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Northeast Texas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Northeast Texas
Region
From top, left to right: Plaza Tower inTyler;North Broadway Avenue in Tyler; DowntownLongview;State Line Avenue inTexarkana;ParisCommercial Historic District; DowntownPalestine;and DowntownMarshall
Northeast Texas counties in red
Northeast Texas counties in red
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
Largest cityTyler
Population
(2020)
• Total1,152,223[1][2][3][4]

Northeast Texasis a cultural and geographic region in the northeast corner of theU.S. stateofTexas.Geographically centered on twometropolitan areasstrung alongInterstate 20—Tylerin the west andLongview/Marshallto the east,[5]the areas ofGreenville,Mount Pleasant,Sulphur Springs,Paris,andTexarkanain the north primarily alongInterstate 30,andJacksonvilleandPalestineto the south are also major cities within the region. Most of Northeast Texas is included in the interstate region of theArk-La-Tex.[6]

The Old Courthouse in Marshall during the Wonderland of Lights, the largest light festival in Northeast Texas: Tourism is one of Northeast Texas's most important industries.

The region is unique in that it is the only portion ofEast Texasthat is not within the direct sphere of influence of eitherDallas/Fort WorthorHouston.This generally weakens the area's visibility as areas in the far south ally themselves with Houston and areas to the west ally themselves with Dallas. These areas are on the fringe of those cities' spheres of influence, so are not as visible as smaller cities such asGrapevineorDeer Park,which are closer to the respective centers of power.

In the mid-19th century, Marshall and Jefferson constituted a sphere of influence that led the entire state into theConfederate States of America,and during theMexicanandRepublicperiods,NacogdochesandSan Augustinewere the most developed and influential cities in Northeast Texas. Nacogdoches rebelled against Mexican rule in theFredonian Rebellionand had one of the first newspapers to run the phraseRemember the Alamo!;while none of these three cities is a major population center in its own right on the state level any longer, all four are still major cultural centers, with Nacogdoches and Tyler being well-established centers of higher learning.[7][8]Many of the largest cities in Northeast Texas still follow a ruralSouthernway of life, especially in dialect, mannerisms, religion, andcuisine.

Geography[edit]

The geography of Northeast Texas is composed mainly of thePiney Woods,a mixedforestofdeciduousandconiferflora.[9]The Piney Woods cover 23,500 sq mi (61,000 km2) of gently rolling or hilly forested land. These woods are part of a much larger region ofpine-hardwoodforest that extends intoLouisiana,Arkansas,andOklahoma.Northeast Texas lies within the Gulf Coastal Plain and receives more rainfall, 35 to 50 in (890 to 1270 mm), than the rest of Texas.[10]

TheSabine Riveris the major river in Northeast Texas, and flows through Longview and several other cities.[11]TheRed Riveralso flows through the region and forms the northern border with Oklahoma and a portion of Arkansas. In Northeast Texas and the rest ofSouth,small rivers and creeks collect into swamps called "bayous" and merge with the surrounding forest.Bald cypressandSpanish mossare the dominant plants inbayous.The most famous of these bayous in Northeast Texas is theCypress Bayousurrounding the Big, Little, and Black Cypress Rivers aroundJefferson.They flow east intoCaddo Lakeand the adjoiningwetlandscover the rim and islands of the lake.

Some of the major lakes in the area include:Jim Chapman Lake,Lake Tawakoni,Lake Fork,Cedar Creek Reservoir,Pat Mayse Lake,Lake Palestine,Caddo Lake,Lake O' the Pines,andWright Patman Lake.

The climate of the region is warmer and wetter than most of Texas and its geography is more hilly and forested. Its culture is similar to that ofSoutheast Texas,but does not have as much of aCajuninfluence.

Counties[edit]

According to the Northeast Texas Genealogical Society, these 23 counties comprise Northeast Texas:[12]

Largest cities[edit]

City Population (2020)

Tyler 		105,995[13]

Longview 		81,638[14]

Texarkana 		36,193[15]

Paris 		24,476[16]

Marshall 		23,392[16]

Palestine 		18,544[16]

Mount Pleasant 		16,047[16]

Sulphur Springs 		15,941[16]

Jacksonville 		13,997[16]

Kilgore 		13,376[17]

Henderson 		13,271[17]

Athens 		12,857[17]

Culture[edit]

Rose garden in Tyler, Texas
The Northeast Texas Children's Museum in Commerce

Culturally, Northeast Texas is more closely akin to Arkansas, Louisiana, and evenMississippithan it is toWest Texas.Northeast Texas is in theBible Beltcreating a strongFundamentalistChristiansentiment.[18]During theCivil Rights movementseveral communities clashed overintegration.In presidential elections since 1950, both Smith County (county seat Tyler) and Gregg County (county seat Longview) have been reliably Republican.

Much of modern Northeast Texas culture has its roots in traditions that go back for generations.First Monday Trade Daysis a monthlyflea marketheld inCanton, Texas.The market is actually held on the Thursday through Sundayprecedingthe first Monday of each month. It purports to be the largest and oldest continually operated flea market in the United States,[19]and is a popular event in the area.

The East Texas Oil Museum, located on the campus ofKilgore CollegeinKilgore, Texas,houses the authentic recreation of oil discovery and production in the early 1930s from the largest oil field inside U.S. boundaries.[20]

Tyler has a rich culture and has been nicknamed the "Rose Capital of America" because of its large role in the rose-growing industry;[21]about 20% of commercialrosebushes produced in the U.S. are grown in Tyler and Smith counties and more than half of the rose bushes are packaged and shipped from the area. It boasts the nation's largest municipalrose gardenand hosts the Texas Rose Festival each October, which draws more than 100,000 spectators annually and has garnered nationwide attention.[22]

TheNortheast Texas Children's Museumis located in Commerce. The museum provides playful and creative learning experiences for children in the Northeast Texas area. Many school districts from theDallas/Fort Worth Metroplexand the Northeast Texas area take field trips to the museum.

