Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas in the United States. The city is named for President John Tyler in recognition of his support for Texas's admission to the United States. The 2000 census recorded the city's population to be 83,650, while in 2008 it was estimated to have reached 108,772. Tyler is the principal city of the Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville combined statistical area and includes surrounding communities such as the Town of Flint, the Town of Gresham, and the City of Noonday.
Tyler has been nicknamed the "Rose Capital of America" because of its large 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 has the nation's largest municipal rose garden and hosts the Texas Rose Festival each October, which draws more than 100,000 spectators.
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 also home to the Caldwell Zoo.
Increasingly, Tyler is becoming recognized as an ideal city for retirees. A GreatPlacesToRetire.com survey of retirement cities lists Tyler as one of America's top retirement cities.
Geography
Tyler is located at 32°20′03″N 95°18′00″W / 32.334249°N 95.299927°W / 32.334249; -95.299927 Elevation: 544 feet. Tyler is surrounded by many smaller suburbs including Jacksonville, Whitehouse, Lindale, New Chapel Hill, Bullard, Edom, Brownsboro, Chandler, and Mineola.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.4 square miles (128.0 Square kilometres), of which, 49.3 square miles (127.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
Climate
Tyler enjoys weather typical of East Texas, which is unpredictable, especially in the spring time. All of East Texas has the humid subtropical climate typical of the Southeast in North America.
The record high for Tyler is 111°F (44°C), which occurred on July 31, 1921. The record low for Tyler is -3°F (-19°C), which occurred on January 18, 1930.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 83,650 people, 32,525 households, and 21,076 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,696.7 people per square mile (655.1/km²). There were 35,337 housing units at an average density of 716.7/sq mi (276.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.72% White, 26.83% 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.
The city's population was spread out by age, with 26% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20% 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 threshold. 23.3% of those under the age of 18 and 12.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Government
Local government
According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $87.7 million in Revenues, $101.7 million in expenditures, $49.2 million in total assets, $12.3 million in total liabilities, and $17.6 million in cash in investments.
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:
The Northeast Texas Public Health District is a political subdivision under the State of Texas established by the City of Tyler and Smith County. In place for nearly 70 years, the Health District became a separate entity in 1994, with an administrative Public Health Board. With a stated vision "To be the Healthiest Community in Texas," the district has a full time staff of over 130 employees. The Health District has a broad range of services and responsibilities dedicated to their Mission: "To Protect, Promote, and Provide for the Health of our Community."
Education
Colleges and Universities
Tyler's higher education institutions include the University of Texas at Tyler and the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, both part of the University of Texas System, Tyler Junior College, and Texas College.
Primary and secondary schools
Public primary and secondary education for much of the city is provided by the Tyler Independent School District, which includes two high schools, John Tyler and Robert E. Lee; Premier High School of Tyler a public charter school; several Tyler schools offer International Baccalaureate and Advance Placement programmes. The IB Diploma Programme is no longer part of John Tyler high school, but is still going strong at REL.
Portions of incorporated Tyler are served by surrounding school districts. These include sections of southeast Tyler by the Whitehouse Independent School District, and some sections in the east which are served by the Chapel Hill Independent School District.
Economy
In addition to its role in the rose-growing industry, Tyler is the headquarters for Brookshire Grocery Company, which operates Brookshire's and Super 1 Foods, and Ole! supermarkets in four states. The company's main distribution center is located in south Tyler, while SouthWest Foods, a subsidiary that produces dairy products, is located just north-east of the city. Adams Engineering has also made its headquarters in Tyler.
According to the City's 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top ten employers in the city are:
The manufacturing sector includes:
- Tyler Pipe, a subsidiary of McWane Inc. that produces soil and utility pipe products
- Trane, a business of Ingersoll-Rand, formerly a unit of American Standard Companies, which manufactures air conditioners and heat pumps (this plant was originally built in 1955 by General Electric)
- Carrier, which manufactures air conditioners
- Delek Refining, an Israeli owned oil refinery formerly dba La Gloria Oil and Gas Co (a Crown Central Petroleum subsidiary).
- Ferguson Beauregard, an operating company of Dover Corporation that specializes in equipment for the measurement and production of natural gas using the plunger lift method.
- Vesuvius USA, a division of Cookson Group that manufactures refractory ceramics used in the steel industry.
- Cavender's Boot City, a large regional western ware retailer and manufacture.
Also produced in Tyler are John Soules Foods' fajita and other meat products, Greenberg's Smoked Turkeys, Distant Lands Coffee Roasters coffee, Tyler Candle Co. jar candles, Tyler Products, and a variety of small high-tech businesses including Synthesizers.com, Group M7, CBI , Power-Up, and Arrick Robotics.
Tyler is also a major medical center which serves the city as well as the surrounding East Texas area.
Recreation and tourism
Annually, the Texas Rose Festival draws thousands of tourists to Tyler. The festival, which celebrates the role of the rose-growing industry in the local economy, is held in October and features a parade, the coronation of the Rose Queen, and other civic events. There is also a Rose Museum featuring the history of the Festival. Tyler is home to Caldwell Zoo, several local museums, Lake Palestine, Lake Tyler, and numerous golf courses and country clubs. There is also an "Azalea Trail," which are 2 officially designated routes within the city that showcase homes or other landscaped venues adorned with azalea shrubs. Tyler State Park is a few miles away where visitors can camp, canoe, and paddle boat on the lake. Activities include picnicking; camping; boating (motors allowed - 5 mph speed limit); boat rentals; fishing; birding; hiking; mountain biking and hiking trails; lake swimming (in unsupervised swimming area); and nature study. The Smith County Historical Society operates a museum and archives in the old Carnegie Library. The East Texas State Fair is held annually in Tyler. Lake Tyler was the location of the HGTV Dream Home contest in 2005. The 6,500 square feet (600 m²) house briefly boosted tourism and interest in the community. It subsequently was sold a
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