Longview, Texas


Longview is the 45th largest city in the state of Texas. The city is mostly located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; a small part of Longview extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. 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 2010 U.S. census, the city had a population of 80,455. The estimated population in 2019 was 81,631. 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 2017 census estimates is 217,481.
Longview was established in 1870 and became a railroad route in East Texas; the city was also the first incorporated town in Gregg County. Today, Longview is considered a major hub city for the region, as is the nearby city of Tyler. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Longview as the sixth fastest-growing small city in the United States. Companies with significant presence in Longview are Eastman Chemical and Trinity Rail Group and AAON Coil Products AAON and Consolidated Electrical Distributors; communities stimulating the city and metro area are LeTourneau University, Kilgore College, and the University of Texas at Tyler's Longview University Center.

History

Longview was founded in the 1870s by Ossamus Hitch Methvin, Sr. In 1870, Methvin sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad for one dollar to persuade them to build their line in the direction of land he owned. Later that year, he sold another for $500 in gold. He hoped the coming of the railroad would increase the value of the rest of his land.
Methvin coined the name of the town when he stated, "What a long view!" from his home. In June 1871, Longview was incorporated as the first town in Gregg County.
In 1884 the elite Mobberly Hotel opened for business servicing the railroad travelers and served as the center of social gatherings for Longview. The hotel featured cherry wood furniture with carved bed posters, marble top wash stands, linen table cloths, electric crystal chandeliers and a fireplace in every room. Mobberly was located in the junction part of town near the train depot. The hotel was destroyed by fire on June 13, 1965.
In the Longview race riot in July 1919, a reporter for The Chicago Defender was in Longview looking into the mysterious death of a black man named Lemuel Walters. An armed white mob attacked a home where the reporter, S.L. Jones, was staying and attempted to batter their way in. A gunfight began between the attackers and the men in the house. Eventually, Jones made a getaway. The white men then began to burn buildings in the black section of the town.
In 1942, construction began on the Big Inch pipeline in Longview. From 1943 to 1945, the pipeline transported over 261,000,000 barrels of crude oil to the East Coast. At the time of construction, Big Inch and its smaller twin, Little Inch, comprised the longest petroleum pipeline ever built in the world. Both were integral in supplying the United States war effort in World War II.
After World War II Longview's population grew from 24,502 to 40,050 in 1960, its growth fueled by migration from rural Gregg County and the annexation of Greggton and Spring Hill.

Geography

Longview is located at . It is bordered to the west by the city of White Oak and is surrounded by many other cities and towns, including Kilgore, Gladewater, Gilmer, Ore City, Harleton, Hallsville, and Lakeport. It is northeast of the similarly sized city of Tyler.
Incorporated areas include Spring Hill, Pine Tree, Judson, and Longview Heights.

Climate

Winters are mild. Average snowfall is less than, with usually one or two ice storms each winter. Normal highs are from the 50s–60s. Lows range from the 30s to the 40s. In Longview, the temperature rarely dips below 20 °F and occasionally can get as warm as 80 °F during the winter months. The spring season brings storms as a transition from winter to summer. Temperatures range from the 60s to 80s for the high, and the 40s to the 60s for the low. The average date of the last frost is April 4. Severe thunderstorms are common during this season as cold fronts pass through the area. This is the wettest time of year.
Summers are hot and humid. Temperatures slowly climb from the 90s to over 100 going into the dog days of summer; lows are in the 70s. This is the driest and sunniest time of year. The heat index can climb to around 110 °F.
Fall is marked by the first cold front that knocks the 100-degree temperatures down into the 90s. Foliage begins to change in late October. Temperatures cool down and dew points drop.

Demographics

In the 2010 census, Longview had a population of 80,455. The median age was 34. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 56.2% non-Hispanic white, 22.6% non-Hispanic black, 0.5% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 9.5% from some other race, 2.3% from two or more races and 18.0% Hispanic or Latino.
In the census of 2000, 73,344 people, 28,363 households, and 19,116 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,341.8 people per square mile. The 30,727 housing units averaged a density of 562.1 per square mile. 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. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.31% of the population.
Of the 28,363 households, 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 not families. About 27.9% of all households were individuals who lived alone, and 10.7% of all households were 65 years of age or more and living alone. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06.
The city's population had 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 more. 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 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 $15,676. 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.

