Mineola, Texas

Mineola is a city in the U.S. state of Texas in Wood County. It lies 26 miles north of Tyler. Its population was 4,823 at the 2020 census.

The town was incorporated as the railroads arrived in 1873. A railroad official, Ira H. Evans, combined the names of his daughter, Ola, and her friend, Minnie Patten, to create the city name Mineola.

History
Mineola came into existence when the railroads built lines through the eastern part of the state. In 1873, the Texas and Pacific and the International-Great Northern raced to see which could get to Mineola first. The I-GN reached the finish 15 minutes earlier. A city government was organized in 1873, a post office opened in 1875, and the town was incorporated in 1877, but a fire in the 1880s destroyed 18 buildings. The town's oldest paper, the Mineola Monitor, was founded in 1876. By 1890, the town had seven churches, several schools including a black free school, hotels, banks. In 1895, Mineola became the site of the Wood County Fair.

Since Mineola was in the heart of the East Texas timber belt, timber was plentiful for making railroad ties and lumber. Mineola provided most of the ties to complete the T&P RR west to El Paso in 1879; S. Zuckerman, a Mineola resident, filled contracts for 85,000 ties that were used in the construction. During the community's first 60 years, farm products included cotton, livestock, fruit, and berries. A chair factory opened in 1886, became a crate and basket factory in 1900, and operated until 1952. Highway improvement, the Magnolia Pipeline Company gas line, and the establishment of a railroad terminal caused growth during the 1920s, and the discovery of oil in parts of Wood County and construction of a T&P railroad shop spurred the economy during the 1940s. Diversified farming gave way to cattle raising and watermelon crops by 1950. The Mineola Watermelon Festival began in 1948. Subsequently, sweet-potato farming, a creamery, a nursery, and a company that supplies poles and pulpwood to the telephone company helped the economy.

The town remains a shipping center. The Mineola Memorial Library, largely financed by H. W. Meredith, was completed in 1960. Nearby Lake Holbrook, also completed in 1962, attracts residents and visitors. The Meredith Foundation has provided large sums for educational and cultural purposes since 1962. Meredith Hall Civic Center, completed in 1977, is used by large and small groups for varied events. The manufacture of women's clothing, sporting goods, electronic connectors, fertilizer, and cattle feed, and the packaging of dry beans and meat provide employment for many people. The Wood County Airport, 5 nmi north of Mineola, was completed in 1984. A new city hall complex was completed in 1986, and a two-school facility was completed in 1987.

In 2023, Max aired How to Create a Sex Scandal, a three-part documentary about charges of child sexual abuse that allegedly took place in Mineola in 2005.

Geography
Mineola is located at 32.65289°N, -95.48031°W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.339 sqmi, of which 10.161 sqmi are land and 0.178 sqmi is covered by water.

Climate
Mineola enjoys weather typical of East Texas, which is unpredictable, especially in the spring. Mineola's humid subtropical climate is typical of the Southeast United States.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,823 people, 1,686 households, and 1,021 families residing in the city. The population density was 463.84 PD/sqmi. The 2,086 housing units averaged 376.5 /sqmi. Of the 1,686 households, 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were not families. About 30.1% were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the age distribution was 23.70% under 18, 9.39% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.84% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was US$30000, and for a family was US$37528. Males had a median income of US$29938 versus US$20750 for females. The per capita income for the city was US$15945. About 16.2% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Religion



 * First Baptist Mineola is one of the largest churches in the Wood County area, with enrollment record around 850.
 * Sand Springs Baptist Church is located just west of Mineola. The church has a regular Sunday attendance around 350.
 * Broad Street Church of Christ
 * Mineola First United Methodist Church
 * New Hope Baptist Church
 * St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, founded October 1871, in Mineola
 * Johnson Chapel United Methodist Church
 * Sidney Temple Church of God
 * East Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
 * St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler.

