Longview

History

The modern-day city of Longview was founded in 1869. In 1870, O.H. Methvin, Sr. sold 100 acres (40 ha) to the Southern Pacific Railroad (later the Texas and Pacific Railway) for one dollar to persuade them to build their line in the direction of land he owned. Later that year, he sold another 100 acres (40 ha) for $500 in gold. He hoped the coming of the railroad would increase the value of the rest of his land.

Two railroad surveyors coined the name of the town when they stated, "What a long view!" from the porch of Methvin's home. In June 1871, Longview was incorporated as the first town in Gregg County.

In 1884, the Mobberly Hotel opened for business servicing railroad travelers and as the center of social gatherings for Longview. The hotel featured cherrywood furniture with carved bed posts, marble-top washstands, linen tablecloths, 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.

On May 23, 1894, Bill Dalton and three members of his posse robbed the First National Bank of Longview. Several men died in the resulting gunfight, bandit Jim Wallace along with citizens J. W. McQueen, Charles Learn, and George Buckingham. The robbers escaped with $2,000 in cash and some unsigned bank notes. The Gregg County Historical Museum holds its exhibit on the event within the bank vault which was robbed, and holds a yearly event to mark the anniversary of the occasion.

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.

The Gregg Hotel opened in 1930, and served oil boom customers. It had various operators as a hotel until 1978, when it was converted to dormitories for use by male students of LeTourneau College. Following the 1984 spring semester, the building sat empty except for a barbershop, which also closed in 1986. The building was ultimately demolished in 1995.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 56.327 square miles (145.89 km2), of which 56.227 square miles (145.63 km2) is land and 0.100 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.18%) is water.

Longview is located within Northeast Texas, a subregion of East Texas. North of Kilgore, and is bordered to the west by the city of White Oak. Longview was founded in Gregg County and has annexed surrounding land as it has grown in population and area, including a comparatively small area on its east that is within Harrison County.

Demographics

According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of March 31, 2026, in Longview is $230,973.

As of the 2024 American Community Survey, there were 33,947 estimated households in Longview with an average of 2.35 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $57,259. Approximately 17.7% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Longview has an estimated 59.8% employment rate, with 28.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 89.9% holding a high school diploma. There were 36,026 housing units at an average density of 640.72 per square mile (247.4/km2).

The median age in the city was 34.5 years.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 81,638 people, 31,798 households, and 20,306 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,462.34 inhabitants per square mile (564.6/km2). There were 35,059 housing units at an average density of 627.99 per square mile (242.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 54.19% White, 23.75% African American, 0.63% Native American, 1.63% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 10.19% from some other races and 9.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 20.75% of the population.

There were 31,798 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 33.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and _% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2._ and the average family size was 2._.

In the city the population was spread out with _% under the age of 18, _% from 18 to 24, _% from 25 to 44, _% from 45 to 64, and _% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $_, and the median income for a family was $_. Males had a median income of $_ versus $_ for females. The per capita income for the city was $_. _% of the population and _% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 24.2% were under the age of 18 and 16.5% were 65 or older.

99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.

19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present.

There were 35,059 housing units, of which 9.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 80,455 people, 30,562 households, and 20,020 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,444.62 inhabitants per square mile (557.8/km2). There were 32,751 housing units at an average density of 588.06 per square mile (227.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 63.32% White, 22.94% African American, 0.54% Native American, 1.35% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 9.49% from some other races and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 17.97% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 73,344 people, 28,363 households, and 19,116 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,341.82 inhabitants per square mile (518.1/km2). There were 30,726 housing units at an average density of 562.13 per square mile (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 some other races and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 10.31% of the population.

There were 28,363 households out of which 33.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 14.5% have 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% have 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 have a median income of $33,078 versus $21,400 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,768. 16.0% of the population and 13.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 22.7% were under the age of 18 and 10.6% were 65 or older.

