Gregg County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the eastern part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 124,239. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Longview. The county is named after John Gregg, a Confederate general killed in action during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Gregg County is part of the

Longview, Texas metropolitan area The Longview metropolitan statistical area is a metropolitan area in Northeast Texas that covers four counties— Gregg, Harrison, Rusk, and Upshur. As of the 2010 census the MSA had a population of 280,000 (though a July 1, 2019 estimate place ...

and the Longview–

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, Texas combined statistical area. Discovery of oil near Kilgore in October 1930 was the beginning of an

oil boom An oil boom is a period of large inflow of income as a result of high global oil prices or large oil production in an economy. Generally, this short period initially brings economic benefits, in terms of increased GDP growth, but might later lead ...

that attracted workers to the county and expanded the population by more than 500% by 1940, according to the census. By that time, the economy had stabilized, but the

East Texas Oil Field The East Texas Oil Field is a large oil reservoir, oil and gas field in east Texas. Covering and parts of five counties, and having 30,340 historic and active oil wells, it is the second-largest oil field in the United States outside Alaska, a ...

, extending into five counties, has continued to be important to the county and region's economy.

History

This area was among early sections settled by United States immigrants before Texas became an independent republic, and after 1845, a state of the United States. It was an area developed as cotton plantations dependent on

slave labor Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

of African Americans. Lumbering of the pine forests was also pursued, especially in the early years of clearing the land for cultivation. Gregg County was organized in 1873 after the

from portions of existing counties. When the Texas State Legislature convened in January 1873, Democratic representative B. W. Brown of Upshur County introduced a bill to create a new county from parts of Harrison,

Rusk A rusk is a hard, dry Biscuit#Biscuits in British usage, biscuit or a twice-baked bread. It is sometimes used as a teether for babies. In some cultures, rusk is made of cake rather than bread: this is sometimes referred to as cake rusk. In the ...

, and Upshur Counties. He was likely trying to break up the black majority that dominated county politics in Harrison County. Under Brown's proposal, the county was to be named Roanoke, and Longview was to be the county seat. The proposed name was later changed to honor Texas leader and Confederate General John Gregg, and the county seat was determined by popular election. Harrison and Rusk Counties resisted efforts to have portions of their territory assigned to Gregg County. When Gregg County was created, it first consisted of about taken from Upshur County, and the Sabine River was its southern boundary. In April 1874, about south of the Sabine River in Rusk County was added to Gregg County. The third portion, of about to be taken from Harrison County, was never realized. Many of its voters continued to elect Republicans to county offices. By 1919, the county population was 16,700, of whom 8,160, or 48%, were Black. Most were sharecroppers or tenant farmers raising cotton as a commodity crop. Members of the Negro Business League set up a cooperative store in Longview to compete with White merchants and offer African-American residents more choices for purchases. Beginning July 10, the town had a short-lived Longview Race Riot, in which one Black man was killed, and several Black-owned homes and properties were burned. It was quelled when the sheriff asked for Texas National Guard and other law enforcement. They established a curfew and military occupation. Agricultural work declined during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

of the 1930s, and many African Americans continued to leave in the Great Migration north to find other work. In October 1930, oil was discovered near Joinerville, between

Henderson, Texas Henderson is a city and the county seat of Rusk County, Texas, United States. Its population was 13,271 at the 2020 census. Henderson is named for James Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of Texas. The city has functioned as a major crossr ...

(Rusk County) and Kilgore (mostly in southwest Gregg County). And shortly after, oil was discovered within Gregg County, near Pine Tree/East Mountain (Lathrop No 1). Suddenly, the county economy was booming, and the

attracted so many workers that county population increased by more than 500% by 1940. Growth stabilized, but oil has continued to be important. County demographics changed as other workers were attracted to the area. In the early 21st century, slightly less than 20% of the population is African American.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which (0.9%) are covered by water.

Major highways

* Interstate 20 * U.S. Highway 80 * U.S. Highway 259 * U.S. Highway 271 * State Highway 31 * State Highway 42

Adjacent counties

* Upshur County (north) * Harrison County (east) * Rusk County (south) * Smith County (west)

Communities

Cities

* Clarksville City (small part in Upshur County) * East Mountain (mostly in Upshur County) * Easton (partly in Rusk County) * Gladewater (partly in Upshur County) * Kilgore (small part in Rusk County) * Lakeport * Longview (small part in Harrison County) * Warren City (small part in Upshur County) *

White Oak ''Quercus'' subgenus ''Quercus'' is one of the two subgenera into which the genus ''Quercus'' was divided in a 2017 classification (the other being subgenus ''Cerris''). It contains about 190 species divided among five sections. It may be calle ...

