Smith County, Texas

History

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples occupied this area of present-day Texas. The first known inhabitants of the area now known as Smith County were the Caddo Indians, who were recorded here until 1819. That year, a band of Cherokee, led by their chief, "The Bowl" (also known as Chief Bowles), migrated from Georgia and settled in what are now Smith and Rusk counties. The Treaty of Bowles Village on February 23, 1836, between the Republic of Texas and the Cherokee and 12 affiliated tribes, gave all of Smith and Cherokee counties, as well as parts of western Rusk County, southern Gregg (formed from Rusk County in 1873) and southeastern Van Zandt counties to the tribes.

Native Americans remained on these lands until the Cherokee War in the summer of 1839, as part of European-American conflicts with Native Americans in Texas. The Cherokee were driven out of Smith County. In this period, Cherokee and other Native American nations were forced from the Southeast United States to west of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory during Indian Removal.

After 1845, some Cherokee returned when Benjamin Franklin Thompson, a white man married to a Cherokee, purchased 10,000 acres of land in Rusk County and allowed them to settle. The Mount Tabor Indian Community developed here, some six miles south of present-day Kilgore. The community later grew and incorporated areas near Overton, Arp, and Troup, Texas.

In July 1846, Smith County separated from the Nacogdoches District and was named for James Smith, a general of the Texas Revolution. At this time, Tyler was designated as the county seat.

During the American Civil War, Camp Ford was the largest Confederate prisoner-of-war camp west of the Mississippi River. Here, Sheriff Jim Reed of Collin County and Judge McReynolds, former chief justice of the district, were seized and lynched by "Regulators".

The original site of the camp stockade is now a public historic park owned by Smith County, as such it is exempted from making any County property tax contribution, and is managed by the Smith County Historical Society. The park contains a kiosk, a paved trail, interpretive signage, a cabin reconstruction, and a picnic area. To date, it has never been the site of a paid venue, nor public event. It is located on Highway 271, 0.8 miles north of Loop 323.

20th century to present

Camp Fanin, a World War II US army replacement training facility, was located in the area known as Owentown, northeast of Tyler along US Hwy 271. Many of its original buildings still exist.

The Smith County Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit 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. More information can be found at the Smith County Historical Society Website.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 950 sqmi, of which 921 sqmi are land and 28 sqmi (3.0%) are covered by water.

The county infrastructure includes some 1180 mi of two-lane county road.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-20 (TX).svg|20px]] Interstate 20
• [[Image:US 69.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 69
• [[Image:US 80.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 80
• [[Image:US 271.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 271
• [[Image:Texas 31.svg|20px]] State Highway 31
• [[Image:Texas 57.svg|20px]] State Highway 57
• [[Image:Texas 64.svg|20px]] State Highway 64
• [[Image:Texas 110.svg|20px]] State Highway 110
• [[Image:Texas 135.svg|20px]] State Highway 135
• [[Image:Texas 155.svg|20px]] State Highway 155
• [[Image:Texas Loop 49.svg|20px]] [[Image:Toll Texas 49 new.svg|20px]] Loop 49
• [[Image:Texas Loop 323.svg|20px]] Loop 323

Adjacent counties

• Wood County (north)
• Upshur County (northeast)
• Gregg County (east)
• Rusk County (southeast)
• Cherokee County (south)
• Henderson County (southwest)
• Van Zandt County (northwest)

Communities

Cities

• Arp
• Hideaway
• Lindale
• New Chapel Hill
• Noonday
• Overton (mostly in Rusk County)
• Troup (small part in Cherokee County)
• Tyler (county seat)
• Whitehouse

Towns

• Bullard (small part in Cherokee County)
• Winona

Census-designated place

• Emerald Bay

Unincorporated communities

• Antioch
• Bascom
• Blackjack
• Bostick
• Browning
• Carroll
• Copeland
• Dogwood City
• Elberta
• Flint
• Garden Valley
• Gresham
• Jamestown
• Lee Spring
• Midway
• Mount Sylvan
• New Harmony
• New Hope
• Omen
• Owentown
• Pine Springs
• Pine Trail Estates
• Red Springs
• Salem
• Sand Flat
• Shady Grove
• Sinclair City
• Starrville
• Swan
• Teaselville
• Thedford
• Walnut Grove
• Waters Bluff
• Wood Springs
• Wright City

Ghost towns

• Burning Bush
• Douglas
• Utica

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–2010 2010 2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 233,479. The median age was 37.5 years, with 24.0% of residents under the age of 18 and 17.9% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.4 males age 18 and over.

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 61.9% White, 16.5% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian,

As of the 2020 census, 65.1% of residents lived in urban areas while 34.9% lived in rural areas.

