Tenaha, Texas
Tenaha is a town in Shelby County, deep in the East Texas Piney Woods about 48 miles southeast of Longview. It grew up as a railroad town in the late nineteenth century, and its name lives on in the old marching and dice-game chant 'Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair,' a string of Shelby County rail stops later made popular in a Tex Ritter song. Dense pine and hardwood forest surrounds the town on the rolling hills near the border of the state.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- Town
- July 2025 population
- 1,005
- Change from 2020 base
- +1.7%
- Land area
- 3.7 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Tenaha
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Tenaha.
County History
How Center became the county seat of Shelby County
Shelby County was formed in 1836 and named for a Revolutionary War hero, and its county seat moved from Shelbyville to Center in 1866.
Property Tax
Who handles your property tax in Shelby County
Two separate offices handle property taxes in Shelby County. The appraisal district sets your value, and the tax assessor-collector sends your bill.
Tax Exemptions
Lower your tax bill: homestead and timberland exemptions
Texas law gives homeowners and working landowners ways to reduce their property tax bill, but you have to apply.
Nearby
Places near Tenaha
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Tenaha
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