a country concert on Saturday night. In April, Kachina Prairie hosts wildflower walks during the Ennis Bluebonnet Festival. Each October, the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals run at Texas Motorplex on US-287.
Texas Motorplex
The drag strip draws its biggest crowds for the October Fall Nationals; buy tickets ahead.
- Drag racing
- Race weekends
Sokol Hall Ennis
The hall hosts the festival's ticketed Saturday night concert on Memorial Day weekend; buy ahead.
- Polka festival
- Saturday concerts
Ennis questions
What's the I-45 drive to Dallas like from Ennis?
About 35 miles up I-45, close to 47 minutes at 8am by our timing. Event weekends at Texas Motorplex add traffic on US-287 on top of that.
Do Ennis apartments include utilities?
At many older complexes, a set monthly charge for power, water or both comes on top of the rent. Find out what each one includes before you compare rents. This week the lowest open one bedroom we found in and near Ennis was $1,070 after free rent.
Is Ennis a good place to rent with a credit issue?
Often, yes. Many older complexes and individual owners here are open to a credit issue if you pay a larger deposit. Our credit guide explains what to bring.
What brings crowds to Ennis?
Bluebonnet season in April, the National Polka Festival on Memorial Day weekend and the drag races at Texas Motorplex, especially the October nationals. Plan weekend drives around them.
Is there an apartment locator near Ennis?
Yes. We cover Ennis and the nearby Ellis County towns, from the older complexes along I-45 to the houses and duplexes in town. Ask each one about utility fees before you compare rents.
Looking in Ennis?
Low rent and a flexible landlord are what Ennis does best. Tell us your budget and move date to see what's open, and read flexible screening, flat utility fees and area rents.
Free to renters · No credit pull · Brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC #562021