Texarkana, Texas

Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, located in the Ark-La-Tex region. Together with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas, it forms the combined city of Texarkana. The population of the Texas city was 36,411 at the 2010 census. The city and its Arkansas counterpart form the core of the Texarkana Metropolitan Statistical Area, encompassing all of Bowie County, Texas, and Miller County, Arkansas. The two cities had a combined population of 66,330 at the 2010 census, and the metropolitan area had a total population of 136,027.

History

Railroads were quick to see the possibilities of this vast area, and in the late 1850s the builders of the Cairo and Fulton Railroad were pushing their line steadily across Arkansas. By 1874, they had crossed the Red River and had reached the Texas state line. Between February 16 and March 19, 1874, trains ran between the Texas border and the Red River, whence passengers and freight were ferried to Fulton to continue by rail. The Red River Bridge opened on March 20, 1874, and since then trains have run directly from Texarkana to St. Louis.