Living in Arp, TX

Arp is a small town in southeastern Smith County, about 18 miles southeast of Tyler. It started as a farm and railroad stop known for strawberries and other produce, boomed with the East Texas oil field, and today offers a quiet small-town setting with country land all around it.

Getting around

State Highway 135 runs through Arp, connecting southwest to Troup, about 3 miles away, and northeast toward Overton and Kilgore. Tyler is about 18 miles northwest for shopping, dining, medical care and work.

Things to do

The Arp Strawberry Festival, a spring weekend at Arp City Park with local vendors, live music, food and strawberry treats; it was revived in 2021 after a break
The East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, whose recreated 1930s Boomtown includes an Arp General Store
Tyler, about 18 miles away, for restaurants, shopping and the Tyler Rose Garden

Schools

Arp ISD serves the town with an elementary school, a junior high and a high school. Some rural properties nearby fall in neighboring districts, so I always confirm the school assignment for a specific address.

Homes, land and acreage

Most properties around Arp are small-town homes, homes on a few acres, and rural land, pasture and timber. Buying land is different from buying a house in town, so I'll help you check the details that matter:

Water: wells or a water supply corporation
Septic systems and soil
Surveys, easements and road access
Ag or wildlife tax exemptions
Deed restrictions, minerals and floodplain

This is oil country, so mineral rights and any existing wells or pipelines are worth a close look on rural property.

A little history

The railroad came through in 1872, and the post office opened in 1898 under the name Strawberry before the town was renamed for writer Bill Arp in 1899. In 1931 the first successful oil well in Smith County was drilled near Arp.