# Kilgore, Texas

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 and 13,376 at the 2020 census.

## History

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 (16 km) southeast of Longview, in lieu of a new townsite platted on 174 acres (0.70 km$^2$) 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.
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 fortunes changed dramatically on October 3, 1930, when wildcatter Columbus 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. 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.

## 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 (18 km) to Longview and south 17 miles (27 km) to Henderson. Kilgore's city limits extend 3 miles (5 km) north from the city center as far as Interstate 20, with access from Exits 583, 587, and 589. I-20 leads east 69 miles (111 km) to Shreveport, Louisiana and west 119 miles (192 km) to Dallas.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Kilgore has a total area of 15.7 square miles (40.7 km$^2$), of which 15.7 square miles (40.6 km$^2$) are land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km$^2$), or 0.22%, are covered by water.
Kilgore is located in the Piney Woods region south of the Sabine River.

## Demographics

Kilgore racial composition as of 2020 (NH = Non-Hispanic) :
| Race | Number | Percentage |
| White (NH) | 7,762 | 58.03% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,857 | 13.88% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 34 | 0.25% |
| Asian (NH) | 111 | 0.83% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 5 | 0.04% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 32 | 0.24% |
| Mixed/multi-racial (NH) | 577 | 4.31% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,998 | 22.41% |
| Total | 13,376 | |
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 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/km$^2$). The 4,766 housing units averaged 309.7 units per square mile (119.6 units/km$^2$). 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.

## Economy

In 2023, Kilgore had 309 locally owned businesses, and attracted $117 million of new industrial investment.
Orgill, a hardware distributor, has a distribution center in the city.

## Arts and culture

Kilgore is the home of the Mount Tabor Indian Community, a cultural heritage organization and nonprofit organization. The Reel East Texas Film Festival is an annual film festival. The Kilgore College Rangerettes were founded in 1940, and were the world's first precision drill team. The Rangerettes performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The Texas Shakespeare Festival is an annual summer repertory company. Founded in 1986, it performs at the Van Cliburn Auditorium. Kilgore Public Library was completed in 1939.
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. The annual Kilgore Film Festival started in 1998. The East Texas Oil Museum depicts events of the early 1930s oil boom. The Rangerette Showcase and Museum is located at Kilgore College.

## Sports

R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium primarily serving Kilgore College and the Kilgore Independent School District for football games and other events.
Driller Park is the home field for the Kilgore Drillers, and serving as the ballpark for Kilgore High School.

### Baseball teams

* Kilgore Drillers (1947 to 1950) in the East Texas League and the Lone Star League. They played home games at Driller Park, a venue originally built for them.
* Kilgore Gushers
* Kilgore Rangers (1937 to 1938)
* Kilgore Braves
* East Texas Pump Jacks (2009 to 2016)

### Kilgore College team

* Kilgore College Rangers Football and Kilgore College Rangers Basketball.

## Park and recreation

The Kilgore Trails System is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) and was designed for walkers, runners, and cyclists. The trail system has access points throughout the city, and passes through wooded areas.

## Government
### Local government

According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Fund Financial Statements, the city's various funds had $17.4 million in revenues, $19.4 million in expenditures, $19.5 million in total assets, $0.8 million in total liabilities, and $17.5 million in investments.

### State government

Kilgore is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Bryan Hughes, District 1, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican David Simpson, District 7 and Travis Clardy, District 11.

### Federal government

At the federal level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. Kilgore is part of Texas's 1st congressional district, which is currently represented by Republican Nathaniel Moran.

## Education
### Public schools

Most of the city is within the Kilgore Independent School District, which covers sections of Gregg and Rusk counties. A small portion of the city in Gregg County is within the Sabine Independent School District.

### Higher education

Kilgore College is home to the Rangers and the Kilgore College Rangerettes.
The boundary of Kilgore College includes the independent school districts of Kilgore and Sabine (the ones covering sections of Kilgore).

## Media
### Newspapers

The Kilgore News Herald is a twice-weekly newspaper published in the city.

### Radio

| Frequency (MHz) | Call letters | Licensed location | Type | Format |
| 88.7 | KZLO | Kilgore | Broadcast station KZLO | Contemporary Christian |
| 96.1 | KKTX-FM | Kilgore | Broadcast station KKTX | Classic Rock |
| 105.3 | K287AJ | Kilgore | Translator of KDOK | Classic Hits |

## Infrastructure
### Transportation
#### Major highways

* Interstate 20 connects Kilgore to Dallas, about 119 mi (192 km) to the west and to Shreveport, Louisiana, around 69 mi (111 km) to the east.
* Highway 259 is a 250-mile-long (400 km) north/south highway providing an alternate route to U.S. 59 between Nacogdoches, Texas, and the Oklahoma/Arkansas border just south of Fort Smith, Arkansas.
* State Highway 31 runs from U.S. 84 connecting Waco, Corsicana, Athens, Tyler, to Kilgore and U.S. 80
* State Highway 42
* Texas State Highway 135

#### Airports

* East Texas Regional Airport is located 8 miles east of Kilgore, and services the city.
* Kilgore Airport

#### Rail

* Union Pacific Railroad
A proposal is in the works for a over 200mph high-speed rail system from Dallas/Fort Worth to Atlanta, Georgia along the I-20 corridor, currently named the I-20X, that will pass directly through Kilgore, bringing passenger rail service to that corridor for the first time since the Texas and Pacific's unnamed successor to the Louisiana Eagle in the late 1960s.This initiative promises to support regional development, reduce car dependency, and create jobs in areas like Tyler, Kilgore, and East Texas. Early phases of planning are in motion, with design on the Atlanta-Birmingham segment expected to start by 2025.

#### Public transportation

GoBus is a regional transit system serving Kilgore and nearby cities.

#### Cycling

Kilgore's cycling infrastructure includes the 3.5-mile Creekside Trail, part of the Kilgore Trails System, and the Big Head Mountain Bike Trail. Opened in phases from 2018 to 2020, the Creekside Trail follows Bighead Creek with multiple access points. The city continues to promote outdoor recreation through events and activities.

### Healthcare

Allegiance Specialty Hospital of Kilgore is a 60-bed hospital in Kilgore.

## Notable people
### Sports

* Ricky Collins, football player for the Green Bay Packers and the Canadian Football League
* Wayne Daniels (born 1987), played in the NFL
* Loyie Nawlin "Buddy" Humphrey (1935–1988), Kilgore High School quarterback
* Lane Johnson (born 1990), plays in the NFL and was a football player for Kilgore College
* James Randel "Randy" Matson (born 1945), Olympian
* Alvin Reed (born 1944), played in the NFL for the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins
* Walter Edward "Ed" Red (born 1942), Olympian
* Ron Shepherd (born 1960), former outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays; attended Kilgore High School
* Demorrio Williams, played football for Kilgore College, the University of Nebraska, and the NFL

### Music, acting, dance, arts

* Van Cliburn (1934–2013), piano virtuoso, lived and grew up in Kilgore
* Gussie Nell Davis (1906-1993), created the Rangerettes at Kilgore College in 1940
* Will Jennings (1944-2024), composer
* Hank O'Neal (born 1940), music producer, author and photographer, veteran
* Robert Patrick (1937-2023), actor
* Ally Venable (born 1999), blues rock guitar player, singer, and songwriter

### More

* Dana Dodd (1985–2003), murder victim; body found in Kilgore in 2006
* Robert G. "Bob" Goss (1898-1978), former police chief of Kilgore, and a Texas Ranger
* Charles Hurwitz (born 1940), businessman and financier
* David Van Os (born 1950), civil rights activist, labor lawyer, politician; attended Kilgore High School