Tyler, Texas

Not to be confused with Tyler County, Texas.

Tyler, Texas
City
City of Tyler
Clockwise from top: Downtown, Caldwell Auditorium, the KLTV headquarters, Smith County Courthouse, City Hall
Seal
Nickname(s):  Rose City, Rose Capital, Rose Capital of America
Motto:  A Natural Beauty
Location in Smith County and the state of Texas
Coordinates: 32°21′N 95°18′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Smith
Founded	1846
Named for	John Tyler
Government
• Mayor	Martin Heines (D)
• City Council	Members Linda Sellers Broderick McGee Ed Moore Don Warren Bob Westbrook John Nix
• City Manager	Edward Broussard
Area
• City	54.376 sq mi (140.833 km2)
• Land	54.2 sq mi (140.5 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	544 ft (165 m)
Population  (2010)
• City	96,900
• Estimate  (2018)	105,729
• Rank	US: 287th
• Density	1,800/sq mi (690/km2)
• Urban	130,247 (US: 247th)
• Metro	216,080 (US: 200th)
Demonym	Tylerite
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	757xx
Area code(s)	430, 903
FIPS code	48-74144
GNIS feature ID	1348998
U.S. routes
Major state highways
Primary airport	Tyler Regional Airport
Website	www.cityoftyler.org

Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas and second largest city of the Ark-La-Tex. With a 2018 census-estimated population of 105,727, Tyler was the thirty-eighth most populous city in Texas and 292nd in the United States. It is the principal city of the Tyler metropolitan statistical area, which is the 199th most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. and 16th in Texas after Waco and the College Station–Bryan areas, with a population of 230,221 in 2018.

The city is named for John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States. In 1985, the international Adopt-a-Highway movement originated in Tyler. After appeals by local Texas Department of Transportation officials, the local Civitan International chapter adopted a two-mile (three kilometer) stretch of U.S. Route 69 to maintain. Drivers and other motorists traveling on this segment of U.S. 69 (between Tyler and nearby Lindale) will notice brown road signs that read, "First Adopt-A-Highway in the World".

Tyler is known as the "Rose Capital of America" (also the "Rose City" and the "Rose Capital of the World"), a nickname it earned from a long history of rose production, cultivation, and processing. It is home to the largest rose garden in the United States, a 14-acre public garden complex that has over 38,000 rose bushes of at least 500 different varieties. The Tyler Rose Garden is also home to the annual Texas Rose Festival, attracting tourists by the thousands each year in mid-October.

As Northeast Texas and Smith County's major economic, educational, financial, medical and cultural hub, Tyler is host to more than 20,000 higher-education students, the University of Texas at Tyler, a university health science center, and regional hospital systems. It is also the headquarters for Brookshire Grocery Company, Cavender's, , Southside Bank, and Synthesizers.com. Other corporations with major presence within the city limits and surrounding area include AT&T, T-Mobile US, Cricket Wireless and Metro by T-Mobile, Chase Bank, BBVA, Best Buy, and Walmart. Tyler is also home to the Caldwell Zoo and Broadway Square Mall.

History

See also: Timeline of Tyler, Texas

Legal recognition of Tyler was initiated by an act of the state legislature on April 11, 1846. The Texas government created Smith County and authorized a county seat. The first plat designated a 28-block town site centered by a main square, located within a 100-acre tract acquired by Smith County on February 6, 1847. The new town was named for President John Tyler, who advocated for the annexation of Texas by the United States. A log building on the north side of the square functioned as courthouse and public meeting hall until it was displaced by a brick courthouse in 1852. On January 29, 1850, Tyler was incorporated. Early religious and social institutions included the First Baptist church and a Methodist church, a Masonic lodge and an Odd Fellows lodge, and Tyler's first newspaper.

Though Tyler's early economy from 1847–1873 was based on agriculture, it was also well-diversified during this period. Logging was a second major industry, while complementary manufacturing included metal working, milling wood, and leather tanning. As the seat of Smith County, the town also benefited from government activity. The local agricultural economy relied on slave labor before the Civil War.

By 1860, Tyler held over 1,000 enslaved persons, which represented 35 percent of the town's population. There was strong support for secession and the Confederacy within Tyler, as a high percentage of its residents voted for secession and many of its men joined the Confederate Army. The town was secure enough for the Confederate States of America to establish the largest ordinance plant in Texas. In 1870, the first bank in Tyler was established by Bonner and Williams. Though both the Texas and Pacific Railroad and the International Railroad (Texas) eschewed routes through Tyler, the town gained an important rail connection when the Houston and Great Northern built a branch line in 1874.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, fruit orchards emerged as an important new business in the regional economy. Eighty percent of the county's agricultural revenue derived from cotton as it persisted as the dominant crop in the first decades of the twentieth century. Peaches were the principal fruit crop as the county fruit tree inventory surpassed one million by 1900. Disease struck the peach trees, though, and local farmers moved toward growing roses by the 1920s. Twenty years later, most of the U.S. rose supply originated in the Tyler area.