Economy

The economy in Longview is healthy. Despite a national downturn in the housing market, Longview has been growing, and home prices continue to rise. Some major sectors of the Longview economy include the East Texas Oil Field, services, technology, and manufacturing. In 2007, Longview added some major chain stores to its north side. The addition of Kohl's, two Starbucks, a new Target, a third Walmart supercenter on the south side, and a handful of hotels means Longview is becoming a regional hub for shopping. Keeping shoppers in Longview and away from Tyler, Dallas, and Shreveport has been an important strategy for the city. Most new construction has been located on the north side around Hawkins Pkwy. and US 259, with lesser development on the south side near Estes Pkwy.
In October 2007, Longview was recertified as a Texas Urban Main Street City. There are 89 cities in the Texas Main Street Program, 10 of them are Urban Main Street Cities. In December 2007, Longview was awarded the "Certified Retirement Community" designation by the Texas Department of Agriculture through its "Go Texan" initiative. Longview was also included in 2007 in the "Top 100 Best Cities for Young People."
Longview is one of several cities in East Texas that serves as a center for the "patent troll" industry, due to a perception that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is a favorable venue for patent infringement plaintiffs.

Largest employers

According to the municipal Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of EmployeesType of Business
1CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Medical Center2,532Medical/Hospital Services
2Eastman Chemical1,447Chemical
3Longview Independent School District1,400Public Schools
4Longview Regional Medical Center1,125Medical/Hospital Services
5Walmart1,057Retail
6Trinity Rail, LLC960Railway Cars
7City of Longview912Government
8Pine Tree Independent School District680Public Schools
9Komatsu604Manufacturing
10Gregg County575Government

Government

Local government

According to its most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $75.9 million in revenues, $87.7 million in expenditures, $47.6 million in total assets, $9.0 million in total liabilities, and $12.2 million in cash in investments.
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:
DepartmentDirector
City ManagerKeith Bonds
Director of FinanceAngela Coen
Director of Public WorksRolin McPhee
Director of AdministrationMary Ann Miller
Director of Development ServicesMichael Shirley
Director of Community ServicesLaura Hill
Director of Parks and RecreationScott Caron

State government

Longview is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Bryan Hughes, District 1, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Jay Dean, District 7.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Longview District Parole Office in Longview.

Federal government

Longview is part of, which is currently represented by Republican Louie Gohmert.
The United States Postal Service operates the Longview, Downtown Longview, and Northwest Longview post offices.

Education

Colleges and universities

The city of Longview is home to three institutions of higher learning and two trade schools:
Longview is served by four school districts.
Longview is home to the Longview Public Library, which currently operates two branches:

Airport

, south of the city center, offers service to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport via Envoy Air. The airport continues to grow. In 2007, it was designated a foreign trade zone.
The airport is known by pilots around the region for its large, runway. It served as a backup landing site for U.S. space shuttles.
The Longview airport is home to the flight training program of LeTourneau University. The aeronautical students do classwork at the airport, as well as all their flight training.

Public transportation

The city's public transit system, Longview Transit, runs daily routes, excluding Sundays and holidays. Its fixed routes provide transportation to key districts throughout the city.
City of Longview Transit provides transportation demand-response transportation services for those who are unable to use the regular Longview Transit fixed-route service.

Rail service

passenger rail service is available on the Texas Eagle through a downtown terminal. Longview's Amtrak station is the second-busiest in Texas and the fourth-busiest station along the Texas Eagle route. Daily trains between Chicago and San Antonio stop each morning and each evening. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the Longview station serves the Chicago to Los Angeles trains. The return train, Los Angeles to Chicago, stops in Longview on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday. It serves about 20–50 passengers per day. From the station, passengers can connect to Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Houston, and Galveston, as well as Shreveport, Louisiana, by motorcoach. A proposal is in the works for a high-speed rail system from Dallas/Fort Worth to Shreveport along the I-20 corridor.
Longview is served by two freight railroad lines. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad operates two trains daily through Longview. The Union Pacific Railroad has 25 daily trains through Longview's facilities.
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.

