New London, Texas
New London is a city in Rusk County, in the East Texas Piney Woods, about 19 miles southwest of Longview and 23 miles east of Tyler. It lies in the wooded, rolling country of the East Texas oil field, one of the great oil-producing districts of the state. The town is remembered for the 1937 New London School explosion, a natural-gas disaster that killed hundreds of students and teachers and led Texas to require the odorization of natural gas.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 993
- Change from 2020 base
- +3%
- Land area
- 8.6 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Rusk County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Property here runs through the appraisal district and tax office for Rusk County. The homestead exemption, appraisal cap, protests, and any MUD, PID, or special districts all sit at the parcel level.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
County context
What to know around New London
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around New London.
Oil Boom History
The East Texas Oilfield Changed This County Forever
The discovery of oil in Rusk County in 1930 opened the East Texas Oilfield and transformed the region from a quiet farming area into a boomtown almost overnight.
Property Tax Basics
One Office Values Your Property. Another Collects the Tax.
The Rusk County Appraisal District sets your property value; separate taxing units like school districts and cities bill and collect the tax.
Historic Tragedy
The 1937 New London School Explosion Shaped Natural Gas Safety Law
On March 18, 1937, a natural gas explosion destroyed a school in New London, killing nearly 300 students and teachers and prompting Texas to require odor added to natural gas.
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