On October 29, 1895, an African American suspect named Robert Henry Hillard was burned at the stake in the Smith County Courthouse Square for the alleged murder of a nineteen-year-old white woman. Denied a trial and due process, Hillard was taken from law enforcement personnel by a white mob. Hillard's executioners were never punished. Later, two entrepreneurs combined photographs from the actual lynching with others staged with actors and sold the 16-image production as a stereographic set. One of the original sets sits in the United States Library of Congress.

On May 25, 1912, Dan Davis, an African American man suspected of attacking a sixteen-year-old white girl named Carrie Johnson, was burned at the stake in the Smith County Courthouse Square.

In 1971, the University of Texas system established the University of Texas at Tyler and Broadway Square Mall opened in 1975.

By 1980, the population grew to 70,508 and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler and East Texas Islamic Society were established in the following years.

Historic preservation city planning began in 2016.

Geography

Tyler is located at 32°20′03″N 95°18′00″W and is 544 feet (166 m) above sea level. The city of Tyler is situated in the Southern United States, in Northeast Texas. It is part of the wider Ark-La-Tex region where Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas meet. The city is approximately 38 miles (61 km) from Longview; 61 miles (98.2 km) from Marshall; 100 miles (160.9 km) from Dallas; 132 miles (212 km) from Texarkana; 230 miles (370 km) from the state capital of Austin; and 98 miles (157.7 km) from Shreveport, Louisiana.

Tyler is the county seat of Smith County, and is surrounded by many suburban communities, including Whitehouse, Lindale, New Chapel Hill, Bullard, Edom, Brownsboro, Kilgore, Flint, and Chandler. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 54.4 square miles (140.8 km²), of which 54.2 mi² (140.5 km²) is land and 0.1 mi² (0.3 km²²) is covered by water. Tyler is the principal city of the Greater Tyler metro area, and a principal city in the Tyler–Longview metroplex, a conurbation of the Tyler and Longview metropolitan and combined statistical areas.

Cityscape

Tyler has a relatively modest skyline and downtown area. Its downtown has a unique rustic architecture mainly in Art Deco and neoclassical styles. Many architectural structures in central Tyler date from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Modernist and postmodernist era structures are also present throughout the cityscape.

Central Tyler is anchored by Brick Streets Historic District and Charnwood Residential Historic District, areas characterized by dense retail, restaurants, nightlife, and historic landmarks. Brick Streets Historic District is the largest geographic area of Tyler. It encompasses 29 blocks and primarily consists of buildings constructed in the 1900s. The district area is predominantly residential though it sometimes serves as a mix-use district. Brick Streets Historic District has brick-paved streets and stone-line drainage channels. Nearby, Charnwood is Tyler's first historic district. It comprises 12 blocks of late 19th and early 20th century architecture.

Climate

Tyler
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.3     57 38     3.7     64 41     4     72 49     3.7     78 55     4.5     84 63     3.7     90 70     2.2     93 73     2.6     94 72     3.3     88 67     5.1     78 56     4.5     67 48     4.8     58 40 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: Weather.com / NWS
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     85     14 3     95     18 5     101     22 9     94     26 13     113     29 17     93     32 21     55     34 23     66     34 22     83     31 19     131     26 13     113     19 9     121     14 4 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

Tyler experiences weather typical of East Texas, which is unpredictable, especially in the spring. All of East Texas has the humid subtropical climate typical of the American South. Severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, hail, damaging winds and tornadoes occur in the area during the spring and summer months. Summer months are hot and humid, with maximum temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 91 days per year, with high to very high relative average humidity.

The record high for Tyler is 115 °F (46 °C), which occurred in 2011. The record low for Tyler is −3 °F (−19 °C), which occurred on January 18, 1930. Shreveport's National Weather Service branch provides forecasts and warnings for the greater Ark-La-Tex region.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	2,423		—
1890	6,908		185.1%
1900	8,069		16.8%
1910	10,400		28.9%
1920	12,085		16.2%
1930	17,113		41.6%
1940	28,279		65.2%
1950	38,968		37.8%
1960	51,230		31.5%
1970	57,770		12.8%
1980	70,508		22.0%
1990	75,450		7.0%
2000	83,650		10.9%
2010	96,900		15.8%
2018 (est.)	105,729		9.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 2017 Estimate

Tyler is the most populous city in Northeast Texas, and 38th in Texas. Its metropolitan area is the second largest in the Ark-La-Tex followed by the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. The Tyler metropolitan area had 230,221 residents in 2018, and the greater Tyler–Longview area had an estimated population of 371,015.

Per the American Community Survey's 2018 estimates, Tyler had a population of 105,727, an increase of 8,827 people since the 2010 census. There were 41,820 housing units and 35,597 households. There were 23,224 families within the city limits. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.60. 44.9% of households were headed by married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were classified as non-family households. In 2018 the owner-occupied and renter-occupied housing rate were equally 50%. The median age was 31.5 years and there were 90 males per 100 females.

