Region in Texas, United States
Northeast Texas
is a cultural and geographic region in the northeast corner of the
U.S. state
of
Texas
. Geographically centered on two
metropolitan areas
strung along
Interstate 20
?
Tyler
in the west and
Longview
/
Marshall
to the east,
[5]
the areas of
Greenville
,
Mount Pleasant
,
Sulphur Springs
,
Paris
, and
Texarkana
in the north primarily along
Interstate 30
, and
Jacksonville
and
Palestine
to the south are also major cities within the region. Most of Northeast Texas is included in the interstate region of the
Ark-La-Tex
.
[6]
The region is unique in that it is the only portion of
East Texas
that is not within the direct sphere of influence of either
Dallas
/
Fort Worth
or
Houston
. 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 as
Grapevine
or
Deer 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 the
Confederate States of America
, and during the
Mexican
and
Republic
periods,
Nacogdoches
and
San Augustine
were the most developed and influential cities in Northeast Texas. Nacogdoches rebelled against Mexican rule in the
Fredonian Rebellion
and had one of the first newspapers to run the phrase
Remember 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 rural
Southern
way of life, especially in dialect, mannerisms, religion, and
cuisine
.
Geography
[
edit
]
The geography of Northeast Texas is composed mainly of the
Piney Woods
, a mixed
forest
of
deciduous
and
conifer
flora
.
[9]
The Piney Woods cover 23,500 sq mi (61,000 km
2
) of gently rolling or hilly forested land. These woods are part of a much larger region of
pine
-
hardwood
forest that extends into
Louisiana
,
Arkansas
, and
Oklahoma
. 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]
The
Sabine River
is the major river in Northeast Texas, and flows through Longview and several other cities.
[11]
The
Red River
also flows through the region and forms the northern border with Oklahoma and a portion of Arkansas. In Northeast Texas and the rest of
South
, small rivers and creeks collect into swamps called "bayous" and merge with the surrounding forest.
Bald cypress
and
Spanish moss
are the dominant plants in
bayous
. The most famous of these bayous in Northeast Texas is the
Cypress Bayou
surrounding the Big, Little, and Black Cypress Rivers around
Jefferson
. They flow east into
Caddo Lake
and the adjoining
wetlands
cover 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
, and
Wright 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 of
Southeast Texas
, but does not have as much of a
Cajun
influence.
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
]
Culturally, Northeast Texas is more closely akin to Arkansas, Louisiana, and even
Mississippi
than it is to
West Texas
. Northeast Texas is in the
Bible Belt
creating a strong
Fundamentalist
Christian
sentiment.
[18]
During the
Civil Rights movement
several communities clashed over
integration
. 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 Days
is a monthly
flea market
held in
Canton, Texas
. The market is actually held on the Thursday through Sunday
preceding
the 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 of
Kilgore College
in
Kilgore, 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 commercial
rose
bushes 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 municipal
rose garden
and hosts the Texas Rose Festival each October, which draws more than 100,000 spectators annually and has garnered nationwide attention.
[22]
The
Northeast Texas Children's Museum
is located in Commerce. The museum provides playful and creative learning experiences for children in the Northeast Texas area. Many school districts from the
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
and the Northeast Texas area take field trips to the museum.
Economy
[
edit
]
The economy of Northeast Texas is primarily centered within the
Tyler
and
Longview
metropolitan statistical areas, the latter within the Ark-La-Tex region alongside the
Texarkana metropolitan area
. Within the Tyler and Longview conurbation,
Brookshire Grocery Company
operates as a multistate conglomerate owning Brookshire's and Super1Foods;
[23]
other major corporations with a presence in the area include
Synthesizers.com
,
Eastman Chemical
,
[24]
AAON Coil Products
,
AT&T
, and
Walmart
.
Higher education
[
edit
]
Northeast Texas has a number of higher-education institutions, including
The University of Texas at Tyler
,
Texas A&M University at Commerce
,
Texas A&M University at Texarkana
,
Stephen F. Austin State University
located in Nacogdoches,
East Texas Baptist University
,
LeTourneau University
, eight public and two private community colleges, a branch of the
Texas State Technical College
at 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 include
Kilgore College
,
Paris Junior College
,
Northeast Texas Community College
near Mt. Pleasant,
Texarkana College
,
Panola College
in Carthage,
Tyler Junior College
,
Trinity Valley Community College
in Athens and with campuses in Terrell and Palestine, and
Angelina College
in Lufkin. Jacksonville hosts the two smaller private two-year colleges of the region,
Jacksonville College
(Baptist) and
Lon Morris College
.
Transportation
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
- ^
"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
. Retrieved
2022-07-20
.
- ^
"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
. Retrieved
2022-07-20
.
- ^
"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
. Retrieved
2022-07-20
.
- ^
"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
. Retrieved
2022-07-20
.
- ^
"At the Heart of Texas: Tyler?Longview"
.
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
. Retrieved
2022-04-19
.
- ^
Fox, Courtney (2020-03-09).
"Visit Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana at the Same Time at This Roadside Marker"
.
Wide Open Country
. Retrieved
2022-04-19
.
- ^
"About Stephen F. Austin State University"
.
Stephen F. Austin State University
.
- ^
"Colleges & Universities Near Tyler, Texas"
.
Franklin University
. Retrieved
2022-04-19
.
- ^
"The Heart of East Texas: Piney Woods"
.
Moon Travel Guides
. 2018-02-15
. Retrieved
2022-04-19
.
- ^
"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)."
- ^
"Sabine River"
.
Texas State Historical Association
. Retrieved
2022-04-13
.
- ^
Northeast Tx Genealogical Society
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~netex/netexas/index.htm
- ^
"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Tyler city, Texas"
.
U.S. Census Bureau
. Retrieved
2022-04-19
.
- ^
"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Longview city, Texas"
.
U.S. Census Bureau
.
- ^
"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Texarkana city, Texas"
.
U.S. Census Bureau
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"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
. Retrieved
2022-04-19
.
- ^
a
b
c
"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Athens city, Texas; Kilgore city, Texas; Henderson city, Texas"
.
U.S. Census Bureau
. Retrieved
2022-04-19
.
- ^
Gal, Mark Abadi, Shayanne.
"The US is split into more than a dozen 'belts' defined by industry, weather, and even health"
.
Business Insider
. Retrieved
2022-09-13
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"First Monday Canton | Canton, Texas | About"
.
First Monday Canton
. Retrieved
2022-09-13
.
- ^
"History | East Texas Oil Museum"
.
easttexasoilmuseum.kilgore.edu
. Retrieved
2022-09-13
.
- ^
"VERIFY: Is Tyler the rose capital of the country?"
.
cbs19.tv
. Retrieved
2022-04-13
.
- ^
Schechter, Alex (2021-11-02).
"The Rose Queen of Texas"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2022-04-13
.
- ^
"About Brookshire Grocery Company"
.
Brookshire's
.
- ^
"Eastman Chemical Company | Longview, Texas"
.
www.eastman.com
. Retrieved
2022-06-15
.
- ^
"Take a tour of the HBCUs in Texas"
.
Houston Chronicle
. Retrieved
2022-05-15
.
External links
[
edit
]