Arthur City is an unincorporated community in the far northern corner of Lamar County, Texas, on the Red River at the junction of U.S. Highway 271 and Farm Road 197. The Red River, which curves just north of the community, forms the Texas–Oklahoma state line, placing Arthur City within a short distance of the Oklahoma border. The community was founded in 1886 by Capt. J. G. C. Arthur as a stop on the railroad, which made it an early shipping and trading point for the surrounding farm and ranch country. Over time, as rail and road patterns shifted, Arthur City settled into its present role as a small rural settlement rather than a growing town, and it remains unincorporated today. Arthur City's identity is tied closely to the land and water around it. The community sits near Pat Mayse Lake, a reservoir of roughly 5,940 acres impounded in 1967 on Sanders Creek, a tributary of the Red River. The lake and its recreation area provide fishing, boating, camping, and an extensive equestrian trail network that draws riders from across Northeast Texas. The gently rolling grasslands and woodlands of the Red River basin define the surrounding landscape. Because it is a small unincorporated community, Arthur City relies on nearby Paris, the Lamar County seat about twelve miles to the south, for schools, shopping, healthcare, and other services. Students in the area attend the North Lamar Independent School District, based in Paris. Scattered homes, ranches, and small farms line the highways and county roads that cross this part of the county, giving the area a spacious, low-density character. For residents and visitors alike, Arthur City offers a quiet, rural Northeast Texas setting defined by the Red River, open country, and the nearby lake.