Oak Leaf is a small residential city in northern Ellis County, about 20 miles south of downtown Dallas and roughly 10 miles north of Waxahachie, the county seat, within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It was incorporated in August 1983 as a low-density, single-family community, established in an area associated with Red Oak Creek. The city has grown steadily but modestly since, with census counts rising from about 1,209 residents in 2000 to 1,552 in 2020. The community's character is deliberately residential. Oak Leaf spans roughly 1,600 acres west of Interstate 35E and US Highway 77, and it maintains a limited commercial footprint, functioning primarily as a bedroom community for people who work across the southern half of the Metroplex. It is bordered to the northwest by Ovilla, to the north by Glenn Heights, and to the east by Red Oak, placing it within a cluster of small Ellis County municipalities that share schools, services, and a semi-rural suburban setting. Oak Leaf is governed by a mayor and city council and preserves its own municipal identity despite its small size. Its streets wind through residential acreage rather than a conventional grid, and there is no dominant downtown district, so residents rely on neighboring Red Oak and Waxahachie for retail and services. Residents are drawn to its quiet streets, larger lots, and the contrast it offers to denser Dallas suburbs, all while keeping the region's job centers within a manageable commute. Its position between Dallas and Waxahachie gives households access to big-city employment and the slower pace of Ellis County, making it an appealing option for commuters and families seeking a semi-rural setting without leaving the metro area.