The median household income for Tyler was $53,962 and the mean income was $78,886. The median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $155,200 and the monthly payment without a mortgage was $1,317. With a mortgage, monthly owner-occupied housing costs were $515. The median gross rent from 2014-2018 was $887. 16.7% of Tyler's population was below the poverty line in 2018.

At the 2010 census, 96,900 people resided in the city of Tyler. The population density was 1,782.0 people per square mile (688.0/km²). The median income for the city was $42,752 and the poverty rate was 19.5%.

Race and ethnicity

Tyler's population has been historically predominantly non-Hispanic white as much of Texas. Its population diversified due to immigration and white flight over the 20th century.

The racial makeup of the city in 2010 was 60.5% White, 24.8% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 10.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. About 21.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2018, 49.4% of Tyler was non-Hispanic white, 21.8% Black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 0.6% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 2.0% from two or more races. 22.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race in 2018. The largest Hispanic or Latino group were Mexican Americans at 21,118, followed by Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Hispanics or Latinos.

A little over 10% of Tylerites were foreign-born. The most common immigrants to the city are Mexicans, Indians, and Salvadorans.

Religion

First Baptist Church in Downtown Tyler

73.2% of Tylerites and the surrounding area identify as religious as of 2020. After Shreveport, Louisiana, the city of Tyler is one of the Ark-La-Tex's most religious cities.

As part of the Bible Belt, Protestant Christianity is the largest religious group, followed by the Roman Catholic Christianity. 31.1% of Tylerite Christians are Baptist, primarily affiliated with the Texas Baptists, Southern Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc, National Baptist Convention of America, and Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. The Catholic community of Tyler and its metropolitan area are primarily served by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler. Following, 6.6% of the population were Methodists, mainly affiliated with the United Methodist Church and African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Pentecostals form the fourth-largest Christian group in Tyler (5.2%) and the largest Pentecostal bodies within the area are Assemblies of God USA and the United Pentecostal Church. 1.2% are Latter-day Saints. 0.9% identify as Anglicans or Episcopalians, 0.7% Presbyterian, and 0.6% Lutheran. 13.6% of Tylerites are of another Christian faith including the Eastern Orthodox Church and Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Anglican or Episcopalian community are divided between the Episcopal Church in the United States and Anglican Church in North America. The Episcopal Church USA-affiliated Episcopal Diocese of Dallas has congregations in Tyler. The Anglican Church in North America also has congregations in Tyler and its metropolitan area. The Diocese of Mid-America is the ACNA's diocese in Tyler, consisting of one church. This diocese is also a member of the Reformed Episcopal Church.

Presbyterian and Lutheran bodies operating in the area include the Presbyterian Church (USA) and Presbyterian Church in America, and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and North American Lutheran Church. The Eastern Orthodox community is served by the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the South.

The oldest continuously active church in Greater Tyler is the historic 152 year old New Harmony Baptist Church, located about 10 miles outside of Tyler.

St. Joseph the Worker Parish, one of the few churches in the United States dedicated to the exclusive use of the Traditional Latin Mass, is another continuously active church. It is staffed by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. The city also is the home of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a century-old church recently renovated and declared a historic and heritage site by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler. The Saint Peter Claver Parish, located in central Tyler, is the second largest Catholic church in Tyler and was dedicated to St. Peter Claver, a Franciscan priest that assisted the black slaves in Brazil during the slave trade to South America.

Per Sperling's BestPlaces, approximately 0.1% affiliate with Judaism compared to the state average of 0.2%. 0.4% of the area identify as Muslims. The area's Islamic community is affiliated with the East Texas Islamic Society.

Economy

People's Petroleum building in downtown Tyler

Chamber of Commerce office in downtown Tyler

In addition to its role in the rose-growing industry, Tyler is the headquarters for Brookshire Grocery Company, which operates Brookshire's, Fresh, Super 1 Foods, and Spring Market supermarkets in the Ark-La-Tex and parts of Dallas-Fort Worth. The company's main distribution center is located in south Tyler, while SouthWest Foods, a subsidiary that processes dairy products, is located just northeast of the city.

The manufacturing sector includes:

• Tyler Pipe, a subsidiary of McWane Inc. that produces soil and utility pipe products
• Trane, a business of Ingersoll-Rand, formerly a unit of American Standard Companies, which manufactures air conditioners and heat pumps (this plant was originally built in 1955 by General Electric)
• Delek Refining, an Israeli-owned oil refinery formerly La Gloria Oil and Gas Co (a Crown Central Petroleum subsidiary)
• PCSFerguson, an operating company of Dover Corporation that specializes in equipment for the measurement and production of natural gas using the plunger lift method
• DYNAenergetics Tyler Distribution Center, part of DYNAenergetics USA, which manufactures perforating equipment and explosives for the oil and gas industry
• Vesuvius USA, manufacturer of refractory ceramics used in the steel industry
• Cavender's, a large regional western wear retailer and manufacturer

