Palestine ( ) is a city in and the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of Anderson County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It was named after

Palestine, Illinois Palestine is a village in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 Census. Palestine has a total area of , all land. History It is said that French explorer Jean Lamotte first gazed upon this region in 16 ...

, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town. It is also contested that Micham Main named Palestine after his hometown, also Palestine, Illinois, when he and his family arrived here along with the Parker family and several others. The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, making it the sixth-largest incorporated municipality in

Northeast Texas Northeast Texas is a cultural and geographic region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas. Geographically centered on two metropolitan areas strung along Interstate 20— Tyler in the west and Kilgore, Longview, Marshall to the eas ...

by population. Palestine is a relatively small city located in the Piney Woods, equidistant from the major cities of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, and

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

It is notable for its natural environment, and has a notable

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods or cornels, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous ...

blooming season. It has 23 historical sites on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, and was the western terminus of the historic

Texas State Railroad The Texas State Railroad, also referred to as the Lone Star and Eastern Railroad, is a historic heritage railroad between Rusk and Palestine, Texas. Built by inmates, it was founded in 1883 by the state of Texas to haul raw materials for a smel ...

. Today, this steam-and-diesel railroad museum operates tourist trains between Palestine and

Rusk A rusk is a hard, dry Biscuit#Biscuits in British usage, biscuit or a twice-baked bread. It is sometimes used as a teether for babies. In some cultures, rusk is made of cake rather than bread: this is sometimes referred to as cake rusk. In the ...

History

Indigenous groups, such as the

Coushatta The Coushatta () are a Muskogean-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American people now living primarily in the United States, U.S. states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. When the Coushatta first encountered Europeans, the ...

Tribe, occupied this area for thousands of years before European encounter. During the years of Spanish and Mexican control of major parts of the Southwest, what became East Texas was lightly settled by Europeans.

Founding

A trading post was established by

Anglo-Americans Anglo-Americans are a demographic group in Anglo-America. It typically refers to the predominantly European-descent nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world ...

circa 1843, and some settlers gathered around it. In 1846, the Texas Legislature incorporated Palestine to serve as a seat for the newly established Anderson County. James R. Fulton, Johnston Shelton, and William Bigelow were hired by the first Anderson County commissioners to survey the surrounding land and lay out a town site. This consisted of a central courthouse square and the surrounding 24 blocks. The city was named after

, as suggested by Micham Main and or Daniel Parker, a minister of Pilgrim Church who had migrated with the Main family and numerous other settlers from that town. By 1858, Palestine had grown to a population of about 2,000. An 1861 state almanac showed that the city was connected to the rest of Texas via a tri-weekly stagecoach that served Huntsville, Crockett, and Nacogdoches. In 1861, a joint resolution called for the construction of the "Metropolitan Railroad" from Texarkana to Austin, passing through Palestine, Henderson, and Fairfield. These plans were interrupted when the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

broke out. In the postwar period, during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

, the timber trade and town growth were stimulated in the 1870s by the construction of a railroad through here. The city had a population of more than 10,000 by 1898.

Railroad

The International Railroad and the Houston and Great Northern Railroad first connected Palestine to the city of Hearne in 1872. Later that year, it was connected northeast to Longview. The railroad merged in 1873 to become the

International and Great Northern Railroad International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(IGN). The IGN later became part of the

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad o ...

, and ultimately, the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. In 1875, IGN president H.M. Hoxie moved to Palestine and built the first Victorian mansion there. Successful merchant owners and railroad executives built other elaborate homes along South Sycamore Street. The IGN built a major depot in 1892, and a modern passenger coach shop in 1902, making Palestine an important locomotive and coach location. These shops continued to operate until 1954. At that time, the present facility was built, which is exclusively for freight-car repair. Today, the Palestine Car Shop is one of only two car shops on the Union Pacific Railroad that perform major modifications and repairs to freight cars. The Palestine UP workforce has more than 100 employees. After the state completed the Rusk Penitentiary near the city of Rusk, the state leased

convict labor Penal labour is a term for various kinds of forced labour that prisoners are required to perform, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence involving penal labour have included invo ...

to the railroad as workers. The railroad originally transported raw materials to the

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

smelter Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron, copper, silver, tin, lead and zin ...

located at the Rusk Penitentiary. In 1906, the line reached Maydelle, and by 1909, the line was completed when it reached Palestine. Regularly scheduled train service ceased in 1921. The line was leased to various railroad companies until 1969, when they abandoned it during national restructuring of the industry. The

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

adapted the railroad as a state park in 1972, to be devoted to operating trains that showed some of the state's railroad history. The Texas State Railroad is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

that allows visitors to ride trains pulled by diesel and

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

s between the park's Victorian-style

depot Depot may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Glacier (disambiguation) * Depot Island (disambiguation) * Depot Nunatak * Depot Peak Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in Chicago, United States * Of ...

s and through the

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s of

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that consists of approximately 38 counties. It is roughly divided into Northeast Texas, Northeast, Southeast Texas, Sout ...

