Longview is a city in and the county seat of Gregg County, Texas, United States. Longview is located in East Texas, where Interstate 20 and U.S. highways 80 and 259 converge just north of the Sabine River. The population was 81,638 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 83,668 in 2024. Longview was voted the county seat. Today, Longview is considered a major hub city for the region, as is the nearby city of Tyler. Companies with significant presence in Longview include Eastman Chemical, Trinity Rail Group, AAON Coil Products, Komatsu Mining, Dollar General and Old Navy/GAP. Colleges and universities in the area include LeTourneau University, Kilgore College, and the University of Texas at Tyler's Longview University Center.
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 Coast.