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Tyler, Texas

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Tyler, Texas
Nickname: 
Rose Captital of America
Map
CountiesSmith County
Gregg County
] leader_title = Mayor
Government
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
83,650
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (Central)
Websitewww.cityoftyler.org

Tyler is the county seat of Smith County in East Texas; it lies 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.

Tyler is home to the Caldwell Zoo.

The city's main newspaper is the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

Geography

Location of Tyler, Texas
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 were 83,650 people, 32,525 households, and 21,076 families residing in the city. The population density was 655.1/km² (1,696.7/mi²). There were 35,337 housing units at an average density of 276.7/km² (716.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 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 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 32,525 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,163, and the median income for a family was $43,618. Males had a median income of $31,728 versus $22,397 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,184. 16.8% of the population and 13.0% of families were below the poverty line. 23.3% of those under the age of 18 and 12.1% of those 65 and older were 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), 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:

Also produced in Tyler are John Soules Foods' fajita and other meat products; Distant Lands Coffee Roasters coffee (website); and Tyler Candle Co. jar candles, which are known for their strong fragrance.

The location of the 2005 HGTV Dream Home on nearby Lake Tyler boosted tourism and interest in the community. 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).

Transportation

Tyler Pounds Regional Airport (website) 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) buses run daily, excluding Sundays and holidays. Greyhound Lines bus service is available through a downtown terminal.

Education

Colleges and universities

Tyler's higher education institutions include the University of Texas at Tyler (website) and the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler (website), both part of the University of Texas System; Tyler Junior College (website), and Texas College, (website), a historically black four-year college affiliated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

Public schools

Public primary and secondary education for much of the city is provided by the Tyler Independent School District (website), which includes two high schools, John Tyler and Robert E. Lee; several Tyler ISD schools offer International Baccalaureate programmes.

Small sections of southeast Tyler are served by the Whitehouse Independent School District.

Some sections in east Tyler are served by the Chapel Hill Independent School District.

Private schools

The Tyler Catholic School System of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler consists of St. Gregory Elementary (website) and Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Middle/High School (website).

There are several other private schools, including Grace Community School (website), All Saints Episcopal School (website), and Good Shepherd School (website).

Famous Tylerites

Athletes

Others

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