Longview, Texas
From Includipedia, the inclusionist encyclopedia
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 73,345 at the 2000 census, but a 2005 estimate placed the city's population at 75,609. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat;GR6 only a small part extends into the eastern part of the neighboring Harrison County. It is situated in East Texas, on the grid of Interstate 20 and U.S. Highways 80 and 259, just north of the Sabine River.
Longview is the principal city of the Longview Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger MSA made up of Gregg County, Upshur County and Rusk County. [1]
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[edit] History
[edit] The Early Years of Longview
[edit] 1870-1871
The initial site of Longview was laid out on the western outskirts of Earpville, an early community in what was then Upshur County along the old Marshall-Tyler Road (today known as U.S. 80). Earpville (sounds like "Arpville") was founded around 1850 by James Earp. It consisted of a few farmhouses, a post office, a stagecoach stop and had one blacksmith shop. There was also a church and one or two stores.
After the Civil War, the Southern Pacific railroad began to expand toward California from its terminus at Marshall. The Southern Pacific bought a 100-acre tract in April 1870 from farmer 0. H. Methvin for one gold dollar, with the promise to lay out a town site on the land in advance of track construction. Inspired by the scenic view from the porch of Methvin's home atop Rock Hill, a railroad surveyor suggested the town name of "Longview."
[edit] 1872-1874
The Southern Pacific bought another 50 acres from 0. H. Methvin for a reported $500 to extend its town site further west. The Longview Post Office was established Jan. 27, 1871. On Feb. 22 that year, commercial train service began at Longview with great celebration. The track ended at a locomotive turntable between Center and High streets. In May 5, 1871, the one-square-mile town of Longview was incorporated.
[edit] 1872-1874
Longview was known nationally as the head of the nation's Southern rail line. Because Longview was the closest rail access to much of the region, business, population, and construction was fueled by wagon traffic coming to Longview from a wide area. The International Railroad Co. was attracted to Longview and established a new track which crossed the Southern Pacific track about 600 feet east of the city limits.
The "Downtown Station" thus had a companion "Junction Station." The Texas & Pacific, which had acquired the Southern Pacific by federal edict, began laying track westward toward Dallas. With the Texas & Pacific joined by what would become the International & Great Northern, railroads made Longview the commercial center for northeast Texas.
[edit] Race riot
The second of 25 racial conflicts that erupted across the United States during the summer of 1919, a race riot took place in Longview in 1919. Like many other conflicts, it was fueled by postwar economic tensions and conflict between European Americans and African Americans. Sensational press about an alleged lynching over an interracial romance fed rumors in the community. Troops were needed to quell the riot.[2]
[edit] Geography
Longview is located at (32.509147, -94.753909)GR1. Longview is surrounded by many smaller cities and towns including: Kilgore, Gladewater, Gilmer, Ore City, Hallsville, Harlton, Diana, White Oak, and Lakeport. It is approximately 40 miles east of the similarly sized city of Tyler, Texas.
Incorporated areas include Spring Hill, Greggton, Pine Tree, Judson and Longview Heights.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 54.8 square miles (141.8 km²), of which, 54.7 square miles (141.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.18%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 73,344 people, 28,363 households, and 19,116 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,341.8 people per square mile (518.1/km²). There were 30,727 housing units at an average density of 562.1/sq mi (217.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.10% White, 22.11% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.92% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.31% of the population.
There were 28,363 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,858, and the median income for a family was $42,378. Males had a median income of $33,078 versus $21,400 for females. The per capita income for the city was $156,768. About 13.0% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Climate
Winter: Winters are mild. Average snowfall is less than 2”. There are usually one or two ice storms or a light dusting of snow once a winter. Normal highs are from the 50s-60s. Lows range from 30-40s. Temperature rarely dips below 20 and occasionally can get as warm as 80 during the winter months.
Spring: The season brings storms as a transition from winter to summer. Temperatures range from 60s-80s for the high, and 40-60s for the low. The date of the last frost is April 4th. Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are common during this season.
Summer: The summertime is hot and muggy. Temperatures slowly climb from the 90s to the 100s going into the [dog days] of summer. Dew points are high in this region, thus giving us a high humidity and very sticky feel. Lows are in the 70s. Most of the summer is dry and sunny, with afternoon “pop-corn” thunderstorms.
Fall: It’s marked by the first cold front that knocks the 100 degree temps down into the 90s. Fall starts in mid September and lasts until December. Foliage begins to change in November. Temps start cooling down and dew points begin to drop.
[edit] Transportation
East Texas Regional Airport (website) offers service to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport via American Eagle.
The city's public transit system, called Longview Transit, (website) runs daily, excluding Sundays and holidays.
Amtrak rail service is available through a downtown terminal. Longview's Amtrak rail station is the second busiest in the state of Texas. It serves about 20-50 passengers per day.
The Longview Economic Development Corporation website provides more details about the transportation infrastructure including air, rail, trucking, waterways, and highway information. Many maps are also available. [3]
[edit] Education
[edit] Higher Education
The city of Longview is home to four institutions of higher learning and one trade (cosmetology) school:
- LeTourneau University (website)
- Kilgore College, Longview Campus (website)
- Texas Baptist College, an unaccredited Baptist Bible College (website)
- The University of Texas at Tyler, Longview University Center (website)
[edit] Schools
Longview is served by four different Independent School Districts in two counties. The largest district is the Longview Independent School District - Home of the Lobos. Much of western Longview is served by the Pine Tree Independent School District - Home of the Pirates. The smallest school district in Longview is the Spring Hill Independent School District - Home of the Panthers. A portion of eastern Longview in Harrison County is served by the Hallsville Independent School District- home of the Bobcats. Hallsville, Texas is just east of Longview on U.S. Hwy 80.
[edit] Notable natives, citizens, and associated people
- Ben Spies, professional motorcycle road racer
- Rodney Carrington, comedian and musician
- Mel and Norma Gabler, public school textbook monitors, founders of Educational Research Analysts
- Matthew McConaughey, actor, producer and director
- Neal McCoy, country singer, songwriter
- James Street, University of Texas National championship quarterback
- Evonne Hsu, American born Taiwanese singer.
- Forest Whitaker, Academy Award winning actor, producer and director
- Keithian, Singer, Songwriter, Actor
- Sam West, professional baseball player - 1927-1942
- Lee Lacy, professional baseball player - 1972-1987
- Dan Wright, professional baseball player - 2001-current
- Bobby Taylor, professional football player - 1995-current
- David Wesley, professional basketball player - 1995-current
- Craig Anthony Washington, politician, lawyer
- Josh Scobee, place-kicker for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Gloria Jones, singer
- Catherine L. Bowie, One of the first African American WAC in WWII. [4]
[edit] External links
- Longview's Official Community Portal
- City of Longview, Texas (Official Website)
- Convention and Visitors Bureau (Official Visitor Website)
- Longview Chamber of Commerce
- Longview Economic Development Corporation
- The East Texas Review
- The Longview News-Journal
- Longview, Texas is at coordinates Template:Coord
Template:Gregg County, Texas Template:Harrison County, Texas Template:US state navigation box
Template:Shreveport, Louisiana Template:Texas county seatsde:Longview (Texas) nl:Longview (Texas) pl:Longview (Teksas) pt:Longview (Texas) vo:Longview (Texas)
