Bullard is a small town in

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and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

counties in the east-central part of the

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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 ...

U.S. Route 69 U.S. Route 69 (US 69) is a major north–south United States highway in the central United States. When it was first created, it was only long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's ...

and Farm-to-Market Roads 2137, 2493, and 344 intersect here, about south of the larger city of Tyler. Its population was 3,318 at the 2020 census, up from 2,463 at the 2010 census. The Smith County portion of the town is part of the Tyler metropolitan statistical area, while the Cherokee County portion is part of the

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 ...

micropolitan statistical area. Bullard was earlier known as "Etna" and "Hewsville". The town is named for John H. Bullard, a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

soldier, and Emma Eugenia (Erwin) Bullard. In 1881, John Bullard opened the Hewsville post office in his store. In 1883, the Etna post office, near Hewsville, was closed. Then, the Hewsville office was renamed "Bullard". Many rural residents in northern Cherokee County are served by the Bullard post office. The bypassing of the railroad brought about the demise of Etna and the rise of Bullard.

History

The Etna post office, just west of Bullard, was granted in 1867, although settlers had been in the vicinity since the early 1850s. John and Emma Bullard arrived about 1870. A new post office named Hewsville was opened in the Bullards' store in 1881. The Etna post office was closed in 1883 and the Hewsville post office was renamed as Bullard. When the Kansas and Gulf Short Line Railroad extended its route from Tyler to

Lufkin Lufkin is the largest city in Angelina County, Texas, United States and is the county seat. The city is situated in Deep East Texas and is west of the Texas- Louisiana state line. Its population is 34,143 as of 2020. Lufkin was founded in 188 ...

, it passed through Bullard and built a depot there. This attracted new residents and businesses. In 1890, the town had 200 residents and most essential businesses, plus a doctor and a telegraph office. The railroad was renamed several times, becoming the St. Louis, Arkansas, and Texas Railway and then (1892) the Tyler and Southwestern Railway. In 1903, the two public schools (segregated) had five teachers and 186 students between them. By 1914, the population had doubled to 400 and the railroad changed names once again, becoming the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad. Its population was 450 after World War II. The community did not organize to elect a city council until 1948. By the mid-1960s, the population had declined to 300, but it rebounded by 1973 when it reached 573. The community is now concentrated around the crossroads. Most residents commute for work to nearby Tyler.

Geography

Bullard is located in southern Smith County, with a small portion extending south into Cherokee County. Four-lane

passes through the east side of town, leading north to Tyler and south to Jacksonville. 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 ...

, Bullard has a total area of , of which , or 0.36%, is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2023, there are 4,848 people residing in the town. The racial make up of the town consists of Bullard being White (76.3%) followed by Hispanic (14.8%) and other ethnicities making up (4.1%). The median age for Bullard residents is 32.4 years young. In 2023, the median household income of Bullard households was $108,304.

Education

The town of Bullard is served by the Bullard Independent School District. The schools of BISD are Bullard Early Childhood, Primary, Bullard Elementary, Bullard Intermediate, Bullard Middle, and Bullard High School. The town of Bullard is also the home of Brook Hill School, a private, Christian school serving Pre-K–12th grade students.

References

External links

City of Bullard's official website

{{authority control Towns in Smith County, Texas Towns in Texas Towns in Cherokee County, Texas