According to the City's 2012-2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top ten employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Trinity Mother Frances Health System	3,775
2	UT Health - Tyler	3,153
3	Brookshire Grocery Company	2,599
4	Tyler Independent School District	2,468
5	Trane	1,500
6	SuddenLink	1,500
7	Walmart	1,311
8	The University of Texas at Tyler	1,121
9	UT Health - Tyler (north campus)	925
10	Tyler Junior College	862

Education

Colleges and universities

The Riter Tower at University of Texas at Tyler

Tyler's higher education institutions include the University of Texas at Tyler and the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, both part of the University of Texas System, as well as Texas College, the city's only HBCU, and Tyler Junior College.

Primary and secondary schools

John Tyler High School

Public primary and secondary education for much of the city is provided by the Tyler Independent School District, which includes high schools John Tyler and Robert E. Lee, as well as Tyler ISD Early College High School, Premier High School of Tyler, a public charter school (Cumberland Academy). Several Tyler schools offer international baccalaureate and advanced placement programs.

Portions of incorporated Tyler are served by surrounding school districts. These include sections of southeast Tyler, served by the Whitehouse Independent School District, and some sections in the east which are served by the Chapel Hill Independent School District.

Private schools

• There are also private schools in Tyler, including Grace Community School (Texas), All Saints Episcopal School, Seventh-day Adventist Church School, King's Academy Christian School, Kingdom Life Academy (Located in the same building but not affiliated with King's Academy), Christian Heritage School, East Texas Christian Academy, and Good Shepherd Reformed Episcopal School. The Brook Hill School in nearby Bullard, TX is also served by the Tyler Independent School District. The Tyler Catholic School System of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler consists of St. Gregory Cathedral School and Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Regional Catholic Middle and High School.

Government

Local government

According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $87.7 million in revenues, $101.7 million in expenditures, $49.2 million in total assets, $12.3 million in total liabilities, and $17.6 million in cash in investments.

List of mayors of Tyler, Texas

• McDonald Lorance, 1846
• William Bartlett, circa 1848
• ?
• Oscar Burton, circa 1937
• Zeb J. Spruiell, circa 1955
• ?
• Murph Wilson, 1967
• ?
• Jack H. Halbert, 1970-1976
• ?
• Norman Shtofman, 1982-1984
• Smith Reynolds, Junior

• Kevin Eltife, circa 1996-2002[1]
• Joey Seeber, 2002-2008
• Barbara Bass, 2008-2014
• Martin Heines, 2014–present

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:

City Manager	Edward Broussard
Managing Director of Planning & Economic Development	Heather Nick
Managing Director of Culture, Recreation and Tourism Services	Stephanie Franklin
Managing Director for Administration (& HR Director)	ReNissa Wade
Managing Director of Public Works	Scott Taylor
CFO/Finance Director	Keidric Trimble
City Engineer	Lisa Crossman
Chief of Police	Jimmy Toler
Fire Chief	David Coble
Director of Parks	Russ Jackson
Chief Information Officer	Benny Yazdanpanahi
City Attorney	Deborah Pullum
Director of Marketing & Communications	Julie Goodgame
Vehicle Services Manager	Leroy Sparrow
City Librarian	Ashley Taylor
Transit General Manager	Robert Gil III
Neighborhood Services Manager	Raynesha Hudnall
Housing Manager	Vacant
Airport Manager	Davis Dickson
Human Resources Manager	Rose Ray
Water Utilities Financial Manager	James Yanker
Water Utilities Manager	Joan Roberson
Development Services Engineer	Michael Wilson, P.E.
Traffic Engineer	Vacant

The Northeast Texas Public Health District is a political subdivision under the State of Texas established by the City of Tyler and Smith County. In place for nearly 70 years, the Health District became a separate entity in 1994, with an administrative Public Health Board. With a stated vision "To be the Healthiest Community in Texas", the district has a full-time staff of over 130 employees. The Health District has a broad range of services and responsibilities dedicated to their mission: "To Protect, Promote, and Provide for the Health of Our Community."

State government

Tyler is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Bryan Hughes, District 1, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Matt Schaefer, District 6.

The Texas Twelfth Court of Appeals is located in Tyler.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Region I Parole Division Office and the Tyler District Parole Office in Tyler.

Federal government

The two U.S. Senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. Tyler is part of Texas' 1st congressional district, which is currently represented by Republican Louie Gohmert.

The United States Postal Service operates several post offices in Tyler, including Tyler, Azalea, Southeast Crossing, and the South Tyler Annex.

