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Community Information Handbook
On Longview, Texas
For a brief summary of Longview go
to the Community Profile
Where is
Longview, Texas
Longview is the central city of the
Longview-Marshall Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located
on the U.S. Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway 80 corridor that
stretches 275 miles through a chain of metropolitan
statistical areas from Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana,
through Dallas-Fort Worth. Dallas lies 125 miles west of
Longview, and Shreveport is 60 miles east. Approximate driving
times between Longview and:
| Dallas |
2 hours |
| U.S. Interstate 30 |
50 minutes |
| Houston and Interstate 10 |
4 1/2 hours |
| Shreveport |
60 minutes |
| Texarkana |
1 1/2 hours |
| U.S. Interstate 45 |
2 hours |
Longview is
the visitor’s center for the rolling hills, lakes, and pine
forests of East Texas. The tranquility and recreational
opportunities of East Texas attract weekenders and vacationers
from throughout the nation. This quality of life, along with
the work force, economy, cost of living and locational
advantages, are some of the reasons that Longview has been the
choice of business and families for over 40 years.
Longview As A Place To Live
Longview is the
county seat of Gregg County. Gregg, Harrison, and Upshur
Counties comprise the Longview-Marshall-Gilmer Metropolitan
Statistical Area. It is the largest MSA in the eastern part of
Texas.
There are 27 hotels and motels in the area with
over 1900 rooms. There are 13 banks in the area and three
savings and loans.
The community has a convention
center, a modern public library, the LeTourneau University
Library, the Gregg County Historical Museum, Longview Museum
of Fine Arts, R.G. LeTourneau Museum, 25 movie screens, a
rodeo arena, fair grounds, pavilions, and an exhibit building.
Longview is the regional shopping center for all East
Texas. The diversity of shops and goods available in our
community draws shoppers from throughout the Ark-La-Tex. On
the north side of town, the Longview Mall with more than 80
merchants and restaurants offers convenience under one roof.
Traditional, yet progressive, downtown Longview offers
boutiques, art galleries, fine furniture, and professional
service businesses.
Longview has two major regional
medical centers:
Good Shepherd
Medical Center and Longview
Regional Medical Center with almost 500 beds between them.
Minor emergencies may be treated at either hospital or at one
of several private health care clinics located throughout the
city.
Longview's 911 emergency system is designed to
put you in immediate contact with law enforcement and medical
personnel in case of emergencies. With one 911 call, the
dispatcher will connect you with the appropriate agency for
help - be that the police, sheriff's department, ambulance, or
fire department.
There are more than 100 places of
worship, encompassing most congregations. Many churches offer
day care and school opportunities in addition to their worship
programs.
Along with its strong beliefs, Longview is a
community dedicated to working and playing together, and
helping others. Many organizations exist from volunteer
service to neighborhood associations to clubs. For women,
opportunities range from professional organizations to family
and special interest clubs to sport teams. Men's organizations
range from service-oriented international clubs to
just-for-fun sporting groups. And, there are Boy Scouts,
CampFire, Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 4-H,
sports teams, and junior civic organizations for children.
School Systems
Longview has five excellent
public school systems and many parochial and private schools.
Additionally, seven colleges are within 40 miles of our
community. You will find the following public school systems
in the Longview area:
Longview Independent School District
Pine Tree
Independent School District
Spring
Hill Independent School District
Hallsville
Independent School District
White Oak
Independent School District
Parochial schools in
our area are religious-based and funded primarily by tuition
and personal gifts. These schools include Longview Christian
Academy, St. Mary's School, Trinity School of Texas, East Texas
Christian School and Christian Heritage School.
Colleges
and universities serve a wide variety of needs in our
community and make a big contribution to the good life in
Longview. Kilgore College, a state funded, two year
college is located in nearby Kilgore and operates a branch
campus in Longview. Kilgore is home to the world-famous
Rangerettes and offers excellent computer, art, drama, and
technical degree programs.
LeTourneau
University, a four-year nondenominational university, is
considered one of the finest schools in the United States.
Their aviation and engineering programs are ranked among the
highest in both Texas and the nation. LeTourneau attracts
nearly 2,000 students to this school in the piney woods
because of its religious value-based, world class education.
Longview University Center is a component of
The University of Texas at Tyler. Courses offered at the
Center are being delivered by a faculty member physically
present in the classroom, via interactive television, over the
Internet, or a combination of these formats. The degree
programs that are being offered at the Center are designed to
meet the educational needs of the greatest number of current
and prospective students, based on enrollment data,
information from area community colleges, and a survey of East
Texas residents.
Located nearby are Jarvis Christian
College in Hawkins and Texas State Technical College, Wiley College
and East
Texas Baptist University in Marshall.
