Longview

History

The modern-day city of Longview was founded in 1869. In 1870, O.H. Methvin, Sr. sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad (later the Texas and Pacific Railway) for one dollar to persuade them to build their line in the direction of land he owned. Later that year, he sold another for $500 in gold. He hoped the coming of the railroad would increase the value of the rest of his land. Two railroad surveyors coined the name of the town when they stated, "What a long view!" from the porch of Methvin's home. In June 1871, Longview was incorporated as the first town in Gregg County. The robbers escaped with $2,000 in cash and some unsigned bank notes. The Gregg County Historical Museum holds its exhibit on the event within the bank vault which was robbed, and holds a yearly event to mark the anniversary of the occasion. In the Longview race riot in July 1919, a reporter for The Chicago Defender was in Longview looking into the mysterious death of a black man named Lemuel Walters. An armed white mob attacked a home where the reporter, S.L. Jones, was staying, and attempted to batter their way in. A gunfight began between the attackers and the men in the house. Eventually, Jones made a getaway. The white men then began to burn buildings in the black section of the town. The Gregg Hotel opened in 1930, and served oil boom customers. It had various operators as a hotel until 1978, when it was converted to dormitories for use by male students of LeTourneau College. Following the 1984 spring semester, the building sat empty except for a barbershop, which also closed in 1986. The building was ultimately demolished in 1995. In 1942, construction began on the Big Inch pipeline in Longview. From 1943 to 1945, the pipeline transported over 261,000,000 barrels of crude oil to the East…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.18%) is water. }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  867
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  714
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  656
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  546
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  539
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  525
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  503
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  501

Largest nearby schools

• LONGVIEW H S
  High · LONGVIEW · 2,170 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• PINE TREE H S
  High · LONGVIEW · 1,319 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• EAST TEXAS MONTESSORI PREP ACADEMY
  Elementary · LONGVIEW · 1,028 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• FOSTER MIDDLE
  Middle · LONGVIEW · 809 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• PINE TREE J H
  Middle · LONGVIEW · 709 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• PINE TREE MIDDLE
  Middle · LONGVIEW · 708 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• BIRCH EL
  Elementary · LONGVIEW · 696 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• PARKWAY EL
  Elementary · LONGVIEW · 678 students · 15.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2025-01-18
  0 km WSW of Mooringsport, Louisiana
• M 3 — 2025-01-06
  4 km ESE of Mooringsport, Louisiana
• M 2.9 — 2024-12-22
  7 km WSW of Mooringsport, Louisiana
• M 3.1 — 2024-12-20
  7 km S of Mooringsport, Louisiana
• M 2.6 — 2024-12-19
  9 km SW of Mooringsport, Louisiana
• M 3.1 — 2024-12-19
  2 km S of Mooringsport, Louisiana