Recreation and tourism

Annually, the Texas Rose Festival draws thousands of tourists to Tyler. The festival, which celebrates the role of the rose-growing industry in the local economy, is held in October and features a parade, the coronation of the Rose Queen, and other civic events. The Rose Museum features the history of the Festival. Tyler is also home to Caldwell Zoo, several local museums, Lake Palestine, Lake Tyler, and numerous golf courses and country clubs. A few miles away in Flint, TX is The WaterPark @ The Villages, a year-round, indoor water park. There is also an "Azalea Trail" in Tyler, which consists of two officially designated routes within the city that showcase homes or other landscaped venues adorned with azalea shrubs. The Azalea Trail also is home to the long-standing tradition of the Azalea Belles. The official greeters of the Azalea Trail are known as the Azalea Belles, young women from the Tyler area who dress in antebellum gowns. The belles are chosen each year from area high schools or home school families, and it is an honor to be chosen.

Tyler State Park, located a few miles North of the city limits, attracts visitors with opportunities to camp, canoe, and paddle boat on the lake. Other available pastimes include picnicking, boating (motors allowed – 5 mph speed limit), boat rentals, fishing, birding, hiking, mountain biking, hiking trails, lake swimming (in unsupervised swimming area), and nature study.

The Smith County Historical Society operates a museum and archives in the old Carnegie Library. The East Texas State Fair is held annually in Tyler. Lake Tyler was the location of the HGTV Dream Home contest in 2005. The 6,500 square feet (600 m²) house helped to boost tourism and interest in the community and surrounding areas. It was subsequently sold at public auction in January 2008, for $1.325 million.

Historical

The Smith County Historical Society building is located across the street from the Tyler Public Library.

Tyler has a Cotton Belt Railroad Depot Museum located near the Chamber of Commerce office.

The Smith County Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1959 by individuals and business firms dedicated to discovering, collecting, and preserving data, records, and other items relating to the history of Smith County, Texas. The Society operates a museum and archives, which is located in the former Carnegie Public Library building in downtown Tyler. Permanent museum exhibits include life-size dioramas of Smith County history, with topics ranging from the Caddo Indians to the 20th century. Other items from the Society's collections are showcased in revolving, temporary exhibits. The Society's archival library contains historical artifacts of Smith County, including newspapers, city directories, school records, photographs, maps, historical papers and rare books. The archives are open to the public for research on a limited schedule with volunteer staff on duty. The society is also the official caretaker of Camp Ford Historic Park.

Camp Ford was the largest Confederate Prisoner of War camp west of the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. The original site of the camp stockade is a public historic park managed by the Smith County Historical Society. The park contains a kiosk, paved trail, interpretive signage, a cabin reconstruction, and a picnic area. It is located on Highway 271, 0.8 miles (1.3 km) north of Loop 323.

Arts and Culture

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Tyler's Civic Chorale.

Transportation

Aerial photo of Tyler Pounds Regional Airport

The most common form of transportation is the motor vehicle. Tyler is a nexus of several major highways. Interstate 20 runs along the north edge of the city going east and west, U.S. Highway 69 runs north–south through the center of town and State Highway 64 runs east–west through the city. Tyler also has access to U.S. Highway 271, State Highway 31, State Highway 155, and State Highway 110. Loop 323 was established in 1957 and encircles the city, which has continued to grow outside of this loop. Loop 49 is a limited access "outer loop" around the city and currently runs from State Highway 110 south of Tyler to Interstate 20 northwest of Tyler. Loop 124 is 1.5 miles long.

Public transportation

Tyler Transit provides customers with public transportation service within the City of Tyler. The buses run daily, excluding Sundays and holidays. Tyler Transit offers customers the option to purchase tickets, tokens, or passes at the Tyler Transit office, located at 210 E. Oakwood Street inside the Cotton Belt Railroad Depot at the main transfer point. The City of Tyler paratransit service is a shared-ride, public transportation service. Requests for service must be made the day before the service is needed. Trips can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance. ADA compliant paratransit service is provided to all origins and destinations within the service area defined as the city limits of Tyler. Greyhound Lines bus service is available through a downtown terminal.

Via air

Tyler Pounds Regional Airport offers service to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Denver International Airport via American Eagle and Frontier, respectively. While American Eagle provides service with Embraer ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 regional jets, Frontier operates with Airbus A320 mainline jet aircraft, Europe's own equivalent to the Boeing 737. General Aviation services are provided by two fixed-base operators, Johnson Aviation and the Jet Center of Tyler.

Via train

Tyler was the hub for a series of short-line railroads which later evolved into the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, better known as "The Cotton Belt Route". This line later became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad, which itself merged with the Union Pacific Railroad, which continues to serve the city today. No passenger train service to Tyler has occurred since April 1956, but Amtrak runs through the city of Mineola, a short distance north of Tyler.

Walkability

A 2014 study by Walk Score ranked Tyler with a walkability score of 32 (out of 100) with some amenities within walking distance.

Healthcare

Hospitals located in Tyler include UT Health Tyler, Trinity Mother Frances Health System, UT Health North Campus Tyler, and Texas Spine & Joint Hospital. There are also many clinics including the Direct Care Clinic.

