Ore City, Texas
City in the United States in Upshur County
About Ore City
Ore City is a city in Upshur County, Texas, United States, located where US 259 and FM 450 converge, just four miles below the Lake O’ the Pines. The population was 1,108 at the 2020 census.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Ore City is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Ore City
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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Population over time
From 1,144 in 2010 to 1,108 in 2020 (−3.1%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,108 |
| 2010 | 1,144 |
History
Before any settlement, the indigenous Caddo were the dominant people living within the region and on the land.
The arrival of European settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries led to significant changes in the region, including the forced removal of the Indigenous peoples.
Originally part of the William Murray League, the area was first settled in the early 1850s by a group from Haywood County, Tennessee. They immediately started The Murray League Methodist Episcopal Church, South as well as the Murray League Institute. After the Civil War, rich iron ore deposits were discovered in the area, and ore was mined sporadically from the 1860s through 1900.
Around 1910, a commercial company was formed to mine ore in the East Texas Iron Ore Belt led by Colonel L.P. Featherstone, a former U.S. Congressman from Arkansas. He persuaded the Santa Fe Railway line to finance a rail link with Port Bolivar. Land for a new city was purchased and platted into streets and lots around 1911. The town was named Ore City, and a post office was established soon after. By 1914, 30 miles of the line known as the Port Bolivar Iron Ore Railway had been built, connecting Ore City with Longview. The newly founded community had an estimated population of 400. Further construction on the railroad line was halted by the outbreak of World War I. Colonel Featherstone's company went into bankruptcy, and the rail line was abandoned in 1927. Ore City survived, and by 1936, around 500 people lived in the community. During World War II, the federal government built a steel plant 10 miles north of Ore City to mine the same ore that previously brought Colonel Featherstone to the area. The plant was completed just as the war ended and was sold to a Texas group as surplus property. They operated it as the Lone Star Steel Company.
Ore City was incorporated in 1951. At that time, the number of residents had fallen to 385.
Growth resumed in the mid-1960s, and by 1976, Ore City had a population of 900 and 34 businesses. More than 1,000 people lived in the city by the year 2000.
Decline and Stabilization
As in many other mining towns, resource depletion led to population decline and economic stagnation. By the mid-20th century, mining operations had slowed considerably, and Ore City's growth stabilized as a small, rural community, falling short of becoming a potential Boomtown.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.