thumb|Lindale City Hall
Lindale () is a city in Smith County, Texas, United States. Located in East Texas, its population was 6,059 as of 2020 census. It is part of the Tyler, Texas, metropolitan statistical area.
History
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File:Old Mill Museum, Lindale, TX IMG 5303.JPG|Local history is highlighted in the Old Mill Pond Museum in Lindale.
File:Lindale May 2018 18 (Lillie Russell Memorial Library).jpg|Lillie Russell Memorial Library in Lindale
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The area of Smith County where Lindale sits was inhabited long before the town was founded in 1871. In the early 19th century, the Caddo Indians were the area's primary inhabitants; their artifacts can still be found along streams in the area. The area also was home to Cherokee Indians, who were forced out when the Republic of Texas was founded in 1836.
After the Civil War, Richard B. Hubbard, a former officer in the Confederate Army and owner of a large plantation on what is today a gated community called Hideaway Lake, began searching for a more convenient way to ship the produce grown on his land. Hubbard convinced railroad officials to lay track between nearby Tyler and Mineola. Hubbard's brother-in-law, Elijah Lindsey, anticipating growth around the new railroad, opened the fledgling community's first general store in 1871, and Lindale had its start; Lindsey was elected the town's first mayor a year later.
In 1996, Lindale's school board banned 32 books from its schools, including To Kill a Mockingbird, because they "conflicted with the values of the community." According to school board president John Offutt, a Baptist minister, the board's action was an attempt to make students adhere to Christian beliefs.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.4 km), of which 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km) (0.50%) is covered by water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Lindale had a population of 6,059. The median age was 35.9 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.2 males age 18 and over.
99.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,255 households in Lindale, of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.3% were married-couple households, 12.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 4,878 || 80.5%
|-
| Black or African American || 398 || 6.6%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 41 || 0.7%
|-
| Asian || 82 || 1.4%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 196 || 3.2%
|-
| Two or more races || 462 || 7.6%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 569 || 9.4%
|}
2000 census
As of the 2000 census,