Family Life Center of West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler

Places of worship

Tyler is the home of many churches, including five large congregations in downtown, the Marvin United Methodist Church, Dayspring United Methodist Church, West Erwin Church of Christ, First Baptist Church, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Tyler is also the seat of Catholic Diocese of Tyler, which is particularly noteworthy for its There is also a Nazarene church on Old Bullard Road, called Tyler First Church Of The Nazarene. The city also has a Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints.

Tyler has three United Pentecostal Churches; the largest of them is Tyler Tabernacle located just outside of Loop 323. Park Heights Assembly of God is another and also located just outside Loop 323. The Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic church in East Tyler is also a major center of gathering. The St. Peter and Paul Chapel, a Catholic church, is located next to the Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Regional Catholic School, was constructed and dedicated in 2011, and holds masses in English and Spanish with a significant number of other services offered to all Tyler and neighboring residents. The city's largest church, Green Acres Baptist Church, is located on Troup Highway in southeast Tyler. Tyler is also home to two reformed Baptist churches, Sylvania Church and Living Acts Church, both of which are located in the south Tyler area. Tyler has several congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Additionally, Tyler has two Jewish houses of prayer, Ahavath Achim, which associates itself with Conservative Judaism and Beth El which adheres to Reform Judaism.

Tyler is also home to East Texas Islamic Society, established in 1988, which includes an Islamic house of worship and an Islamic school for children. There's also a Unitarian, Universalist Fellowship on Old Omen Road and Cross Brand Cowboy Church at 11915 FM 2015 Tyler, Texas. The oldest continuously active church in Smith County is the historic 152 year old New Harmony Baptist Church, which is located about 10 miles outside of Tyler at 10251 FM 724 Tyler, Texas.

Two Tyler churches were destroyed during the 2010 East Texas church burnings.

Media

Currently, 18 media outlets and one newspaper are located in Tyler, as well as many more in the surrounding areas.

Newspaper

• Tyler Morning Telegraph

Television

VHF/UHF Channel	Call Letters	Network
7	KLTV	ABC
19	KYTX	CBS
51	KFXK-TV	FOX
56	KETK	NBC

Radio

AM stations

Frequency	Call Letters	Format	Name
600	KTBB	News/Talk
1330	KGLD	Gospel	The Light
1490	KYZS	Sports	ESPN Deportes

FM stations

Frequency	Call Letters	Format	Name
88.7	KLOVE	Christian Contemporary	KLOVE
89.5	KVNE	Christian Contemporary	Encouragement FM
91.3	KGLY	Religious
92.1	KRWR	Sports	Fox Sports East Texas
93.1	KTYL	Hot Adult Contemporary	Mix 93.1
96.1	KKTX	Classic Rock	Classic Rock 96.1
96.7	KOYE	Spanish	La Invasora
97.5	KTBB-FM	News/Talk	KTBB
99.3	KAPW	Spanish Pop	Mega 99.3
101.5	KNUE	Country
102.3	KLJT	Top 40	Fun Radio
102.7	KBLZ	Urban Contemporary	The Blaze
104.1	KKUS	Classic Country	The Ranch
106.5	KOOI	Variety Hits	Jack 106.5
107.3	KISX	Urban Adult Contemporary	Hot1073Jamz

Sports

UT Tyler Women's Basketball Team

College and university teams

• University of Texas at Tyler Patriots (NCAA Division II)
• Texas College Steers (HBCU)
• Tyler Junior College Apaches (NJCAA)

Baseball teams

• Tyler Elbertas (1912)
• Tyler Trojans (1924–1929, 1931, 1935–1940, 1946–1950)
• Tyler Sports (1932)
• Tyler Governors (1933–1934)
• Tyler East Texans (1950–1953)
• Tyler Tigers (1954–1955)
• Tyler Wildcatters (1994–1997)
• Tyler Roughnecks (2001)

Football

• East Texas Twisters (2004)

Road races

• Fresh 15 Road Race (Annual)

Soccer

• Tyler FC (2016–Present)

High school sports teams

• All Saints Trojans (Private)
• Bishop T.K. Gorman Crusaders (Private)
• Grace Community Cougars (Private)
• Cumberland Academy Knights (Charter)
• EXEL Lions (Home School / 6 Man)
• John Tyler Lions (Public)
• Kings Academy Knights (Private)
• Robert E. Lee Red Raiders (Public)
• Tyler Heat (Home School / 6 Man)
• East Texas Christian Academy Panthers (Private)

Nearby:

• The Brook Hill School Guard (Private)
• Chapel Hill Bulldogs (Public)
• Lindale Eagles (Public)
• Whitehouse Wildcats (Public)

Notable events

• Fragments of the Space Shuttle Columbia landed near Tyler on February 1, 2003. (See Space Shuttle Columbia disaster)
• On the evening of February 2, 2009, a fire engulfed a number of historic buildings located in downtown Tyler. Eight different fire departments responded to the fire.
• The 1982 Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, which prohibited denying schooling to immigrant children, originated in the Tyler Independent School District.
• Robert E. Mead founded what later became known as Silverleaf Resorts in Tyler in 1977.
• The Tyler courthouse shooting was on February 24, 2005, when David Arroyo fatally shot his ex-wife and a man in the Tyler Square on the Smith County Courthouse.

