What Is Texarkana - T-Tees - Your Answers Await, Life's Questions Unraveled

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U.S. Post Office, 500 State Line Avenue, Texarkana

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Texarkana is unique in that it straddles two states on either side of State Line Avenue: Texas and Arkansas.

Located in extreme Upper East Texas, close to Louisiana and Oklahoma, and bordering Arkansas, is the twin-city of Texarkana. The Texas side of the city lies in Bowie County, while the Arkansas side is in Miller County. The states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas encompass the Ark-La-Tex Region and meet to the south of Texarkana at the Three States USGS Monument.

Even its U.S. Post Office downtown has a state line running through the middle of the lobby of the building!

There are two of almost everything in Texarkana: two city mayors, two city governments, two police departments, and two fire departments.

We’ve spent considerable time in Texarkana over the years, conducting business there, eating in its restaurants, shopping, and passing through on Interstate 30, heading for nearby Hope Arkansas. We have dined at local legends such as Bryce’s Cafeteria for literally decades! Bryce’s was opened in 1931.

The population of Texarkana, Texas was about 36,000 residents as of the Federal Census of 2020. Another 30,000 residents live in Texarkana, Arkansas.

Texarkana Hotels and Lodging

Texarkana’s Location in the Multi-State Region

Texarkana … on the Texas-Arkansas state line

Texarkana is strategically located on U.S. highways 59, 67, 71, and 82. It is also served by Interstate Highways I-30 and I-49, and Interstate Loop I-369.

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Texarkana is a hub of regional interstate commerce, located 179 miles west of Dallas, and 145 miles east of Little Rock.

Texarkana is located near Fulton and Ashdown, Arkansas, and Hooks, Mt. Pleasant, and New Boston, Texas.

To the south, in Louisiana, are small towns such as Vivian, Homer, Haynesville, and Cotton Valley, Springhill, and the big cities of Shreveport and Bossier City. Seventy miles to the north lies the City of Idabel, Oklahoma.

The city uses Area Codes 903 and 870, and Zip Codes 75500-75599 and 71854.

Texarkana Economy

In 2023, Texarkana is experiencing significant growth, and the completion of such infrastructure improvements as the Interstate I-30 project are positioning the city for growth into the future.

The construction of the $1.3 billion, coal-fired power generation facility in nearby Fulton has also spurred the economy and created new jobs.

Major medical facilities such as Christus St. Michael and the Wadley Regional Medical Center continue to position Texarkana as the major medical center of the entire multi-state region.

Texarkana Regional Airport (TXK)

Texas Eagle Amtrak Rail Service in Texarkana

Texarkana is also connected to the national rail service, Amtrak. Amtrak’s Texarkana station is located in the east end of Texarkana Union Station, a historic and imposing buff brick structure which was opened in 1930.

Union Station is on the south side of downtown Texarkana at 100 East Front Street.

about Amtrak in Texarkana

Perot Theatre

The Perot Theatre is Texarkana’s cultural icon and hub of local, national, and international entertainment for the region. Constructed in 1924 as Saenger “Gateway to the Southwest” Theatre, it was subsequently renovated and reopened as the Perot Theatre in 1980. This historic jewel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was named the most beautifully designed theatre in the state of Texas by Architectural Digest in 2018.

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Managed by the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, under a contract with the City of Texarkana, TX, the Theatre is not only the primary performance venue of Texarkana’s professional symphony orchestra, but also hosts performances of the Texarkana Community Ballet, and the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council’s Perot Theatre Series and Theatre for Young Audiences.

The Perot is located at 221 Main Street in Texarkana, TX 75501 Phone 903.792.4992

at the website of the Perot Theater Interior view of the Perot Theater in Texarkana (photo courtesy of the Perot Theater)

Texarkana Museums Systems

The Texarkana Museums System (TMS) offers four fun and fascinating ways to explore Texarkana’s past, present and future. TMS operates in historic downtown Texarkana, USA these venues:

Museum of Regional History
Discovery Place Interactive Museum
Ace of Clubs House
P. J. Ahern Home

The Museum of Regional History also serves as the Texarkana Arts & Historic District Visitors Center.

Texarkana Museums System

Wright Patman Lake

Wright Patman lake is on the Sulphur River in Bowie and Cass counties, 10 miles southwest of Texarkana. Its surface area covers 18,994 acres, and features a maximum depth of 40 feet. It was impounded in 1956.

More Texarkana Attractions and Things to Do

Texarkana offers lots of things to do, for residents as well as visitors. It has a number of annual festivals, entertainment from performing arts, stock car races, art exhibits, shopping, great outdoors and sports, and a wide array of restaurant cuisines.

Visitors also enjoy …

Four States Auto Museum
State Line Post Office and Federal Building
Millwood Lake, northeast of Texarkana

The Texas Travel Information Center is located in the city at 1200 I-30 westbound; phone 903.794.2114.

The Arkansas Welcome Center is located just east of the I-30/I-49 interchange on I-30; phone 870.772.4301.

For more information about Texarkana, we recommend a visit to these websites …

Texarkana Chamber of Commerce
Texarkana Tourism
City of Texarkana

Area Attractions in the Ark-La-Tex

While visiting Texarkana, the East Texas area, and southwest Arkansas, you may want to take other interesting side trips:

Texarkana KOA is also nearby for those traveling in RVs and travel trailers.

Texarkana Schools and Universities

Texarkana offers a wide range of educational opportunities, both at the K-12 level, and university levels. Among the schools in the Texarkana area:

Texas A&M University – Texarkana – Enrollment is about 1,900 students. It is located at 7101 University Avenue, Texarkana, TX 75503. Phone 903.223.3000.
Texarkana College – Texarkana College was established in 1927 as a public junior college and as a branch of the Texarkana, Texas, Public School System governed by the Texarkana Independent School District Board of Trustees. The enrollment today is about 4,700 students. It is located at 2500 North Robison Road, Texarkana, Texas. Phone 903.823.3456.
Texarkana Texas Independent School District
Trinity Christian School
St. James Day School
Veritas Academy

Interactive Texarkana Map

Map of Upper East Texas Showing Location of Texarkana

Brief Texarkana History

Due its location many regional highways, Texarkana has long been an overnight stop for many travelers, and hence there are a considerable number of tourist courts, motels and hotels. It is also a hub for trucking and railroads.

The Great Southwest Trail, for hundreds of years the main line of travel from Indian villages of the Mississippi River country to those of the South and West, passed by a Caddo Indian village on the site that later became Texarkana.

The Texas and Pacific Railway (T&P) Company laid out the Texas side of the town.