Tatum, Texas
Tatum is a small city in the Piney Woods of East Texas, straddling Panola and Rusk counties about 18 miles southeast of Longview. The surrounding area has an economy rooted in timber, oil, and lignite, and the large Martin Lake power plant and its cooling reservoir lie in the countryside nearby. The terrain is the forested, gently rolling land characteristic of the East Texas oil-and-timber belt.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 1,403
- Change from 2020 base
- +4.2%
- Land area
- 3.8 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Panola County and 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
Tatum crosses county lines, so the appraisal district and tax office depend on the parcel address. School, city-limit, MUD, PID, and other special-district lines can be different too. Start with the full county list below instead of treating one county as the answer.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
County context
What to know around Tatum
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Tatum.
Local History
How Panola County Got Its Name and Economy
Panola County was created in 1846, named from a Cherokee word for cotton, and its economy shifted over the decades from cotton and timber to natural gas.
Property Tax
Who Appraises Your Property in Panola County
The Panola County Appraisal District sets the value of your property. A separate Tax Assessor-Collector office then bills and collects what you owe.
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.
Nearby
Places near Tatum
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Tatum
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