Notable people

Main category: People from Tyler, Texas

Entertainment

• Josh Carpenter – film, television, theater, internet and commercial actor
• Sandy Duncan – actress, raised in Tyler
• Alex Finlayson – playwright
• Kiki Shepard (born 1951) – television host
• Arthur "Dooley" Wilson (1886–1953) – musician and actor (Casablanca)

Musicians

• Max Bemis – lead singer of rock band Say Anything, who is also married to Sherri DuPree of Eisley
• A. C. Bilbrew – musician, composer, and radio personality
• Richard Dobson – singer-songwriter
• Eddie and Sugar Lou's Hotel Tyler Orchestra - jazz band
• Eisley – indie band.
• Teron Beal – Songwriter Michael Jackson. Bonnie Raitt, Mya
• Element Eighty – alternative metal band.
• Johnny Gimble – award-winning fiddle player associated with Western Swing and Bob Wills
• Brandon Beal – singer-songwriter and producer
• Shaun Groves – Christian-rock singer-songwriter
• Billy Harper – jazz tenor-saxophonist
• Johnny Horton – country singer
• Will Jennings – songwriter
• Ralph Kirshbaum – classical celllist
• Adrian Taylor – bassist, guitarist
• Mouse and the Traps – 1960s Garage Rock band.
• Ivoryline – alternative band
• Willie Neal Johnson (1935-2001) - gospel recording artist and quartet singer, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Detroit, MI and American Gospel Quartet Hall of Fame in Birmingham, AL in 1999.

Government and politics

• Jere Locke Beasley – (born 1935), born in Tyler, he was the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Alabama when Governor George Corley Wallace was shot and severely injured in an assassination attempt in Laurel, Maryland, on May 15, 1972. Beasley, a Democrat, hence served as the acting governor of Alabama from June 5 to July 7, 1972.
• Leo Berman – Republican former member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 6
• Kevin Eltife – Republican member of the Texas Senate from Tyler
• Brady P. Gentry – former Chairman Texas State Highway Commission; former US Congressman; the gymnasium at Tyler Junior College named after him
• Louie Gohmert – Republican U.S. representative and former Smith County judge
• William Wayne Justice – Democrat U.S. District Court Judge in Tyler for 30 years – made countless key decisions on environment and civil rights
• Matt Krause – Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Fort Worth; born in Tyler in 1980
• Frank Melton (1949-2009) – former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi (2005–2009), and former broadcast journalist and general manager of KLTV in Tyler in 1977.
• Albert Parsons (1848-1887) – pioneer American socialist and later anarchist newspaper editor, orator, and labor activist. Parsons was one of four Chicago radical leaders controversially convicted of conspiracy and hanged following a bomb attack on police remembered as the Haymarket affair. He resided in Tyler, Texas where he was reared by his eldest brother, William Henry Parsons, however Parson's moved the family moved from Tyler in the mid-1850s.
• Matt Schaefer (born 1976) – Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Tyler since 2013; lawyer and United States Navy officer
• Dan Smoot (1913-2003) – figure in the anti-communist movement; spent later years at Holly Lake Ranch in neighboring Wood County, where he died at the age of eighty-nine
• William Steger (1920-2006) – Republican U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Texas, based in Tyler, from 1970 until his death. The William M. Steger Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Tyler was named in his honor in 2006.
• Martin Heines (born 1962) – he is the current mayor of Tyler, Texas.

Journalism

• Nelson Clyde III (1945-2007), the fourth-generation publisher of the Tyler Morning Telegraph
• Sarah McClendon – Democrat journalist and White House correspondent for over half a century, longest tenure ever in the White House press corps
• Allen R. Morris – he is an Emmy Award-winning producer/director/writer. For a period, he worked for Buford Television at KLTV in Tyler, as Operations Manager and Director of Creative Services, during which time he was also a frequent actor at the Tyler Civic Theatre (1979 to 1990).
• Ned Touchstone (1926–1988) – born in Florien, Louisiana, newspaper publisher who was a figure in the "Radical Right" in Louisiana politics during the 1960s. At the time of death, he resided on Lake Palestine near Tyler.

Religion

• Joseph Strickland - bishop of the diocese of Tyler whose principal church is the downtown cathedral.
• James T. Draper, Jr. – president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1982 to 1984, was a pastor in Tyler in the early 1960s.
• David O. Dykes – pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler
• James B. Jordan - pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church and found of the Geneva Study Center
• Harold Rahm - Jesuit priest, who was sent on a mission to Brazil in 1964 and became known worldwide for his efforts in the prevention and treatment of drug addiction.
• Anwar Khalifa - spokesperson for the East Texas Islamic Society

Science

• David Brown - geneticist best known for working with microRNA
• Josh Byerly – NASA spokesman and one of the "voices of Mission Control"
• Winston C. Hackett - A native of Tyler, who became the first African-American physician in Arizona.
• Brian Werner – Conservationist, co-founder of Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge, located near Tyler.

