Tyler, Texas
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Tyler is the county seat of Smith County in East Texas; it is located roughly halfway between Dallas and Shreveport. The city is named for President John Tyler in recognition of his support for Texas' admission to the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 83,650.
Tyler is sometimes referred to as the Rose Capital of America because of its role in the rose-growing industry; about 20% of commercial rose bushes produced in the U.S. are grown in Tyler and Smith County and more than half of the rose bushes are packaged and shipped from the area. It boasts the nation's largest municipal rose garden and hosts the Texas Rose Festival each October.
In 1985, the international Adopt-a-Highway movement originated in Tyler when, after appeals by local Texas Department of Transportation officials, the local Civitan chapter adopted a 2 mile (3 km) stretch of U.S. Highway 69.
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Geography
TXMap-doton-Tyler.PNG
Location of Tyler, Texas
Tyler is located at 32°20'3" North, 95°17'60" West (32.334249, -95.299927)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 128.0 km² (49.4 mi²). 127.7 km² (49.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.22% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 83,650 people, 32,525 households, and 21,076 families residing in the city. The population density is 655.1/km² (1,696.7/mi²). There are 35,337 housing units at an average density of 276.7/km² (716.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 61.92% White, 26.63% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.46% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. 15.82% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 32,525 households out of which 30.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% are married couples living together, 14.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% are non-families. 30.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 3.12.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,163, and the median income for a family is $43,618. Males have a median income of $31,728 versus $22,397 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,184. 16.8% of the population and 13.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.3% of those under the age of 18 and 12.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Economy
In addition to its role in the rose-growing industry, Tyler is the headquarters for Brookshire Grocery Co. (website (http://www.brookshires.com/)), which operates Brookshire's and Super 1 Foods supermarkets in four states. The company's main distribution center is located here, as is SouthWest Foods, a subsidiary that produces dairy products.
The manufacturing sector includes Tyler Pipe, a subsidiary of McWane Inc. that produces soil and utility pipe products, as well as facilities producing Kelly-Springfield tires and Carrier air conditioners.
Also produced in Tyler are John Soules Foods' fajita and other meat products; Distant Lands Coffee Roasters coffee; and Tyler Candle Co. jar candles, which are known for their strong fragrance.
The location of the 2005 HGTV Dream Home in nearby Lake Tyler is expected to boost tourism in Tyler. The custom-designed, fully furnished home and its adjacent dock house have a combined heated and cooled area of about 6,500 square feet (600 m²). Tours of the home are available on select days January through April 2005; the winner of the $1.5 million prize package is to be announced in March.
Transportation
Tyler Pounds Regional Airport (website (http://www.cityoftyler.org/30865ced534e421ab0a513b335e334eb/default.html)) offers service to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport via American Eagle and to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport via SkyWest Continental Connection.
The city's Tyler Transit (website (http://www.cityoftyler.org/4c28426683044d4dbad3551fe5df2885/default.html)) buses run daily, excluding Sundays and holidays. Greyhound Lines bus service is available through a downtown terminal.
Education
Tyler's higher education institutions include the University of Texas at Tyler (website (http://www.uttyler.edu/)) and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (website (http://www.uthct.edu/)), both part of the University of Texas System; Tyler Junior College (website (http://www.tjc.edu/)), a two-year institution; and Texas College (website (http://www.texascollege.edu/)), a historically black two-year school affiliated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
Public primary and secondary education for much of the city is provided by the Tyler Independent School District (website (http://www.tylerisd.org/)), which includes two high schools, John Tyler and Robert E. Lee; several Tyler ISD schools offer International Baccalaureate programmes. The Tyler Catholic School System consists of St. Gregory (elementary) and Bishop Thomas K Gorman (middle/high school) There are several other private schools, including Grace Community School and All Saints Episcopal School.
Famous Tylerites
Athletes
- Earl Campbell - National Football League running back nicknamed "The Tyler Rose"
- Gary Baxter - NFL cornerback
- Ed Jasper - NFL defensive tackle
- Larry Centers - NFL running back
- Hunter Freeman - Major League Soccer defender
- Daniel Hernandez - soccer defender in the Primera_División_de_México
Others
- Arthur "Dooley" Wilson - actor and singer most well known for playing Sam in the movie Casablanca
- Jo-Carroll Dennison - Miss America 1942, the first Miss Texas to win the national title
- Sarah McClendon - journalist and White House correspondent
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| See also: List of Texas counties |