. This short railroad line dates to 1883.

Modern era

In 1914, the county's fifth courthouse was completed. It is still in use. One of the many historical sites is Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which was designed by Nicholas J. Clayton. In 1928, oil was discovered at Boggy Creek, east of Palestine. The production of oil resources added to and diversified the town's economy. Palestine became a center for oil-well servicing and supplies in support of other producing fields found later elsewhere in Anderson County. Construction of the earth-filled Blackburn Crossing Dam on the Upper Neches River, creating Lake Palestine as a reliable source of water, was begun in 1960, and completed in 1962. A municipal water authority manages this resource. The dam was enlarged from 1969 to 1972 to 75 feet high, and 5,720 feet long. About 40% of the content from the 2003

Space Shuttle Columbia disaster On Saturday, February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia, Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disintegrated as it Atmospheric entry, re-entered the atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana, killing all seven astronauts on board. It was the second List of Spa ...

was recovered, seven astronauts were killed in the accident. Debris from ''Columbia'' was found in and outside Palestine and other East Texas towns. Palestine's

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF), established in 1961 and formerly known as the National Scientific Balloon Facility (NSBF), is a NASA facility responsible for providing launch, tracking and control, airspace coordination, telemetr ...

(renamed in honor of the shuttle crew), has flown 1,700 high-altitude balloons for universities and research agencies. On November 15, 2015, a

mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...

took place at a campsite several miles northwest of Palestine. Six people were killed by an intoxicated neighbor who was upset about losing his family's land. The shooter was charged with capital murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death by a Brazos County jury on November 15, 2017.

Geography

Palestine is located near the center of Anderson County. Several numbered highways converge on the city, including U.S. Highways 79, 84, and 287, plus Texas State highways 19 and

155 Year 155 ( CLV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 908 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 155 for this year ...

. Dallas is to the northwest, and Houston is to the south. Tyler is to the northeast. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.06%, is covered by water.

Lake Palestine

Lake Palestine Lake Palestine is a freshwater reservoir in northeast Texas, created for industrial, municipal, and recreational purposes. Description The reservoir was formed by the construction of the 5720-foot-long Blackburn Crossing Dam on the Neches Riv ...

is a freshwater lake created in 1962 by the construction of the Blackburn Crossing

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

on the Neches River. A 25,600-acre lake with a total length of 18 miles, 135 miles of shoreline and an average depth of 16.25 ft, it offers an array of freshwater fish species including

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxi ...

, and

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

. The Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority owns and operates Lake Palestine. The city of Palestine has a water contract for 25 million gallons of water per day. It is served by a channel dam, 13 miles of pipeline, and a

water treatment Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, ...

plant which the city operates for water coming into the city.

Climate

The average warmest month is July; the highest recorded temperature was 114 °F in 1954. On average, the coolest month is January, and the lowest recorded temperature was –6 °F in 2021. The maximum average precipitation occurs in October.

Demographics

At the

1850 United States census The 1850 United States census was the seventh decennial United States Census Conducted by the Census Office, it determined the resident population of the United States to be 23,191,876—an increase of 35.9 percent over the 17,069,453 persons ...

, Palestine had a population of about 2,000; a decade later, its population declined to 1,938, yet has since increased in population since to a historic 18,712 at the 2010 U.S. census. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,544 people, 6,560 households, and 4,479 families residing in the city. As the city's population has grown despite interval declines from 1990 to 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup continues to be dominated by non-Hispanic or non-Latino whites, and Black or African Americans according to official census records. According to the 2020

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

's 5-year estimates program, roughly 47.6% of the population was non-Hispanic white, and 26.9% Black or African American. Hispanics and Latino Americans of any race made up 22.2% of the population, and residents from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

were 2.6%. The official census tabulation and census estimates reflect continued diversification within the United States; in 2000, the racial and ethnic makeup was 64.60%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 24.77% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 7.90% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latino Americans of any race were 14.88% of the population. There was an estimated 6,560 households in Palestine, with the average household size at 2.68; according to 2020 census estimates, there were 4,479 families and the average family size was 3.32. Of the households and families comprising the city's population, 57.9% of housing units were owner-occupied and 42.1% were renter-occupied units. In 2000, there were 6,641 households; 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 18.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were not families. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.13. At the 2000 U.S. census, the median income for a household in the city was $30,497, and for a family was $36,806. Males had a median income of $28,331 versus $20,662 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,514. About 16.6% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over. Since the 2020 census, the median household income increased to $40,684 and households paid a median of $817 a month.