Things to
See and Do Around Longview
Longview has a
fascinating history spanning the early years when cotton was
king in East Texas through the oil boom days to the present.
Located in the heart of Longview's One Hundred Acres of
Heritage, the Gregg County Historical Museum and the Longview Museum of
Fine Art are favorite places of visitors and residents
alike.
The Longview Convention
and Visitors Bureau publishes a variety of brochures on
tourism venues.
There is an abundance of restaurants,
both national chains and local favorites. The Longview
community is blessed with a variety of preforming arts
organizations.
Longview serves as the hub for visitors to the East
Texas area, and is the site of AlleyFest,
an annual three day festival on the streets Downtown Longview
the first weekend in June, and The Great Texas Balloon Race an annual event
held in mid July.
AlleyFest, begun in 1979 with 39 artists now
includes over 100 artisans, 40 hours of live music on two
stages, a large children's festival, a 3 on 3 street
basketball tournament, sand volleyball tournament, a certified
10k runners course with 5k and 1 mile routs PLUS outrageously
good food.
The Great Texas Balloon Race, also begun in
1979 is the first and largest such event in the state. This
competitive event attracts world class hot-air balloon pilots
from around the world who compete for points toward National
and International titles. A three-day event in mid-July holds
5 races, two night time balloon glows and is a fun festival
with full carnival, air-shows, food and commercial venders,
live music Fri. & Sat. night.
Light Up Longview
celebrates the holiday season with one of the most dramatic
lighting displays in East Texas. The Gregg County Courthouse
and grounds as well as many block in Downtown Longview come
alive with and thrill Longview residents and visitors alike.
Longview's rodeo arena is the stage for a variety of
exciting rodeo action including the Longview
Rodeo in the springtime, the Juneteenth Rodeo, and the PBR
Barrels and Bulls each August.
Longview has four golf
courses. Longview's Parks and Recreation Department offers
year-round organized youth and adult activities from softball
to swimming and tennis.
Outdoor team sports are
exceedingly popular among children and adults. The Lear Park
and Sports Complex is consolidating baseball, tennis, soccer
and girls' softball venues in one. It also includes the
community-volunteer-built Kidsview, a dream playground
designed by area schoolchildren.
There are dozens of
state parks for camping, hiking, and picnicking. Several
nationally known fishing lakes in the area include Lake O' The
Pines, Lake Fork, Toledo Bend, Martin Creek, Monticello, and
Caddo. No matter where you live in the area, you are never
more than 30 minutes from a major recreational lake. In fact,
33 public lakes offer fishing, boating, skiing, sailing, and
swimming, almost year round. East Texas is a favorite haven
for hunters and woodsmen. Seasons include deer, quail,
squirrel, dove, and duck.
Transportation
East
Texas Regional Airport, which is less than 10 miles from
downtown. Commercial air services is provided by American Eagle
through the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The
facility includes an FAA Control Tower and state-of-the-art
landing, lighting, and navigation systems. The airport
includes three 150' wide runways with 75' wide interconnecting
taxiways. NW-SW Runway 4-22 is 5,204' long.
Longview
is served by Amtrak's Longview Depot and Amtrak's Texas
Eagle.
Private and commercial service is provided
by FBO's. Taxi and car rental services are also available.
Rail freight and motor freight service are also provided.
Climate -Monthly
averages
Longview's Local
Government Structure
Longview operates under a
Home Rule Charter with a council/city manager form of
government. The Longview City Council is composed of
seven people, six elected from geographic districts and the
Mayor is elected at-large. At least two of the seven come up
for election each year, and serve three-year terms.
The city limits of Longview incorporate over 50 square
miles, and have over 400 miles of paved streets. The City has
an annual budget of about $100 million and has a total
long-termed bonded indebtedness of less than $155 million.
Longview has 144 police officers and 148 fire fighters. The
fire ISO (Insurance Services Organization) rate is 3.
Longview is the county seat of Gregg County, with
parts of the city limits extending east into Harrison County.
Gregg and Harrison Counties are governed by county
commissioners courts, which are composed of four County
Commissioners elected from geographic precincts, and chaired
by the County Judge, who is elected at-large. Other elected
County officials include the Sheriff, District Judges, Tax
Collector, County Clerk, Justices of the Peace, and
Constables. All of the elected officials in the counties are
compensated by salaries and benefits.
Longview's
Tax Rates
All property values for tax purposes are
determined by the Gregg County Appraisal District, and then
each taxing entity sets its own tax rate per $100 accessed
value.