Census-designated places

* Lake Cherokee * Liberty City

Other unincorporated communities

* Danville * Elderville * Fredonia * Gladewater Park * Judson * Kinsloe * Seven Pines * Shiloh * Teneryville

Former communities

* Greggton - annexed to Longview in the 1950s * Spring Hill - annexed to Longview on October 7, 1983

Demographics

According to the 2000 census, 111,379 people, 42,687 households, and 29,667 families were residing in the county. According to the 2020 census, 124,239 people resided in the county, reflecting statewide population growth during the early 2000s-2020. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was in 2000; the 46,349 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 72.89% White, 19.86% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 4.57% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races; about 9.14% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 54.77% non-Hispanic white, 20.10% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.30% Asian alone, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.24% some other race, 3.86% multiracial, and 19.35% Hispanic or Latino of any race, reflecting nationwide demographic diversification. In 2000, median income for a household in the county was $35,006, and for a family was $42,617. Males had a median income of $33,186 versus $21,432 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $18,449. About 12.00% of families and 15.10% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.50% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over. By 2020, its median household income was $52,027 with a mean income of $73,022.

Education

These school districts serve Gregg County: * Gladewater ISD (partly in Smith, Upshur Counties) * Kilgore ISD (partly in Rusk County) * Longview ISD * Pine Tree ISD * Sabine ISD * Spring Hill ISD * White Oak ISD Areas in Gladewater, Kilgore, Longview, Pine Tree, Sabine, Spring Hill, and White Oak ISDs (in other words, all of the school districts covering sections of the county) are in the Kilgore Junior College zone.

Media

Gregg County is part of the Tyler/ Longview/

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

DMA. Local media outlets are: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV,

KFXK-TV KFXK-TV (channel 51) is a television station licensed to Longview, Texas, United States, serving East Texas as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by White Knight Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Ne ...

, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV. The ''

Longview News-Journal The ''Longview News-Journal'' is the major newspaper printed in the City of Longview, Texas. History Dating to 1871 independent publishers, including James Hogg, later Texas governor, and Carl Estes, Longview civic figure, the publication was ...

'' is the primary newspaper in the county, published in Longview. Coverage of the area can also be found in the ''

Tyler Morning Telegraph The ''Tyler Morning Telegraph'' is a daily online newspaper based in Tyler, Texas, United States. It currently prints Wednesdays, Friday, and a Saturday/Sunday weekend edition available for delivery by mail or in many locations across Smith Coun ...

'', based in Tyler, in Smith County. The '' Gladewater Mirror'' has been published since 1949, first as a daily newspaper and then as a weekly newspaper.

Radio

Gallery

File:Gregg County Courthouse annex in Longview, TX IMG_3953.JPG, The annex building is attached to the Gregg County Courthouse. File:Gregg County, TX, Historical Museum IMG_3997.JPG, The Gregg County Historical Museum is located in the historic district of Longview. File:Confederate monument in Longview, TX IMG_3949.JPG, Monument to the Confederate soldier at the Gregg County Courthouse in Longview, completed by

Frank Teich Frank Teich (September 22, 1856 – January 27, 1939) was a German-born American sculptor, stone carver, and businessman, often referred to as the father of the Texas granite industry. Early life and education Teich was born on September 22, ...

, 1911

Politics

Before the complete disfranchisement of rural freedmen, Gregg County's black freedmen allowed it to vote for

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

twice, and for several other Republicans during the

Third Party System The Third Party System was a period in the history of political parties in the United States from the 1850s until the 1890s, which featured profound developments in issues of American nationalism, modernization, and race. This period was marke ...

. Gregg subsequently became a classic "

Solid South The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...

" Democratic county between 1904 and 1948, but has since become solidly Republican at a Presidential level, although the presence of a sizeable black population has permitted the Democrats to gain a quarter of the countywide total at virtually every election. Nonetheless, Gregg was one of only 16 Texas counties to vote for

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

in his 1964 definitive loss, and the last Democrat to carry the county was

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

in 1948.

References

External links

Gregg County government's website

Gregg County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

{{coord, 32.48, -94.81, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1873 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1873 Longview metropolitan area, Texas