Kilgore is a city in Gregg and Rusk counties in Texas, United States. Located where Interstate 20 and US 259 converge just south of the Sabine River. Over three-fourths of the area within city limits are located in Gregg County, the remainder in Rusk County. The population was 12,975 at the 2010 census[7] and 13,376 at the 2020 census.[8]
Kilgore was initially developed as a product of the construction of major railroad lines through the area allowing access to transport cotton, cattle, and later oil in North and East Texas.
Kilgore was founded in 1872 when the International–Great Northern Railroad completed the initial phase of rail line between Palestine and Longview. The rail company chose to bypass New Danville, a small community about 10 miles (16km) southeast of Longview, in lieu of a new townsite platted on 174 acres (0.70km2) sold to the railroad by Constantine Buckley Kilgore, the town's namesake. That way the railroad gained the profits from sale and development of the lands. [9]
A post office was built in Kilgore in 1873 and with a station and transportation for getting commodity crops to market, the city soon began drawing residents and businesses away from New Danville. By 1885, the population had reached 250, and the community had two cotton gins, a church, and a school (for white children only). The racially segregated Kilgore Independent School District was organized in 1910. By 1914 the town had two banks, several businesses, and a reported population of 700. The 1920s showed continued steady growth, and by 1929 Kilgore was home to an estimated 1,000 residents.
Prosperity came to a halt, however, when Kilgore was dealt severe blows by a steep decline in cotton prices (on which most of the town's economy was still based), and the effects of the Great Depression. Businesses began to close and, by the middle of 1930, the population had fallen to 500; the community appeared destined to become a ghost town. Many Blacks joined the Great Migration out of the South to northern, midwestern, and western cities for work.
Kilgore’s Downtown in 19301940 map of Kilgore
Kilgore's fortunes changed dramatically on October 3, 1930, when wildcatterColumbus M. "Dad" Joiner struck oil near the neighboring town of Henderson. The well known as the Daisy Bradford #3, marked the discovery of the vast East Texas Oil Field. Seemingly overnight Kilgore was transformed from a small farming town on the decline into a bustling boomtown. The Daisy Bradford #3 was subsequently followed by the Lou Della Crim No. 1 and many others.[10][11] By 1936, the population had increased to more than 12,000, and Kilgore's skyline was crowded with oil derricks.
Oil production continued at a breakneck pace throughout the early 1930s, with more than 1,100 producing oil wells within city limits at the height of the boom. The explosive growth left most civic services overwhelmed, and as a result Kilgore was forced to incorporate in 1931. With the city flooded with male workers and roustabouts, law enforcement struggled to keep order among the shanties, tents, and ramshackle honky-tonks that crowded Kilgore's main streets. On one occasion, they had to summon help from the Texas Rangers to keep the peace. By the mid-1930s the oil boom was almost over and most of the small oil companies and wildcatters had sold out to major corporations. The boom was essentially over by 1940. But oil production has remained central to the city's economy. The population, which fluctuated wildly throughout the 1930s, stabilized at around 10,000 in the 1950s. A 2015 estimate placed it at just under 15,000 residents.
In the 1940s Kilgore had over 1,000 wooden oil derricks. One acre was known by the nickname, "The world's richest acre. Now there are 60 steel replicas of the derricks in the city topped with stars. The city is Texas' City of Stars.[12]
On September 23, 1983, five men and women were abducted from a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Kilgore and found slain, execution-style, in an oilfield outside of town. The crime went unsolved until November 2005, when two men, already in prison for other crimes, were charged, tried, and convicted for the crime.
Geography
Kilgore is located in southern Gregg County and extends south into Rusk County. U.S. Route 259 passes through the east side of the city as a limited-access bypass, leading northeast 11 miles (18km) to Longview and south 17 miles (27km) to Henderson. Kilgore's city limits extend 3 miles (5km) north from the city center as far as Interstate 20, with access from Exits 583, 587, and 589. I-20 leads east 69 miles (111km) to Shreveport, Louisiana and west 119 miles (192km) to Dallas.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Kilgore has a total area of 15.7 square miles (40.7km2), of which 15.7 square miles (40.6km2) are land and 0.04 square miles (0.1km2), or 0.22%, are covered by water.[7]
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,376 people, 5,060 households, and 3,476 families residing in the city.
As of the census[6] of 2000, 11,301 people, 4,403 households, and 2,963 families resided in the city. The population density was 734.3 inhabitants per square mile (283.5/km2). The 4,766 housing units averaged 309.7 unitsper square mile (119.6 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 78.22% White, 12.34% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.95% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 11.11% of the population.
Of the 4,403 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were not families. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was distributed as 24.6% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,129, and for a family was $61,765. Males had a median income of $45,995 versus $30,124 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,297. About 9.7% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.[17]
Economy
In 2023, Kilgore had 309 locally owned businesses, and attracted $117 million of new industrial investment.[18]
Orgill, a hardware distributor, has a distribution center in the city.
