The establishment of a school in the area in 1887 led to the development of the city. During the oil boom of the 1930s, the population of the city increased significantly. The city was named for two trees growing near the site of the first school.
Geography
White Oak is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, or 0.55%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,624 people, 2,004 households, and 1,595 families residing in the city. The population density was 618.9 people per square mile. There were 2,118 housing units at an average density of 233.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 94.58% White, 1.94% African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.20% of the population. There were 2,004 households out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were married couplesliving together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.17. In the city, the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median agewas 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $43,802, and the median income for a family was $50,781. Males had a median income of $44,063 versus $2,530 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,486. About 9.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
Mike Barber, tight end for the Houston Oilers from 1976–81, known for his scandal in the private high school coaching profession and his prison ministry
Byron Hunt, played for the New York Giants in the early 1980s
Kelcy Warren, billionaire chairman and CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, and co-founder of the record labelMusic Road Records. Donated millions to have the city ofDallas named a city park after his son Klyde Warren.