Economy

Typical of many rural American communities, Palestine's economy is stimulated by small businesses, and local chains from national and international retailer. The largest employer is the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

, which employs more than 3,900. Other significant employers include a thriving medical and healthcare sector that tends to the large population of retirees.

Government

Local government

According to the city's 2016 audited Annual Financial Report, the city's general fund had $13.1 million in revenues, $14.6 million in expenditures, $3.1 million in total assets, $0.4 million in total liabilities, and $6.7 million in cash in investments across all funds. In addition to the city's general fund, the water treatment plant provides potable water to residents. It operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, treating and pumping an average of 3 million gallons of water per day between Lake Palestine and city residents. The water-distribution system employs 26 lift stations and about 275 miles of water lines; wastewater involves roughly 250 miles of sanitary sewer lines. The current Anderson County Courthouse in Palestine is the fourth building to serve this purpose. C. H. Page and Brothers designed this brick Renaissance Revival brick courthouse, which opened in 1914. Located in downtown Palestine between Fannin and Dechard streets, it was remodeled in the 1980s.

State government

Palestine is represented in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

by Republican Robert Nichols, District 3, and in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

by Republican Cody Harris, District 8.

National government

At the national level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans

John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. ...

and

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

; Palestine is part of Texas' US Congressional 5th District, currently represented by Republican

Lance Gooden Lance Carter Gooden (born December 1, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 5th congressional district since 2019. His district includes parts of eastern Dallas, as well as a large swath of exurban and r ...

Education

Public school districts

With almost 3,500 students, the Palestine Independent School District is the largest school district in Palestine. The district comprises: * Palestine High School, grades 9–12 * Palestine Junior High, grades 7–8 * A. M. Story Elementary, grades 4–6 * Southside Primary, grades 2–3 * Northside Early Childhood Center, pre-K–1 Located on the western edge of the city, the Westwood Independent School District is home to around 1,700 students. It consists of a primary, elementary, junior=high, and high-school campuses. Westwood Independent School District * Westwood High School, grades 9–12 * Westwood Junior High, grades 7–8 * Westwood Elementary, grades 3–6 * Westwood Primary, grades K–2

Charter schools

University Academy, a charter school operated by the

University of Texas at Tyler The University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler) is a public university, public research university in Tyler, Texas, United States. Founded in 1971, it is a part of the University of Texas System. UT Tyler consists of six professional colleges and o ...

, began in 2012 with grades 3–6, expanding upward to grades 7–12 at the rate of one grade per year. In March 2018, the school had 188 students enrolled, and planned to grow to 600 students. On March 19, 2018, the university announced it would be upgrading the University Academy school building at a cost of $650,000. A small portion of remote area of the city is also within the Elkhart ISD.

Colleges and universities

Trinity Valley Community College Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has six campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. History TVCC was founded in 1946 as Henderson County Jun ...

operates TVCC-Palestine just north of the city limits at the intersection of

US 287 U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind U.S. Route 281, US 281. The highway is broken into two segments by Ye ...

and State Highway 19. In addition to offering academic transfer courses, the Palestine campus offers vocational-technical programs in vocational nursing, cosmetology, mid-management, computer science, criminal justice, business and office technology, fire science, legal assistant, emergency medical technician, and paramedic programs, and also trains correctional officers for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Continuing education and adult education courses are also offered. The University of Texas at Tyler also operates a campus in the city. A new, $9.6 million, campus opened in 2010, fall semester. The UT-Tyler Palestine Campus currently offers courses in nursing.

Media

Palestine is served by the daily '' Palestine Herald-Press'', founded in 1849 as the ''Palestine Advocate'', now owned by

Community Newspaper Holdings CNHI, LLC (formerly Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.) is an American publisher of newspapers and advertising-related publications throughout the United States. The company was formed in 1997 by Ralph Martin,

. The city is served by the Tyler television broadcast market. The nearest television transmitter to the city is

KETK-TV KETK-TV (channel 56) is a television station licensed to Jacksonville, Texas, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for East Texas. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Tyler-licensed low-power MyNetworkTV affiliate KTPN-LD (cha ...

(NBC) located 30 miles away at Mt. Selman. Likewise, most radio stations serving Palestine originate from Tyler, Jacksonville, or Henderson. Wired internet for the city is primarily provided by

Suddenlink Suddenlink was an American telecommunications subsidiary of Altice USA trading in cable television, broadband, IP telephony, home security, and advertising. Prior to its acquisition by Altice, the company was the seventh largest cable operator ...

and

CenturyLink Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink, Inc.) is an American telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, which offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice and managed services through it ...