Arts and culture
A Kilgore College Rangerette, May 2024Kilgore Public LibraryRangerette Showcase Museum and Joe H. Turner Physical Education ComplexThe East Texas Oil Museum is located on the campus of Kilgore College.
The East Texas Pipe Organ Festival honors Kilgore resident Roy Perry; he supervised the installation of pipe organs at St. Mark's Cathedral and Washington National Cathedral.[23] The annual Kilgore Film Festival started in 1998.[24] The East Texas Oil Museum depicts events of the early 1930s oil boom.[citation needed] The Rangerette Showcase and Museum is located at Kilgore College.[citation needed]
R.E. Saint John Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Kilgore, Texas, primarily serving Kilgore College and Kilgore Independent School District for football games and other events.
The Kilgore Trails System is 3.5 miles (5.6km) and was designed for walkers, runners, and cyclists. The trail system has access points throughout the city, and passes through wooded areas.[26]
↑ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[15][16]
Related Research Articles
Upshur County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,892. The county seat is Gilmer. The county is named for Abel P. Upshur, who was U.S. Secretary of State during President John Tyler's administration.
Smith County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 233,479. Its county seat is Tyler. Smith County is named for James Smith, a general during the Texas Revolution. Smith County is part of the Tyler metropolitan statistical area and the Tyler–Jacksonville combined statistical area.
Rusk County is a county located in Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 52,214. Its county seat is Henderson. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson Rusk, a secretary of war of the Republic of Texas.
Panola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,491. The county seat is Carthage. Located in East Texas and originally developed for cotton plantations, the county's name is derived from a Choctaw word for cotton.
Harrison County is a county on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 68,839. The county seat is Marshall. The county was created in 1839 and organized in 1842. It is named for Jonas Harrison, a lawyer and Texas revolutionary.
Gregg County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 124,239. Its county seat is Longview. The county is named after John Gregg, a Confederate general killed in action during the American Civil War.
Lakeport is a city in Gregg County, Texas, United States. The population was 974 at the 2010 census, up from 861 at the 2000 census; in 2020, its population was 976.
New London is a city in Rusk County, Texas, United States. The population was 958 at the 2020 census.
East Mountain is a city in Upshur and Gregg counties, Texas, United States. The population was 899 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 797 tabulated in 2010.
Clarksville City is a city in Gregg and Upshur counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 780 at the 2020 census.
Easton is a city in Gregg and Rusk counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 510 at the 2010 census, and 499 at the 2020 census.
Gladewater is a city in Gregg and Upshur counties in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 census population of 6,134.
Longview is a city in, and county seat of, Gregg County, Texas, United States. Longview is located in East Texas, where Interstate 20 and U.S. highways 80 and 259 converge just north of the Sabine River. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 81,638. Longview is the principal city of the Longview metropolitan statistical area, comprising Gregg, Upshur, and Rusk counties. The population of the metropolitan area as of 2021 census estimates was 287,858.
Warren City is a city in Gregg and Upshur counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 319 at the 2020 U.S. census.
Overton is a city in Rusk and Smith counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Overton lies in two counties as well as two metropolitan areas. The Rusk County portion of the city is part of the Longview Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Smith County portion is part of the Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area.
East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region consists of the Piney Woods ecoregion. East Texas can sometimes be defined only as the Piney Woods. At the fringes, towards Central Texas, the forests expand outward toward sparser trees and eventually into open plains.
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 Kilgore, Longview, Marshall to the east, 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.
Kilgore College (KC) is a public community college in Kilgore, Texas. It has an annual enrollment in excess of 5,000 students and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the associate degree. The college was established in 1935 at the height of the East Texas oil boom, and as such, is home to the East Texas Oil Museum which houses a large collection of memorabilia documenting this period of Texas history. It is also famous for having the first ever dance-drill team, the Kilgore College Rangerettes, which began in 1940 under the direction of Gussie Nell Davis.
The Longview metropolitan statistical area is a metropolitan area in Northeast Texas that covers four counties—Gregg, Harrison, Rusk, and Upshur. As of the 2010 census the MSA had a population of 280,000. Before 2023, it was also part of the larger Longview–Marshall combined statistical area. In 2023, the Marshall micropolitan area was disestablished and its sole county, Harrison County, was made part of the Longview metropolitan area.
Lake Cherokee is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Gregg and Rusk counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,980 as of the 2020 census. Lake Cherokee is located 12 miles southeast of Gregg and northeastern Rusk counties on Cherokee Bayou. The lake is owned by the Cherokee Water Company to supply water for municipal, industrial, and recreational purposes. It has a capacity of 68,700 acre-feet. The lake impounds Cherokee Bayou. The top of the dam is at the elevation of 295 feet above the average sea level, but it has a max design of 291 feet above the average sea level.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States 
Texas 
