1930s

Thanks to discovery of the East Texas Oil Field, Longview's population nearly tripled during the next decade, to 13,758 by 1940. While the rest of the nation suffered during the Great Depression. Longview's citizens, businesses and industry, schools and churches thrived. A new courthouse, city hall, post office, public library and community center were built, along with a high school, county hospital (later named Good Shepherd Medical Center) and railroad station.

The five-story Gregg Hotel, opened in 1930 and doubled in size by Conrad Hilton five years later, stood on the present site of Heritage Plaza. Prominent residential developments of the era included Forest Hills, Nugget Hill, Surrey Place and the Mobberly Addition. State Highway 15 was widened and became U.S. Highway 80, nicknamed "Main Street of Texas" across the oil field.

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Show me all markers in:  Longview, TX  |  Gregg County  |  75601  |  Texas  |  United States of America

World War II & Its Aftermath
A City That Grows
First Discovery Wells and Then the Boom!
Longview Expands Its Influence
The Fabulous Fifties
Transportation: Model T's, Trains & Trolleys
The End of the Beginning
Completing a Century of Development
Industry Accelerates Economic Growth
Longview Charters First Industry in Texas

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