Get To Know Kilgore, Texas With These 7 Interesting Facts

Kilgore, Texas is one of the bright stars of East Texas.

The city that straddles the Gregg and Rusk County line is known by a few different names - Oil Capital Of Texas, City Of Stars, and The Richest Acre. All of those names center around the industry that put it on the Texas map and made it famous, oil.

Founded in 1872, Kilgore was a relatively quiet community along a rail line that ran from Longview to Palestine. The town's population fell to about 500 residents in the early 1930s and seemed to be destined to become a ghost town. It wasn't until the discovery of oil in October of 1930 that things turned around and the town began to prosper.

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Kilgore seemed to be transformed overnight after the discovery of oil. Soon the skyline was filled with hundreds of oil derricks, especially in downtown after the discovery of a highly concentrated area of oil, which became known as the 'World's Richest Acre'. The boom lasted about a decade and Kilgore was 'on the map'! To this day, oil remains a central key to the city's economy.

The rail line that runs along the northwest side of downtown is lined with oil derricks that are topped with five-point stars. These stars are lit up each night and the derricks get special lights during Christmas. It's a special sight to see during the Christmas season.