, with

Windstream Windstream Holdings, Inc., trading as Windstream Communications is a provider of voice and data network communications to businesses across the United States. Under the Kinetic brand, it offers broadband, phone and digital streaming TV services to ...

serving rural areas formerly operated by Valor Telecom. In the 2000s,

Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...

and

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

provided DSL service before withdrawing from the local market.

Transportation

Palestine is at a crossroads of several arterial highways: *

U.S. Highway 79 U.S. Route 79 (US 79) is a United States highway in the Southern United States. The route is officially considered and signed as a north–south highway, but its path is actually more of a diagonal northeast–southwest highway. The highway's n ...

from

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

to the southwest and continues on to

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

to the northeast * US 84

U.S. Highway 84 from

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

via

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and

Waco Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making i ...

to the west and continues on to Louisiana,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

to the east * US 287

U.S. Highway 287 from Beaumont and Port Arthur to the southeast and continues on to

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

and

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, Colorado,

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

and

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

to the northwest * Texas 19

State Highway 19 from

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

to the South and continues on to

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

State Highway 155 emanating from Palestine northeast to Tyler * Texas 127

Loop 127 is entirely within Palestine * Texas 256

Loop 256 encircles downtown Palestine

Airport

Palestine is served by the general aviation Palestine Municipal Airport, located on the northwest edge of the city. Activated in 1942, its FAA identifier is PSN. Its runway 18/36 has a length of 5005 ft, and crosswind runway 9/27 has a length of 4002 ft. It is home to 31 airplanes, mostly single-engined, and is owned and operated by the city. Palestine was served by Trans-Texas Airlines (later known as

Texas International Airlines Texas International Airlines Inc. was a United States local service carrier, known from 1940 until 1947 as Aviation Enterprises, until 1969 as Trans-Texas Airways (TTA), and as Texas International Airlines until 1982, when it merged with Contine ...

) during the 1940s and 1950s using

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

aircraft. One afternoon flight arrived from Dallas and Tyler continuing on to Lufkin, Beaumont, and Houston, while another aircraft stopped through going the other way. The service was discontinued between 1952 and 1954.

Notable people

* Aaron Aryanpur, (b. 1977) stand-up comedian * Blacktop Mojo, Rock band *

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. *

Elton Bomer Elton L. Bomer (born July 30, 1935) is an American politician in the state of Texas. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1981 to 1985 and 1991 to 1995 before serving as Secretary of State of Texas under Governor George W. Bush ...

, (b. 1935) is a politician who served as state representative and

Texas Secretary of State The secretary of state of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texas ...

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linebacker for the

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. * Ivory Lee Brown, (b. 1969) is a former

running back for

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* Thomas M. Campbell, (1856–1923) was the 24th

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. * Russ Cotton, (1915–2009) was an

quarterback for the

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* Keith Crawford, (b. 1970) is a former

cornerback for

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, (1887–1966) was an

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recipient *

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Whiskey Myers Whiskey Myers is an American rock and roll band from Palestine, Texas composed of Cody Cannon (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), John Jeffers (lead guitar, slide guitar, lap steel guitar, vocals), Cody Tate (lead and rhythm guitar, vocals), Jef ...

, is a Southern rock/country band. * Jack Pepper, (1902–1979) was a vaudeville dancer, singer, comedian, musician, and later in life a nightclub manager. *

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, (b. 1985) is an NFL running back known for his years with the

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, 2012 MVP. *

John H. Reagan John Henninger Reagan (October 8, 1818March 6, 1905) was an American politician from Texas. A Democrat, Reagan resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives when Texas declared secession from the United States and joined the Confederate St ...

, (1818–1905) US Congressman before and after the Civil War, and US Senator after the war * James Saxton, (1940–2014) was an All-American

halfback for the

Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs *Dallas Texans (arena football) The Dallas Texans were an ...

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Todd Staples Douglas Todd Staples (born August 24, 1963) is the President of the Texas Oil & Gas Association, the oldest and largest oil and gas trade association in Texas representing all facets of the industry including production, pipelines, refineries and ...

, (b.1963) Texas Commissioner of Agriculture and former member of both houses of the

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Gene Watson Gary Gene Watson (born October 11, 1943) is an American country music singer. He is most famous for his 1975 hit " Love in the Hot Afternoon", his 1981 number-one hit " Fourteen Carat Mind", and his signature 1979 song " Farewell Party". Wats ...

, (b. 1943) is a country music singer, famous for his 1975 hit "Love in the Hot Afternoon," * Alliene Brandon Webb, (1910–1965) was a composer, singer, and teacher.

Notes

References

External links

*
City of Palestine official website
* {{Authority control Cities in Anderson County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Micropolitan areas of Texas Populated places established in 1846 1846 establishments in Texas