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Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana Texas City Hall
Texarkana Texas City Hall
Nickname(s): 
The Texas Side, T-Town, TK, TXK, Twin City
Motto(s): 
Twice as Nice
Location of Texarkana, Texas
Location of Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana, Texas is located in the United States
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana, Texas
Location in the United States
Texarkana, Texas is located in Texas
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana, Texas
Location in Texas
Country  United States
State  Texas
County Bowie
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
Area
 • Total 29.47 sq mi (76.33 km2)
 • Land 29.03 sq mi (75.20 km2)
 • Water 0.44 sq mi (1.13 km2)
Elevation
299 ft (91 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 36,193
 • Density 1,228.13/sq mi (474.16/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
755XX.
Area codes 903, 430
FIPS code 48-72368
GNIS feature ID 1369752

Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately 180 miles (290 km) from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census. The city and its Arkansas counterpart form the core of the Texarkana Metropolitan Statistical Area, encompassing all of Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas. The two cities had a combined population of 65,974 in 2019 estimates and the metropolitan area had a population of 150,098.

History

Railroads were quick to see the possibilities of this vast area, and in the late 1850s the builders of the Cairo and Fulton Railroad were pushing their line steadily across Arkansas. By 1874, they had crossed the Red River and had reached the Texas state line. Between February 16 and March 19, 1874, trains ran between the Texas border and the Red River, whence passengers and freight were ferried to Fulton to continue by rail. The Red River Bridge opened on March 20, 1874, and since then trains have run directly from Texarkana to St. Louis.

There was keen rivalry between the 1870s railroad builders. The Texas and Pacific Railroad reached across Texas to the Arkansas state line. The border was the logical place for the different railways to connect. On December 8, 1873, the Texas and Pacific sold the first town lots for the future city. First to buy was J.W. Davis, who purchased the land where today's Hotel McCartney now stands, opposite Union Station.

It is not known who gave Texarkana its name. A popular story credits Colonel Gus Knobel, who surveyed the Iron Mountain Railroad right-of-way from Little Rock to this section to the state line. He allegedly painted "TEX-ARK-ANA" on a plank and nailed it to a tree, saying, "This is the name of a town which is to be built here."

Texarkana TX water tower
Water tower in Texarkana

Miller County, on the Arkansas side of the metropolitan area, is probably the only county in the United States that was abolished, only to be reestablished later. Miller County was formed in 1820 to honor James Miller who was Arkansas' first governor. Miller County was formed with a large degree of uncertainty as to the location of the line dividing the county and the Mexican boundary. Consequently, settlers felt that Arkansas levied and collected taxes on land that eventually might be held by Mexico. Moreover, many who resented the oppression of Texans by the Mexicans were openly declaring allegiance to the Texans. This led to general unrest, and after the Texas Republic was created, it grew worse. So, in 1838, Governor James Conway proposed that the "easiest and most effective remedy is the abolition of Miller County to an area which is more patriotic." From that year until 1874, it was a part of Lafayette County, Arkansas. Its re-establishment sprung only from the sale of town lots in Texarkana in 1873. Efforts of the young town to be incorporated were not realized until October 17, 1880, nearly seven years after Texarkana, Texas (June 12, 1874) was formed. December 8, 1873, is generally recognized by both cities as the date of organization.

Geography

Texarkana is located at the junction of Interstate 30 and US highways 59, 67, 71, and 82 in extreme northeast Texas on the Texas-Arkansas border, at 33°26′14″N 94°4′3″W / 33.43722°N 94.06750°W / 33.43722; -94.06750 (33.437170, -94.067394). It is bordered by the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, to the east, and by the smaller cities of Nash and Wake Village, Texas, to the west. It is in the Central Time Zone.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Texas city has a total area of 29.5 square miles (76.3 km2), of which 29.0 square miles (75.2 km2) is land and 0.42 square miles (1.1 km2), or 1.39%, is water. The city is roughly 180 miles northeast of Dallas.

