Gregg County, Texas
| Gregg County, Texas | ||
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The Gregg County Courthouse of Art Deco design in Longview; William R. Hughes was the county judge when the structure was completed in 1932.
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 Location in the U.S. state of Texas |
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 Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1873 | |
| Named for | John Gregg | |
| Seat | Longview | |
| Largest city | Longview | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 276 sq mi (715 km2) | |
| • Land | 273 sq mi (707 km2) | |
| • Water | 2.5 sq mi (6 km2), 0.9% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 121,730 | |
| • Density | 445/sq mi (172/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 | |
| Website | http://www.co.gregg.tx.us | |
Gregg County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 121,730. Its county seat is Longview. The county is named after John Gregg, a Confederate general killed in action during the American Civil War.
Gregg County is part of the Longview, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Longview–Marshall, TX Combined Statistical Area. Discovery of oil near Kilgore, Texas in October 1920 was the beginning of an oil boom that attracted workers to the county and expanded the population by more than 500% by 1940, according to the census. By that time, the economy had stabilized but the East Texas Oil Field, extending in five counties, has continued to be important to the county and region's economy.
This area was among early sections settled by United States immigrants before Texas became an independent republic and, after 1848, a state of the United States. It was an area developed as cotton plantations dependent on slave labor of African Americans. Lumbering of the pine forests was also pursued, especially in the early years of clearing the land for cultivation.
Gregg County was organized in 1873 after the American Civil War from portions of existing counties. When the Texas State Legislature convened in January 1873, Democratic representative B. W. Brown of Upshur County introduced a bill to create a new county from parts of Harrison, Rusk, and Upshur counties. He was likely trying to break up the black majority that dominated county politics in Harrison County. Under Brown's proposal, the county was to be named Roanoke, and Longview was to be the county seat. The proposed name was later changed to honor Texas leader and Confederate General John Gregg, and the county seat was determined by popular election.
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