The arrival of European settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries led to significant changes in the region, including the removal of these 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.

He persuaded the Santa Fe Railway line to finance a rail link with Port Bolivar.

As with many other mining-based towns, the depletion of resources led to a decline in population and economic activity over time.

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.

Located in East Texas and near the more developed regions of Longview and Marshall, Ore City is relatively modest in scale and maintains a completely rural economic profile.

It doesn't experience the kind of industrial or tech-driven growth seen in larger Texas cities but is more reliant on local businesses, agriculture, and nearby employment centers.

During the iron boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ore City had a prime opportunity to diversify its economy but ultimately struggled to do so.

One major issue was that Ore City lacked the transportation and logistics infrastructure that could have supported broader industrial diversification.

As a result, when the iron ore deposits began to dwindle or became too costly to extract, the town found itself with limited economic fallback options.

Furthermore, the town's reliance on iron prevented it from developing the agricultural or manufacturing industries that nearby regions were investing in.

Many residents, whose livelihoods depended on mining, faced unemployment and hardship as demand for local iron faded.

Ore City is part of Texas's 5th congressional district, which is currently represented by Republican Lance Gooden.