Kilgore is a city in East Texas, United States. The population was 11,301 at the 2000 census. Located mostly in Gregg County, a portion of the city extends into northern Rusk County. It is the home of Kilgore College, and was also the childhood home (from age six) of famous classical pianist Van Cliburn.
Geography
Kilgore is located at 32°23′8″N 94°52′7″W / 32.38556°N 94.86861°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (32.385534, -94.868502)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.0 km² (15.4 mi²). 39.9 km² (15.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.19%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,301 people, 4,403 households, and 2,963 families residing in the city. The population density was 283.5/km² (734.3/mi²). There were 4,766 housing units at an average density of 119.6/km² (309.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.22% White, 12.34% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.95% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.11% of the population.
There were 4,403 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% 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 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,910, and the median income for a family was $40,737. Males had a median income of $31,575 versus $20,149 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,314. About 9.7% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
History
October 3, 1930 marked the beginning of the East Texas Oil Boom when "Dad" Bolding unknowingly tapped into the world's largest pocket of oil in a Rusk County pasture. In the 1940's, over 1,000 wooden oil derricks lined the streets of Kilgore. One section of the Kilgore oil field was named "The World's Richest Acre" The oil boom brought thousands of drillers and producers into East Texas. The boom also attracted criminals of all sorts (prositutes, con men, etc.). Lloyd Bolding being the leader of the local mob killed all other forms of law enforcement. The Texas Rangers were called in to deal with the high crime rate.
Education
The City of Kilgore is served by the Kilgore Independent School District.
Kilgore College - Home of the Rangers and the World-Reknowned Kilgore College Rangerettes.