As of the 2020 census, there were 88,567 households in the county, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18; 49.4% were married couples, 16.6% were male householders without a spouse or partner, and 28.9% were female householders without a spouse or partner. About 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

As of the 2020 census, there were 97,539 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.9% were owner-occupied and 35.1% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, Smith County had a population of 209,714, up from its 1850 population of 4,292. Among its 2010 population, the racial and ethnic makeup was 62.11% non-Hispanic white, 17.74% Black or African American, 0.35% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.22% Asian alone, 0.03% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.11% some other race, 3.47% multiracial, and 17.21% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

American Community Survey

At the 2021 American Community Survey, Smith County had a median household income of $63,115; its mean household income was $86,661.

Among the owner-occupied housing units of the county, the median value was $169,600, and there was a median real estate tax of $2,634. Owner-occupied housing units without a mortgage had a median value of $173,700 and median real estate tax of $2,203.

Throughout the county, an estimated 12.51% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Politics

Smith County is a stronghold of the Republican Party. In presidential elections, it has voted for the Republican candidate each time since 1952, and Democratic Party candidates have only managed 40 percent of the county's vote four times over that time, the most recent being Jimmy Carter in 1976. From 2000 onward, no Democrat has managed even 30 percent of the county's vote.

Smith County was one of the first areas of Texas to break off from a Solid South voting pattern. The last Democrat to carry Smith County was incumbent President Harry S. Truman in 1948. The county's conservative white voters began splitting their tickets as early as the next election, when it swung from a 29-point win for Truman to a 17-point win for Dwight Eisenhower. In 1964, it rejected Democratic President and Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson in favor of Barry Goldwater, albeit by fewer than 500 votes. It was one of three East Texas counties, along with Panola and Gregg, to vote for Goldwater. At that time, most Blacks and Latinos in the county were still disenfranchised due to the state's discriminatory use of certain barriers.

Smith County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by Matt Schaefer (R) of Tyler and the Texas Senate by Senator Bryan Hughes (R). Its U.S. Representative is Nathaniel Moran (R).

Government and infrastructure

The county is governed by a Commissioners Court, made up of four members elected from single-member districts and a county judge elected at-large.

Smith County has the tenth most road miles of any county in the state of Texas, with 1,170 – about the distance from Tyler, Texas to Paradise, Nevada. The Smith County Road & Bridge Department maintains the county's bridges and roads, including mowing the rights of way.

The $39.5 million Smith County Road Bond passed with 73% of the vote on November 7, 2017. The issuance of bonds was for road and bridge construction and major improvements. Road work around the county is well underway. For a list of road projects in the two-phase, six-year bond program, visit www.smith-county.com.

Officials

Twenty-eight elected officials serve Smith County citizens (county auditor is not an elected position):

Education

These school districts serve school-aged children in Smith County:

• Arp Independent School District
• Bullard Independent School District (also partially in Cherokee County)
• Chapel Hill Independent School District
• Gladewater Independent School District (also partially in Gregg County and Upshur County)
• Lindale Independent School District (also partially in Van Zandt County)
• Troup Independent School District (also partially in Cherokee County)
• Tyler Independent School District
• Van Independent School District (also partially in Van Zandt County)
• Whitehouse Independent School District
• Winona Independent School District

Those wishing to attend institutions of higher learning in the area can attend:

• Tyler Junior College
• Texas College
• University of Texas at Tyler

Media

Smith County is part of the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville DMA. Local media outlets are: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV.

KTBB, an AM radio station based in Tyler, provides a news-talk format to the area.

The daily Tyler Morning Telegraph is the primary newspaper in the county, based in Tyler. Coverage of the area can also be found in the Longview News-Journal, published in Longview, in Gregg County.

References

References

1. "Smith County, Texas".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Clarke, Mary Whatley. (1971). "Chief Bowles and the Texas Cherokees: A History".
4. Winfrey, Day. (1825–1916). "Indian Papers of Texas, Volume I: Treaty between Texas and the Cherokee Indians".
5. Pynes, Patrick. (2007). "Historic Origins of the Mount Tabor Indian Community: Northern Arizona University".
6. Texas State Historical Association Online. "Smith County". Texas State Historical Association.
7. "To discover, collect and preserve the history of Smith County". Smith County Historical Society.
8. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
9. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". [[US Census Bureau]].
11. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac.
12. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Smith County, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
13. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Smith County, Texas".
14. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Smith County, Texas".
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
17. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
18. (July 1, 2021). "S1901 INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2021 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) - 2021: ACS 1-Year Estimates - Smith County, Texas".
19. (July 1, 2021). "S2506 FINANCIAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR HOUSING UNITS WITH A MORTGAGE - 2021: ACS 1-Year Estimates - Smith County, Texas".
20. (July 1, 2021). "S2507 FINANCIAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR HOUSING UNITS WITHOUT A MORTGAGE - 2021: ACS 1-Year Estimates - Smith County, Texas".
21. (July 1, 2021). "S1701 POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS- 2021: ACS 1-Year Estimates - Smith County, Texas".
22. The Political Graveyard; [http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/TX/SM-votes.html Smith County, Texas]
23. [https://www.laits.utexas.edu/txp_media/html/vce/0503.html "5.3 Historical Barriers to Voting"], ''Texas Politics'', University of Texas website, 2018
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
25. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".