Livingston, Texas


Livingston is a town in and the county seat of Polk County, Texas, United States. With a population of 5,335 at the 2010 census, it is the largest city in Polk County. It is located about 60 miles north of Houston and was originally settled in 1835 as Springfield. Its name was changed to Livingston and became the county seat of Polk County in 1846.
The Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation is just to the east of Livingston. The 2000 census reported a resident population of 480 persons within the reservation.

Geography

Livingston is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, are land and 0.12% is covered by water. However, the town of Livingston is about east of Lake Livingston, which is the largest drinking-water reservoir in Texas.
Elevation: 148 ft
The zip code is 77351 for the general area of Livingston.

Demographics

The population in the 2010 census was 5,335, and was estimated to be 5,128 in 2018.
As of the census of 2000, the population density was 649.9 inhabitants per square mile. The 2,358 housing units averaged 282.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 70.38% White, 18.50% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 8.08% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. About 13.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 2,048 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were not families. About 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town, the population was distributed as 27.7% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,424, and for a family was $37,868. Males had a median income of $30,318 versus $21,774 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,214. About 18.2% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.
In the 2010 Census, Livingston lost 1.8% of its population.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Livingston Post Office.
The Livingston Municipal Airport, operated by the City of Livingston, is located in West Livingston.
Nearby West Livingston has the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Allan B. Polunsky Unit, the location of Texas death row since 1999.
A few miles outside of Livingston is the IAH Polk County Secure Adult Detention Center, which houses around 700 immigrant men daily who have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Run by private-prison company Community Education Centers, the facility has frequently been criticized for its subpar treatment of migrants and is currently under fire in a nationwide campaign calling for the closure of 10 of the worst detention centers in the nation.
Livingston uses a manager-council system of government. The current mayor is Judy Cochran.

Economy

The most common employers in Livingston are lumber operations and the Polunsky Unit state prison in West Livingston.
Livingston is the headquarters to two regional bank systems, the First National Bank and the First State Bank.
First State Bank has its main office in downtown Livingston and branches in Livingston, Onalaska, and Shepherd.
First National Bank has its main office on Highway 190 and branches in downtown Livingston and Onalaska.

Transportation

The city's airport, Livingston Municipal Airport is located to the southwest of the city. It is classified as a general-aviation facility serving private aircraft.
Major highways:
The City of Livingston is served by the Livingston Independent School District.
A branch of Angelina College, Polk County Community College, opened in the fall of 2014. The college offers various classes and two-year associate degrees.

Recreation

Lake Evelyn is within the borders of Camp Cho-Yeh, which began operation in the 1940s; it continues to function as a summer camp and retreat center to this day. Cho-Yeh means, 'land of tall pines' and was labeled that because of the large pine trees on the property. Cho-Yeh is also used by Texas A&M Galveston for their yearly Fish Camp to introduce TAMUG students to the traditions of the university system.

Notable people

Notable people from Livingston include:
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High-school basketball:
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Tourism and recreation

Destinations

Lake Livingston was featured on the third episode of the first season of the television show, River Monsters, which airs on Animal Planet. The host, Jeremy Wade, was searching for alligator gar.