Sports
The Mineola Black Spiders were a non-league barnstorming African-American baseball team. In 2009, the Texas Historical Commission erected a historical marker at the corner of Hwy. 69 S and South Johnson Street.

Parks and recreation
Largest city-owned park per capita in the United States at 2,911 acres. "The Birding Capital of East Texas" established in 2005.
 * The Mineola Nature Preserve


 * Howard L. and Vivian W. Lott House

The Howard L. and Vivian W. Lott House is a house designed in the Prairie School style with classical details. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Iron Horse Square is a five acre area in downtown Mineola that celebrates the railroad heritage of our city, county and East Texas area. Situated between Front and Commerce Streets and alongside the Union Pacific Railroad tracks the park is a joint effort between the Mineola Landmark Commission, the Parks & Open Spaces Board and the City of Mineola. It hosts a mini train, railroad-themed playground, and historical walking trail.
 * Iron Horse Square


 * Mineola Downtown Historic District

Mineola Downtown Historic District is home to a collection of buildings that were constructed between 1885 and 1960. The district comprises 88 properties and covers almost 23 acre.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 16, 2013.


 * Lakes
 * Lake Holbrook – located four miles west.
 * Lake Fork – located 20 miles north, between the towns of Quitman, Alba, Emory, and Yantis, Texas.

Education
The City of Mineola is served by the Mineola Independent School District.
 * Mineola High School


 * Historically Black schools
 * Mineola Colored High School
 * McFarland Elementary

Media

 * Newspaper

The Wood County Monitor is a weekly newspaper serving Mineola and Wood County, Texas. In 08 2015, newspaper operations of the Mineola Monitor and the Wood County Democrat were merged by their owner, Bluebonnet Publishing, to form the Wood County Monitor.


 * Radio

KMOO-FM ( FM, "K-Moo") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Mineola, Texas, United States, the station serves the Tyler-Longview area. The station is currently owned by Hightower Radio, Inc. Studios and transmitter are located in Mineola.

Roads
Mineola includes the intersection of two major U.S. highways; US 69 and US 80 intersect in the downtown area. Texas Highway 37 connects Mineola and Quitman off US 69.


 * Major highways
 * US 69.svg U.S. Highway 69
 * US 80.svg U.S. Highway 80


 * Farm to market roads
 * Texas FM 49.svg FM 49


 * State highways


 * Texas 37.svg Texas State Highway 37
 * Texas_Loop_564.svg Loop 564 State Highway Loop 564 (large sections are outside city limits)

Railroads
Mineola is currently served by Amtrak's Texas Eagle passenger railway line. The railroad tracks which run through the southern portion of Wood County and through Mineola are currently owned and operated by Union Pacific.

Airports
Mineola is served by two airports:


 * Mineola Wisner Field is identified as 3F9. This airport was established in 1917, and has been operated by the same family owners since 1926.
 * Wood County Airport (Mineola/Quitman Airport) is a public airport owned by Wood County.

Notable people

 * Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco and former speaker of the California Assembly, attended Mineola Colored High School
 * R.C. Hickman, an American civil rights photographer who documented events for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People during the 1950s
 * Jim Hogg, Texas governor lived in Mineola and his daughter Ima Hogg was born in a house in this city. The house still stands and is marked by a historical marker
 * Bryan Hughes, a lawyer in Mineola, has been since 2003 a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives; in 2017, he became a member of the Texas State Senate
 * Bobby Ray Inman, former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Naval Admiral, nominated by President Clinton to be secretary of defense of the United States
 * William Jesse "Bill" McDonald, a former Texas Ranger, was a storekeeper and then Wood County deputy sheriff in the late 19th century
 * Adam Moore, professional baseball player
 * Kacey Musgraves, Grammy-winning country music artist and performer
 * Jack Rhodes, influential country music songwriter and inductee in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
 * Noble Willingham, television and film actor known for The Last Picture Show and Walker, Texas Ranger