Roads

One Interstate freeway and two U.S. highways run through Longview. Four Texas state highways also run into Longview. Two Texas state highway spurs serve to connect highways in Longview.
Longview is accessed easily by I-20, which passes south of the city center. New construction has prompted some major upgrades to the city's system of roads. Medians have been added to Loop 281 as Phase I of the project is nearing completion. Phase II of the project will upgrade the road to a six-lane parkway. Slated to start in 2009, TxDOT has informed Longview officials that the funds have been withdrawn, placing Phase II on indefinite hold. TxDOT is researching an outer loop around the north side of Longview to complete the East Texas Hourglass. The road will loop around Longview and Tyler and is slated to start in 2012.
The new Interstate 69 will be passing just east of the Longview area between Longview and Marshall, near or over the current US 59 highway.

Media

TV stations

The Gregg County portion of Longview are part of the Tyler-Longview-Lufkin-Nacogdoches Designated Market Area, DMA #110. These in-market television stations are available over the air:
Call lettersChannel numberStudio locationName/NetworkFormat
KLTV-DT7.1TylerABC-HD720p DD5.1
7.2Bounce TV480i
7.3Telemundo LaVida480i
KYTX-DT19.1TylerCBS-HD1080i DD5.1
19.2The CW Plus480i
19.3Me-TV480i
KLGV-LD36.1LongviewTrinity Broadcasting Network480i
36.2Hillsong Channel480i
36.3Smile of a Child TV480i
36.4Enlace480i
KLPN-LD47.1TylermyNetworkTV480i
KFXK-TV51.1TylerFox-HD720p DD5.1
KLPN-LD51.2myNetworkTV480i
51.3Escape480i
51.4Laff480i
KCEB54.1TylerSonlife Broadcasting Network480i
54.2MundoMax480i
54.3Cozi TV480i
KETK-DT56.1TylerNBC-HD1080i DD5.1
56.2Grit480i

The five major network stations in the market have local newscasts which all originate from Tyler. KYTX formerly presented a Longview-centered newscast, which ended in 2010. The station does still continue to broadcast Longview news from their Longview newsroom. The once-daily KFXK newscast is at 9:00 PM weekdays.
The market does not have a dedicated PBS affiliate. The acting PBS affiliate, KERA-TV Dallas, is available on cable and Dish Network. KLTS, the PBS affiliate from Shreveport, is available on digital cable and over the air in many parts of the city. DirecTV viewers in the market receive the PBS national feed.
The Harrison County portion of Longview is within the Shreveport-Texarkana market. Below is their channels.
Call lettersChannel numberStudio locationName/NetworkFormat
KTBS-HD3.1ShreveportABC-HD720p DD5.1
KTBS-WX3.2Mega3 Doppler Radar480i
KTBS-DT3.33 News 24/7480i
KTAL-HD6.1TexarkanaNBC-HD1080i DD5.1
6.2Laff480i
KSLA12.1ShreveportCBS-HD1080i DD5.1
12.2Grit480i
12.3Bounce TV480i
KPXJ-HD21.1MindenThe CW HD1080i DD5.1
21.2Me-TV480i
21.3Movies!480i
21.4Antenna TV480i
KLTS-DT24.1ShreveportLPB-HD 1080i
24.2LPB2 480i
24.3LPB3 480i
KMSS-DT33.1ShreveportFox-HD720p DD5.1
KSHV-TV45.1ShreveportmyNetworkTV480i
45.2Escape480i

Cable television/high-speed Internet

Longview and Gregg County are part of the Tyler-Longview Arbitron Radio Market, market #145. These radio stations can be reliably received in most parts of the city:

FM stations

AM stations

Notable people