The City of Yantis is located at the intersection of State highway 154 and Farm Road 17, near the Lake Fork Reservoir. Harry M. Matthews was said to have settled the area as early as 1860, and by 1870 a gristmill and cotton gin was being run in the area by J. Singleton. Yantis was named for its first postmaster, George R. Yantis, who by 1890 was also running a gristmill and gin at the community of thirty-five people. At that time Yantis also had a sheriff, a justice and bailiff, two churches, and five schools that served 251 students. The population peaked at 500 in the early 1930s. Yantis is also very proud of the newly constructed Scarborough Park located just off Loyd Street which was dedicated and named after long time Yantis employees, Marlin and Wilma Scarborough