Living in Kilgore, TX

Kilgore sits mostly in Gregg County, with part of the city in Rusk County, right where I-20 meets US 259. It's the "City of Stars," named for the lighted oil derricks downtown, and it's home to Kilgore College and the famous Rangerettes.

Getting around

I-20 and US 259 meet at Kilgore, so getting around East Texas is easy. Longview is about 12 miles northeast, Henderson is about 12 miles south on US 259, Tyler is about 25 miles west, and Dallas is roughly 115 miles west on I-20. East Texas Regional Airport near Longview is a short drive.

Things to do

The World's Richest Acre, downtown, with replica steel derricks that light up with stars and recall the more than 1,000 wooden derricks that once filled the city
East Texas Oil Museum, with a recreation of a 1930s oil boom town
The Rangerette Showcase and Museum, celebrating the Kilgore College Rangerettes, founded in 1940 as the world's first precision dance drill team
Texas Shakespeare Festival, a professional summer repertory theatre at Van Cliburn Auditorium on the Kilgore College campus

Schools

Most of Kilgore is served by Kilgore ISD, which covers parts of Gregg and Rusk counties, and Sabine ISD serves the northern part of the city. Kilgore College is also right in town. I always confirm the school assignment for a specific address.

Homes and neighborhoods

Kilgore has older homes near downtown and the college, established neighborhoods with mature pines and oaks, and some newer construction. Outside the city, you'll find homes on larger lots and wooded acreage in Gregg and Rusk counties.

A little history

Kilgore was founded in 1872 when the International-Great Northern Railroad built through land sold by Constantine Buckley Kilgore. After the East Texas Oil Field was discovered in 1930, the town boomed to more than 12,000 people by 1936.