Sports

• Quincy Acy – NBA power forward – Sacramento Kings
• Gary Baxter (1978)– NFL defensive back
• Ciron Black (1986) – college football right tackle
• Jeb Blount (1954) – NFL quarterback
• Tyus Bowser – University of Houston & Baltimore Ravens Offensive Line Backer (2017)
• Earl Campbell – NFL running back (1955)
• Chris Carter – NFL defensive back (1977)
• Travis Chick – MLB Pitcher (2006)
• Ricky Collins – CFL wide receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2016)
• Tim Crowder – NFL defensive end (1985)
• George Cumby (1956) – NFL linebacker
• Matt Flynn – NFL quarterback (1985)
• Hunter Freeman – Major League Soccer defender/midfielder (1985)
• Randy Grimes – NFL center (1960)
• Daniel Hernández – Major League Soccer defender/midfielder (1976)
• Clarence Huber – MLB third baseman
• Kendall Hunter – NFL running back (1988)
• Larry Johnson – NBA forward (1969)
• Jeremy Lane – NFL cornerback (1990)
• Tremain Mack – NFL kick returner (1974)
• Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback (1995). Super Bowl LIV Champion and MVP.
• Benny Malone – NFL running back (1952)
• Johnny Manziel – NFL quarterback (1992), Born in Tyler, but raised in Kerrville- Cleveland Browns
• LaDouphyous McCalla – CFL defensive back (1976)
• A.J. Minter - MLB pitcher (2017-present)
• Jerry Mumphrey – MLB outfielder (1952)
• Terrence Murphy – NFL wide receiver
• Brandon Pettigrew – NFL tight end (1985) – Detroit Lions
• Archie Reynolds – MLB pitcher, raised in Tyler (1946)
• Derrell Robertson – Canadian Football League player (1967-1994)
• Aaron Ross – NFL cornerback, schooled in Tyler (1982)
• Louis Santop – Negro League catcher
• Robert Taylor – Olympic runner (1948-2007)
• Josh Tomlin – MLB pitcher (1984)
• Lee Tunnell – MLB pitcher (1960)
• Morgan Wade – BMX professional (1983)
• Greg Ward, Jr. – Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver
• Branch Warren – bodybuilder
• Doug Wyatt – NFL defensive back (1946)

Others

Terry B. Plays word chums, phase 10, watches Netflix for the commercials and barks at passing dogs. Likes strawberry frosted pop tarts with ketchup and doesn’t drink coffee until it’s cold. Only watched GOT because of Jon snow

• Harry Asher Badt – naval officer in World War I and II
• Jo-Carroll Dennison – Miss America 1942, the first Miss Texas to win the national title
• Jonna Fitzgerald – former Miss Texas, runner-up in Miss America pageant, television news anchor, noted musician
• Bruce Goff – Modernist architect, died in Tyler, Texas.

Sister cities

• Lo Barnechea, Chile
• San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico
• Yachiyo, Chiba, Japan
• Jelenia Góra, Poland
• Liberia, Costa Rica
• Metz, France

See also

• Cotton Belt Depot Train Museum
• List of museums in East Texas
• Tyler Museum of Art
• Whitaker-McClendon House

Further reading

• Austin, Gladys Peters, Along the Century Trail: Early History of Tyler, Texas (Dallas: Avalon Press, 1946)
• Burton, Morris Tyler as an Early Railroad Center, Chronicles of Smith County, Spring 1963
• Betts, Vicki, Smith County, Texas, in the Civil War (Tyler, Texas: Smith County Historical Society, 1978)
• Everett, Dianna, The Texas Cherokees: A People between Two Fires, 1819–1840 (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990)
• Glover, ed., Robert W., Tyler and Smith County, Texas (n.p.: Walsworth, 1976)
• Henderson, Adele, Smith County, Texas: Its Background and History in Ante-Bellum Days (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1926)
• McDonald, Archie P. Historic Smith County (Historical Publishing Network, 2006).
• Reed, Robert E. Jr. Images of America: Tyler (Arcadia Publishing, 2008).
• Reed, Robert E. Jr. Postcard History: Tyler (Arcadia Publishing, 2009).
• Smith County Historical Society, Historical Atlas of Smith County (Tyler, Texas: Tyler Print Shop, 1965)
• Wardlaw, Trevor P. "Sires and Sons: The Story of Hubbard’s Regiment." CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015. ISBN 978-1511963732
• Whisenhunt, Donald W. comp., Chronological History of Smith County (Tyler, Texas: Smith County Historical Society, 1983)
• Woldert, Albert, A History of Tyler and Smith County (San Antonio: Naylor, 1948)

External links

• City Of Tyler Website Official City Website