Kilgore, founded in 1872, is located in Gregg and Rusk counties in Upper East Texas, and had a population of about 14,000 residents in the census of 2020.
It is situated on Interstate Highway I-20, U.S. Highway 259, and Texas Highways 31 & 42, 120 miles from Dallas, 200 miles from Houston and 70 miles from Shreveport. The City of Tyler is located west of Kilgore, Longview to the northeast, and Henderson to the south.
Downtown Kilgore is a destination for residents and visitors alike. Surrounded by artifacts of its oil heritage like the 37 oil derricks that dot the downtown skyline as well as the preserved Art Deco buildings, downtown Kilgore continues to be a very special place.
Each Christmas, Kilgore lights up its derricks, helping the city maintain its title as the state's official "City of Stars." The lights are turned on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving and remain lit until after January 1.
Restaurants, salons, gift stores as well as two historic theaters are year-round destinations. A number of attractions are popular in Kilgore, such as:
For more information, be sure to check out Visit Kilgore and Kilgore Main Street, and the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce and the City of Kilgore websites.
A popular walking and biking venue is the Creekside Trail in the Kilgore Trails System. The fall colors along the trail are incredible! This trail is over 3.5 miles of winding paths which takes walkers, runners and bikers through beautiful woods alongside Bighead Creek.
Trail heads are located at Stone Road, Houston Street, Dudley Road, and Leach Street, with an access point also available at Moccasin Trail. The main leg from Stone Road to Leach Street is just over 2.5 miles. View the Creekkside Trail Map at the website of the City of Kilgore
![]() Christmas in Kilgore ... the City of Stars |
The East Texas oil and gas industry dates from the 1930s, and continues to this day to be an important part of the economy and job market of Kilgore as well as Longview, Marshall, Gladewater, Van, Jacksonville and other cities and towns.
The history of oil and gas exploration in Texas is a long one, dating from the first major discovery at Corsicana in 1894.
In October 1930, the Daisy Bradford No. 3 well blew in Rusk County close to Joinerville and Turnertown, opening the East Texas field.
This giant East Texas oil field extended into parts of Smith, Upshur, Gregg, Cherokee and Rusk counties.
The discoveries and production of oil have led to the creation of many Texas towns, and to the organization of companies which have become national and international players in the oil industry.
East Texas Oil Museum
Kilgore at one time boasted a single downtown city block with the densest concentration of oil derricks in the world. The well-known and respected East Texas Oil Museum is located on the campus of Kilgore College in Kilgore. This fascinating museum houses the authentic re-creation of oil discovery and production in the early 1930s from the largest oil field inside U.S. boundaries. Here, visitors see the people, their towns, their personal habits, their tools and their pastimes – all colorfully depicted in dioramas, movies, sound presentations and actual antiques donated by East Texas citizens. Located at Hwy. 259 at Ross St., Kilgore, TX 75662. For details, call the museum at 903.983.8295. For more information on Kilgore and its impact on the oil and gas industry, we highly recommend visiting the renown East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore.
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For more on the history of the oil and gas industry in Texas as a whole, we recommend you visit the Texas Almanac published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Kilgore is the site of Kilgore College, a well known institution of higher education, with more than 5,000 students. Founded in 1935, it is a publicly supported, two-year, comprehensive community college offering postsecondary educational opportunities.
The college is home to the world famous Kilgore Rangerettes dance and drill team. Since 1940, the Rangerettes are the world's best-known collegiate drill team, traveling from coast-to-coast and border-to-border in the United States and on several world tours.
Located on the Kilgore College campus, the Rangerette Showcase and Museum features a mechanized display of Rangerette props, a display of costumes from the spring stage show, Rangerette Revels, and thousands of photographs and newspaper clippings depicting the Rangerettes' storied history. For more information visit the Rangerette Showcase Website
Shopping in Kilgore
Everything Blings For more information on Kilgore shopping options, visit |
Kilgore Mercantile & Music
One of the many stores in historic downtown Kilgore is Kilgore Mercantile, an ice cream shop serving many flavors of Blue Bell, a music school & instrument store, and gift shop. The store features souvenirs, local preserves & salsas, old fashioned candy and local crafts, jewelry, handbags, paintings and much more. Be sure to check out their great selection of affordable guitars, ukuleles, and accessories available in the store. Located at 105 N. Kilgore Street, Kilgore, TX 75662 - Phone 903.926.5369 For more information on the Mercantile, visit the |
In addition, there are other accommodations in nearby Tyler including a Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Select, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Country Inn & Suites, Homewood Suites, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, and others.
While visiting the Kilgore area, you may want to take other interesting day trips in several directions:
Texas state line concrete marker near Waskom ![]() |
Oil Derricks in Downtown Kilgore, Texas, during the East Texas oil boom