White Oak, Texas

White Oak, Texas
City
White Oak Municipal Building
Motto:  "Pride, Tradition"
Location of White Oak, Texas
Coordinates: 32°31′30″N94°51′50″W / 32.52500°N 94.86389°W / 32.52500; -94.86389
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Gregg
Area [1]
• Total	9.14 sq mi (23.67 km2)
• Land	9.09 sq mi (23.54 km2)
• Water	0.050 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation [2]	358 ft (109 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,225
• Density	695.5/sq mi (268.54/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	75693
Area codes	903, 430
FIPS code	48-78436 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2412253 [2]
Website	www.cityofwhiteoak.com

Emmanuel Baptist Church is located off U.S. Highway 80 in White Oak

White Oak is a city in Gregg County, Texas, United States. It was incorporated in 1960. ^[4] The population was 6,225 as of 2020. ^[5]

History

In the later parts of the 1800s, White Oak was a small farming community with three sawmills located on thick forested land. By 1884, there were roughly 15 families living in the area. Most sought to either work at the large sawmills dominating the area or farm the land near the creaks and rivers. A small school was built near Hawkins Creek which would also be utilized as a church on Sundays. The school burned to the ground in 1885 due to suspected arson, though no one was ever brought to trial.

A new school was established in 1887. ^[4] Local land owners, Andrew J. Tuttle and his father-in-law, John Bumpus, gathered a group of men in the area to erect a new school. Mr. Tuttle's uncle, Pleas Harris, and Kaleb Bumpus donated land near a spring on which to build the new school. Local tales say Tuttle and Bumpus noticed the two White Oak trees on either side of the building after construction. It was then decided the community would be known as White Oak. ^[6]

The community grew during the oil boom of the 1930s, and continued to increase after World War II. The city was incorporated in 1960. ^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.1 square miles (24 km²), of which 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²), or 0.55%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	1,250		—
1970	2,300		84.0%
1980	4,415		92.0%
1990	5,136		16.3%
2000	5,624		9.5%
2010	6,469		15.0%
2020	6,225		−3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, White Oak had a population of 6,225. The median age was 36.8 years. 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.4 males age 18 and over. ^{[8] [9]}

Racial composition as of the 2020 census ^[9]

Race	Number	Percent
White	5,198	83.5%
Black or African American	200	3.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native	53	0.9%
Asian	31	0.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Some other race	158	2.5%
Two or more races	581	9.3%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	559	9.0%

89.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 10.7% lived in rural areas. ^[10]

There were 2,245 households and 1,823 families residing in White Oak, of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.1% were married-couple households, 12.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. ^[8]

There were 2,471 housing units, of which 9.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 15.3%. ^[8]

Education

The vast majority of the City of White Oak is served by the White Oak Independent School District. A section in the southeast corner of the town is in the Pine Tree Independent School District. A very small portion in the northwestern corner of White Oak is in the Gladewater Independent School District. ^[11] - Text list ^[12]

The school system in the area was segregated until 1966, when Black children from nearby Shiloh were permitted to enroll in White Oak schools. The Shiloh School, which had been operating since shortly after the Civil War, closed its doors after desegregation. ^[13]

Notable people

• Mike Barber, tight end for the Houston Oilers, his prison ministry
• Byron Hunt, played for the New York Giants in the early 1980s
• Sam Hunt, linebacker for the New England Patriots from 1974 to 1979
• Max McGee, wide-receiver at Tulane University during the 1950s, later for the Green Bay Packers
• Kelcy Warren, billionaire chairman and CEO of Energy Transfer Partners ^[14]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: White Oak, Texas
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. Long, Christopher. "White Oak, TX (Gregg County)". Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
5. "Population of Cities of the United States - White Oak Texas". World Population Review. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
6. "White Oak Independent School District" (PDF). Gregg County, TX Historical Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 21, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
9. "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
10. "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
11. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Gregg County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved November 28, 2024.
12. "School districts Texas". Archived from the original (TXT) on November 30, 2024.
13. "Shiloh School History" (PDF). Historical Marker Research Archives. Gregg County, TX. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
14. Granberry, Michael (October 20, 2012). "Kelcy Warren emerges as one of Dallas' bold new philanthropists". The Dallas Morning News .

External links

• City of White Oak, Texas
• Texas State Historical Association