Climate

  • The warmest month is July.
  • The highest recorded temperature was 117 °F (47 °C) in 1936.
  • On average, the coolest month is January.
  • The lowest recorded temperature was -6 °F (-21 °C) in 1989.
  • The most precipitation on average occurs in November.
Climate data for Texarkana, Texas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 85
(29)
89
(32)
94
(34)
95
(35)
100
(38)
108
(42)
110
(43)
117
(47)
108
(42)
104
(40)
88
(31)
84
(29)
117
(47)
Average high °F (°C) 52.5
(11.4)
58.3
(14.6)
66.5
(19.2)
74.6
(23.7)
81.6
(27.6)
88.9
(31.6)
93.1
(33.9)
93.1
(33.9)
86.3
(30.2)
76.5
(24.7)
63.9
(17.7)
55.1
(12.8)
74.20
(23.44)
Average low °F (°C) 30.7
(−0.7)
34.3
(1.3)
41.8
(5.4)
50
(10)
60.4
(15.8)
68.3
(20.2)
72
(22)
70.5
(21.4)
63.6
(17.6)
51.7
(10.9)
41.1
(5.1)
33.5
(0.8)
51.49
(10.83)
Record low °F (°C) −7
(−22)
−3
(−19)
11
(−12)
24
(−4)
35
(2)
50
(10)
52
(11)
51
(11)
37
(3)
22
(−6)
15
(−9)
−1
(−18)
−7
(−22)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.91
(99)
3.8
(97)
4.46
(113)
4.23
(107)
4.97
(126)
4.82
(122)
3.62
(92)
2.41
(61)
3.77
(96)
4.61
(117)
5.69
(145)
4.95
(126)
51.24
(1,301)

On the evening of May 22, 2008 a microburst producing winds up to 100 mph occurred over Stateline Avenue and surrounding communities. An analysis of radar data leading up to the damage showed that two severe thunderstorms came together on the south side of the city. One severe storm was moving northeastward from Southern Bowie County while the other was moving northwestward through Miller County. Both storms collided in an area just south of Downtown Texarkana.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 1,833
1890 2,852 55.6%
1900 5,256 84.3%
1910 9,790 86.3%
1920 11,480 17.3%
1930 16,602 44.6%
1940 17,019 2.5%
1950 24,753 45.4%
1960 30,218 22.1%
1970 30,497 0.9%
1980 31,271 2.5%
1990 31,656 1.2%
2000 34,782 9.9%
2010 36,411 4.7%
2019 (est.) 36,317 −0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2020, 36,193 people, 14,025 households, and 8,941 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,228.13 people per square mile (474.16/km2). The 16,280 housing units averaged 589.4 per square mile (227.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 55.1% White, 37.9% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7.6% of the population.

Of the 16,280 households, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present. and 34.1% were not families; 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the age distribution of the population was 26.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,727, and for a family was $39,119. Males had a median income of $34,155 versus $21,143 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,815. About 19.4% of families and 24.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.8% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over. The most affluent area of Texarkana is Pleasant Grove, where the median income is $49,562 for each household and the median for a family is $57,219 in 2013.

Transportation

Amtrak station in Texarkana IMG 6437
Amtrak station in Texarkana

Texarkana Regional Airport is located in Texarkana, Arkansas, and serves general aviation and American Eagle service to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Texarkana Union Station is located in downtown Texarkana along the state line, with Amtrak's Texas Eagle providing daily service east to Chicago and west to San Antonio, continuing on to Los Angeles three days a week, with intermediate points.

The Texarkana Urban Transit District provides bus transportation to major areas of town along nine different routes. Service runs from 5:30 am to 6:20 pm Monday–Saturday.

Interstate 30 passes through Texarkana on the north. Loop 151 on the west of the city forms part of the Texarkana Loop, a three-quarter loop around the west, south, and east of the twin cities with I-30 completing the loop on the north. Interstate 369 shares the western portion of Loop 151. Interstate 49 is a newly constructed interstate corridor on the Arkansas side of the city which connects Texarkana to Shreveport, Louisiana.

Photo gallery



Economy

According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Red River Army Depot and tenants 7,200
2 Christus St. Michael Health Care 1,883
3 Cooper Tire & Rubber Company 1,700
4 Domtar 1,300
5 Wal-Mart 1,100
6 International Paper 925
7 Wadley Regional Medical Center 850
8 Texarkana Independent School District 795
9 Texarkana Arkansas School District 785
10 Southern Refrigerated Transport 750

Notable people

See also

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