Economy[edit]

The economy of Northeast Texas is primarily centered within theTylerandLongviewmetropolitan statistical areas, the latter within the Ark-La-Tex region alongside theTexarkana metropolitan area.Within the Tyler and Longview conurbation,Brookshire Grocery Companyoperates as a multistate conglomerate owning Brookshire's and Super1Foods;[23]other major corporations with a presence in the area includeSynthesizers,Eastman Chemical,[24]AAON Coil Products,AT&T,andWalmart.

Higher education[edit]

Texas A&M University–Texarkana

Northeast Texas has a number of higher-education institutions, includingThe University of Texas at Tyler,Texas A&M University at Commerce,Texas A&M University at Texarkana,Stephen F. Austin State Universitylocated in Nacogdoches,East Texas Baptist University,LeTourneau University,eight public and two private community colleges, a branch of theTexas State Technical Collegeat Marshall, three historically black colleges,[25]and a number of church-affiliated private institutions. The public colleges and universities of the region also collaboratively provide degree and course opportunities through the Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges and Universities.

The community colleges of Northeast Texas share a history of emerging from the "junior college" movement of schools focused on providing the first two years of the college degree. Although most added technical programs with associate of applied science degrees following the community college movement of the 1960s, the schools still place a strong emphasis on liberal arts and the academic associate of arts and associate of science degree programs. They often include the full range of college sports, including football, and host dormitories, and are known for their "high kicking" drill teams. Community colleges in the region includeKilgore College,Paris Junior College,Northeast Texas Community Collegenear Mt. Pleasant,Texarkana College,Panola Collegein Carthage,Tyler Junior College,Trinity Valley Community Collegein Athens and with campuses in Terrell and Palestine, andAngelina Collegein Lufkin. Jacksonville hosts the two smaller private two-year colleges of the region,Jacksonville College(Baptist) andLon Morris College.

Transportation[edit]

U.S. Highway 67 inOmaha

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Delta County, Texas; Cherokee County, Texas; Cass County, Texas; Camp County, Texas; Bowie County, Texas; Anderson County, Texas".Census.gov.Retrieved2022-07-20.
  2. ^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Hopkins County, Texas; Henderson County, Texas; Harrison County, Texas; Gregg County, Texas; Franklin County, Texas; Delta County, Texas".Census.gov.Retrieved2022-07-20.
  3. ^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Red River County, Texas; Rains County, Texas; Panola County, Texas; Morris County, Texas; Marion County, Texas; Lamar County, Texas".Census.gov.Retrieved2022-07-20.
  4. ^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Wood County, Texas; Van Zandt County, Texas; Upshur County, Texas; Titus County, Texas; Smith County, Texas; Rusk County, Texas".Census.gov.Retrieved2022-07-20.
  5. ^"At the Heart of Texas: Tyler–Longview".Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.Retrieved2022-04-19.
  6. ^Fox, Courtney (2020-03-09)."Visit Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana at the Same Time at This Roadside Marker".Wide Open Country.Retrieved2022-04-19.
  7. ^"About Stephen F. Austin State University".Stephen F. Austin State University.
  8. ^"Colleges & Universities Near Tyler, Texas".Franklin University.Retrieved2022-04-19.
  9. ^"The Heart of East Texas: Piney Woods".Moon Travel Guides.2018-02-15.Retrieved2022-04-19.
  10. ^"Piney Woods Forest."One Earth."The Piney Woods ecoregion occupies the West Gulf Coastal Plain and encompasses eastern Texas (including the “Big Thicket” ) as well as western Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas, and a small portion of southeastern Oklahoma. It is separated from the Southeast US conifer savannas ecoregion by the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (the Mississippi Lowland Forests ecoregion). "
  11. ^"Sabine River".Texas State Historical Association.Retrieved2022-04-13.
  12. ^Northeast Tx Genealogical Societyhttp://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry /~netex/netexas/index.htm
  13. ^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Tyler city, Texas".U.S. Census Bureau.Retrieved2022-04-19.
  14. ^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Longview city, Texas".U.S. Census Bureau.
  15. ^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Texarkana city, Texas".U.S. Census Bureau.
  16. ^abcdef"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Jacksonville city, Texas; Sulphur Springs city, Texas; Mount Pleasant city, Texas; Palestine city, Texas; Marshall city, Texas; Paris city, Texas".U.S. Census Bureau.Retrieved2022-04-19.
  17. ^abc"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Athens city, Texas; Kilgore city, Texas; Henderson city, Texas".U.S. Census Bureau.Retrieved2022-04-19.
  18. ^Gal, Mark Abadi, Shayanne."The US is split into more than a dozen 'belts' defined by industry, weather, and even health".Business Insider.Retrieved2022-09-13.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^"First Monday Canton | Canton, Texas | About".First Monday Canton.Retrieved2022-09-13.
  20. ^"History | East Texas Oil Museum".easttexasoilmuseum.kilgore.edu.Retrieved2022-09-13.
  21. ^"VERIFY: Is Tyler the rose capital of the country?".cbs19.tv.Retrieved2022-04-13.
  22. ^Schechter, Alex (2021-11-02)."The Rose Queen of Texas".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2022-04-13.
  23. ^"About Brookshire Grocery Company".Brookshire's.
  24. ^"Eastman Chemical Company | Longview, Texas".eastman.Retrieved2022-06-15.
  25. ^"Take a tour of the HBCUs in Texas".Houston Chronicle.Retrieved2022-05-15.

External links[edit]

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