The property taxing entities in Longview are
the City of Longview, Gregg, or Harrison County, and Longview,
Pine Tree, Spring Hill, or Hallsville Independent School
Districts. The rates are based upon assessed valuation as
determined by a central appraisal agency, and are stated in
terms of rates per $100 of assessed valuation.
The tax
rates are as follows:
| City of Longview |
$0.484 |
| County of Gregg |
$0.2622 |
| County of Harrison |
$0.35376 |
| Longview ISD |
$1.42020 |
| Pine Tree ISD |
$1.37850 |
| Spring Hill ISD |
$1.54000 |
| White Oak ISD |
$1.24570 |
The City
of Longview receives a 1.5% Sales Tax. Gregg County receives
0.5% and the State of Texas collects 6.25% for a total sales
tax of 8.25%. There are no State or City corporate or personal
income taxes in Texas.
Utilities in Longview
Longview's water supply is municipal and is supplied
by the City of Longview.
Raw water is treated in two
separate facilities. The Cherokee treatment plant and the
Sabine River treatment plant can produce up to 42 million
gallons per day, with a potential of expansion by several
million gallons. The average daily consumption rate is 18
million gallons per day, and the highest is 39.9 million.
Storage capacity is 16 million gallons.
Longview's
waste water treatment facility utilizes primary, secondary,
nitrification and tertiary treatment systems along with ultra
violet disinfections. The facility can treat 21 million
gallons per day, and meets or exceeds EPA discharge standards.
- Electricity is provided by AEP/Southwestern Electric
Power.
- Natural Gas is provided by either Center Point or Oncor,
depending upon location within the community.
- Telephone service is provided by several
telecommunication companies.
- The local daily newspaper is the Longview
News Journal
- Longview Cable Television offers 61
standard channels and 123 digital channels. Longview Cable
Television also offers high-speed cable modem Internet
access.
- There are 16 radio stations in the area.
- 7 television channels available without cable.
Population and Work Force
The 2000
census recorded 73,000+ people in Longview. The racial
composition of Longview is 77% White, 19% Black, and 3.2%
Hispanic.
For more information on Longview area
workforce, see the Community Profile. Major Employers
(Manufacturing)
There are almost 40 manufacturing
companies among the areas major employers. The largest is
Eastman Chemical Company with approximately 2000 employees.
Other large manufacturing employers with 400 or more employees
are, LeTourneau, Inc. with approximately 1,100; Trinity
Industries with approximately 1,100; Fleetwood Travel Trailers
with approximately 550 and Dana Corporation with 500.
Stemco, Crosby/Lebus Manufacturing, Southwest Steel
Castings, and Norris Cylinder each employ between 200-400.
There are over 10,000 manufacturing employees in the area.
Major Employers (Non-manufacturing)
Non-manufacturing major employers include Good
Shepherd Health System with approximately 2100 employees.
Other non-manufacturing employers with 400 or more are,
Longview Independent School District with approximately 1300;
The City of Longview with approximately 730; Sitel with
approximately 700; Pine Tree Independent School District with
approximately 620; Longview Regional Medical Center with
approximately 480; Neiman Marcus with approximately 400.
TCIM, Diagnostic Clinic, Longview News-Journal,
LeTourneau University, and Spring Hill Independent School
District each employ between 200-400. Longview Mall and its
stores employ approximately 700 in their retail operations.
Longview, Texas, reflects a community that has emerged
from the forge of economic recession stronger and more vibrant
than at any time in its past. Very little of the tremendous
growth in business and industry in Longview since 1987 has
been within or dependent upon the oil and gas industry. The
community's efforts to diversify the local economy has worked,
and now they are paying dividends in the form of the
establishment of Longview as not only the industrial, but also
the retail, entertainment and service hub of East Texas.
Working For A Better Community
Whether you are
looking for tourism information, community demographics,
potential business sites, or simply a nice place to live, we
are only a call away. Whenever in town, we hope you come by to
see us in the downtown area at 410 North Center Street, one
block south Marshall Ave.(U.S. Hwy. 80).
If you would
like additional information about Longview contact:
Longview Partnership
410 N. Center
Street
Longview, Texas 75601
903 237-4000
Community Profile On Longview, Texas
For
more detailed information go to: Community Information Handbook.
Longview is located in beautiful East Texas on U.S.
Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway 259. Commercial air service at
East Texas
Regional Airport is provided by American Eagle
Airlines. Rail Service is provided by Amtrak.
Longview is the central city in the Longview- Marshall
MSA. It is located on the U.S. Interstate 20 and U.S.Highway
80 corridor that stretches 275 miles through a chain of
metropolitan statistical areas from Shreveport-Bossier City,
Louisiana through Dallas-Fort Worth.
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