A city rich in tradition... Livingston, Texas is a growing community located in the heart of East Texas. Known for our beautiful scenery, Lake Livingston, and our rich tradition of community, we welcome you to become a part of the excitement in our town. With new businesses moving into Livingston monthly (Lowes, Jack-in-the-Box) we are rapidly becoming an important fixture on the proposed I-69 corridor. Livingston is a great place to raise a family, with all of the safety and security of small-town living, and the amenities of the city.

Polk County: Polk County is one of the fastest growing areas in Texas. Livingston, our county seat, is less than an hours drive to Bush International Airport in Houston via U.S. Highway 59 (proposed Interstate 69 NAFTA Corridor). We have the most abundant water supply in the State of Texas and an available labor pool of over 200,000 within a 50 mile radius.

Beautiful Lake Livingston, a 93,000 acre lake, is a major contributor to the growth of Polk County. Constructed to furnish water to nearby Houston, the lake is a major attraction to retirees and recreational visitors. In 1999, Polk County reported 62.5 million dollars in tourism revenue. Polk County has an active Chamber of Commerce with over 300 members.

While enjoying the conveniences of the Houston metropolitan area, residents and businesses of Polk County enjoy the safety and serenity of rural East Texas and enjoy a cost of living that is significantly below the U.S. and State of Texas averages. Polk County is characterized by clean air and clear skies. Texas, a major energy source, has built 23 new power plants since 1995 and has 25 under construction.

Beautiful Landscapes... In the midst of the Big Thicket forest in Polk County, lies Texas' oldest Indian Reservation, home of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. This 4,600 acres of verdant timberland in the heart of the Big Thicket was established by General Sam Houston in 1854 as a reward to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe for their display of courage in remaining neutral during the Texas War for independence from Mexico.

Polk County and the City of Livingston offer a 10 year tax abatement. We have experience with Enterprise Zones, Reinvestment Zones, Texas Workforce Training grants, and the Texas Capital Fund for infrastructure improvement grants. There are other state and local incentives that we can offer assistance with.

Economic Base: Lake Livingston, one of the largest lakes in the State of Texas, was completed in 1973 and is located 15 miles west of Livingston on U.S. Highway 190. Lake Livingston, which covers approximately 90,000 surface acres, is an important tourist attraction and an economic asset to the City. A wide range of public and commercial recreation facilities, including full-service marinas, camping and motel accommodations are located along the shoreline.

In an effort to increase tourism in the area, the City constructed facilities, staffs and operates a monthly Trade Days event at Pedigo Park where about 200 vendors sell a variety of crafts, antiques, and collectible items. This event, which began in May, 1999, has been extremely successful in attracting new visitors to the area. Local motels and restaurants report significant increases in their business on Trade Days weekends. Additionally, several new antique malls and specialty shops have opened in the downtown business district in connection with the Trade Days event and there has been a renewed interest in the remodeling and renovation of buildings in the downtown business district.

Over the past eight (8) years, Livingston has experienced a diversification of the economic base with the construction by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice of a 2,850 bed maximum-security prison unit five miles outside Livingston. The TDO unit employs approximately 835 people with an annual payroll of close to $20,000,000.

Escape the Big City... Additionally, Livingston has seen a tremendous growth in the health-care services industry in the past few years with the construction of a $25,000,000 state-of-the-art hospital on the U.S. Highway 59 bypass as well as several new medical office buildings and medical office subdivisions in the area. Construction of a new nursing home, an assisted living and independent living retirement facility and plans for a gated residential community for senior citizens are evidence of a growing elderly population in the area.

Other segments of the population are increasing as well as is evidenced through the continuing need for expansion of the educational facilities in our community. Within the past five (5) years, the Livingston Independent School District has constructed a new $17,000,000 junior high school campus for grades 7 - 9 and remodeled and expanded both an existing elementary school campus and an intermediate school campus to accommodate the ever-increasing number of students moving to the area.

Other signs of the continuing strong financial condition of the community can be seen in a variety of areas and new businesses including: the opening of a new financial institution as well as a new branch banking institution within the past few years, several new auto parts stores, general merchandise stores, fast food restaurant chains, a new Holiday Inn Express, and new construction and/or expansions of three of the largest churches in the area. New manufacturing plants which have opened within the past few years in the area include a railcar refurbishing facility, an asphalt plant, a propane bottle refurbishing plant and a valve refurbishing plant.

Lumbering, ranching and the production of gas and oil continue to be important economically to the City.

The Alabama-Coushatta Casino located on the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation 17 miles east of Livingston on US 190 opened November 24, 2001. The first phase of the casino, which includes slot machines, poker and blackjack, can accommodate 750 people.

Phase II of the Alabama-Coushatta Casino includes an expansion of the casino as well as construction of a restaurant on-site. Dirt work and clearing is currently underway for the Phase II expansion. Possible impact on Livingston includes construction of new hotels, restaurants, and shopping centers which will be new sources of hotel occupancy tax revenue and sales tax revenue.