Religion

As of 2020's religion census by the Association of Religion Data Archives, Baptists were the largest set of Christians, with Christianity being the predominant religion for Longview's metropolitan area. Altogether, Baptists from the American Baptist Association, Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, Free Will Baptists, National Baptists, National Missionary Baptists, and Southern Baptists numbered 88,811. Non/inter-denominational Protestants numbered 26,874. Other large Christian communities for the MSA were Methodists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons. Its Catholic Christian community numbered 22,952.

Economy

Longview is one of several cities in East Texas that serve 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. As such, it is also one of the major economic hubs for Northeast Texas alongside Tyler.

Top employers

According to the city's 2024–2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

Longview Public Library operates a main branch, and the Broughton Branch.

Longview's cultural district—a 320-acre (130 ha) area in downtown Longview which includes museums, restaurants, parks, live music, theater, and historic buildings—was designated by the Texas Commission on the Arts in 2019.

The 29-acre (12 ha) Longview Arboretum and Nature Center opened in 2019. Among other centers, the city has a vast trail system that is being connected to create 10 consecutive miles of connected walking/biking trails.

Juneteenth

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, has been an annual celebration of the emancipation of African Americans from slavery in Longview since 1985.

Government

Local government

According to the 2007 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 city manager as of 2023 is Rolin McPhee. Bonds retired January 31, 2022 and Rolin McPhee became the city manager on February 1. With the addition of McPhee as city manager, the city of Longview underwent some restructuring namely adding an assistant city manager, MaryAnn Hagenbucher.

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 Texas's 1st congressional district, which is currently represented by Republican Nathaniel Moran. Moran was elected after former Republican Louie Gohmert announced he was not seeking reelection in 2022.

Education

Colleges and universities

The city of Longview is home to three institutions of higher learning and two trade (cosmetology) schools:

LeTourneau University

Kilgore College, Longview Campus

University of Texas at Tyler, Longview University Center

The service area of Kilgore College includes the independent school districts of Longview, Hallsville, Pine Tree, and Spring Hill (the ones covering sections of Longview).

Public school districts

Longview is served by four school districts.

The following include portions in Gregg County:

Longview Independent School District – enrollment 8,150, 16 schools, home of the Lobos (Spanish for "Wolves"), serves south and northeast Longview

Pine Tree Independent School District – enrollment 4,424, seven schools, home of the Pirates, serves west Longview including Pine Tree and Greggton

Spring Hill Independent School District – enrollment 1,862, five schools, home of the Panthers, serves north Longview in the Spring Hill area

The Harrison County portion is in this school district:

Hallsville Independent School District – enrollment 4,037, six schools, home of the Bobcats, serves far east Longview in Harrison County

Media

TV stations

The Gregg County portion of Longview is part of the Tyler-Longview-Lufkin-Nacogdoches designated market area, and the Harrison County portion of Longview is within the Shreveport-Texarkana market.

KLGV-LD broadcasts from Longview.

Newspaper

Longview News-Journal

East Texas Review

El Diario de Harrison County

Infrastructure

Transportation

East Texas Regional Airport is located south of Longview.

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.

The City of Longview Transit (COLT) provides demand-response transportation services for those who are unable to use the regular Longview Transit fixed-route service.

Amtrak passenger rail service is available on the Texas Eagle through a downtown terminal. Longview's Amtrak station is the fifth-busiest in Texas and the fourth-busiest station along the Texas Eagle route. Daily trains between Chicago and San Antonio stop each morning (Chicago–San Antonio) and each evening (San Antonio–Chicago). 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, 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.

Longview is served by Amtrak, the BNSF Railway, and the Union Pacific Railroad.

I-20, Interstate 20, an east–west freeway, connects Longview to Dallas, about 125 mi (201 km) to the west and to Shreveport, Louisiana, around 60 mi (97 km) to the east.

US 80, U.S. Highway 80 runs through the central district of Longview. U.S. Hwy 80 was once a coast-to-coast highway from Tybee Beach near Savannah, Georgia, and ran continuously across the southern part of the United States to San Diego, California. Today, its western terminus is in Dallas, making the length only 1,032 mi (1,661 km). The western part of the route was replaced by I-20 and I-10.