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The Texarkana Metropolitan Statistical Area (TMSA), as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a two-county region anchored by the twin cities of Texarkana, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas, and encompassing the surrounding communities in Bowie County, Texas and Miller County, Arkansas. The TMSA is the core of the Ark-La-Tex region.

In 2005, the TMSA had a population of 132,846, with 59,936 residents within the city limits of the two cities, as stated in the 2006-2007 Community Profile released by the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce. About 68% of the population lives on the Texas side.

Map of the city in 1888

While the meaning of the name is clear -- a portmanteau of Texas and Arkansas, it must be noted that Louisiana represents the ANA in (TEX ARK ANA) -- the actual origin is that when surveyors first surveyed the land they also thought that the city would also be on the border of Louisiana. One tradition tells of a Red River steamboat named The Texarkana, circa 1860. Another story mentions a storekeeper named Swindle in Red Land, Louisiana who concocted a drink called "Texarkana Bitters". A third account states that Col. Gus Knobel, a railroad surveyor, coined the name^[1]. Local lore suggests that, before Texas' annexation by the US, in the area north of the Sulphur River (and at times as far south as Cypress Creek or even the Sabine River) and on the south or west side of the Red River as far west as the current Arkansas-Oklahoma border there were territory disputes among Americans, Mexicans, or others (French, Spanish, even the English). Because of the disputes, lawlessness ruled in the area that at times was claimed by all three (TEX-ARK-ANA). Because of the area's name, the city on the border between Texas and Arkansas was given the label. "Texarkansas" is a frequent misspelling.

In 1876, Texarkana, Texas, was granted a charter under an act of the Texas legislature, and a Texarkana, Texas, post office operated from 1886 to 1892. At some point after that, Congressman John Morris Sheppard (D-TX) secured a postal order officially changing the name to "Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas"^[1].

In the last few years Texarkana has developed very quickly, and a vast array of new stores and services have been popping up.

Much land along I-30 has been cleared between the Richmond road exit and the Nash exit to allow new businesses to be built and other businesses to expand. A multitude of restaurants also have been added over the last few years, such as On the Border, Hooters, Buffalo Wild Wings and Olive Garden. For a current list of businesses and their client satisfaction rating, go to www.rateTexarkana.com [1] where you can read reviews and business profiles, and find out what is where in Texarkana.

As of October 2007 there are multiple projects in progress to expand Texarkana's capabilities to handle the ever growing amounts of traffic, and to relieve strain on the Richmond Rd. and Summerhill Rd. exits. Access roads are being made and bridges viaducts built, all to further the growth of the Texarkana business region.

The Texarkana Symphony Orchestra was established in 2005, providing the community with several professional concerts of classical music every year.

Texarkana's Federal Building/Post Office is located in the median between northbound and southbound traffic on State Line Avenue^[2].

Texarkana consists of two separate municipal designations:

• Texarkana, Arkansas, the county seat of Miller County, Arkansas
• Texarkana, Texas, located in Bowie County, Texas

The iconic boulevard State Line Avenue follows the Texas-Arkansas state line throughout much of Texarkana. The two "sides" of Texarkana are separate only from a political standpoint. Thousands of locals actually live in one state and work in the other.

Owing to its divided political nature, Texarkana has two mayors and two sets of city officials; however, the two sides share a federal building, courthouse, jail, post office, labor office, chamber of commerce, water utility, and several other offices^[1].

Texarkana is on Interstate 30, located close to halfway between Dallas, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Other major routes in Texarkana include:

• U.S. Route 59
• U.S. Route 67
• U.S. Route 71
• U.S. Route 82
• The Loop (consisting of US 59, as well as Texas State Highway Loop 151 and Arkansas Highway 245)

Owing perhaps to its nature as a divided city and its remoteness from large urban areas, Texarkana has long been known as a hotbed for ghost stories, mysteries, and other colorful local lore.

Main article: The Phantom Killer

In 1946, Texarkana was the site of one of America's first widely-publicized serial murders, in which five people were killed and several others injured by an unknown assailant. Dubbed the "Texarkana Moonlight Murders" by news media, the violence focused on couples occupying popular "make-out" spots in and around the town, such as back roads and "lovers' lanes". The only description of the killer was that he carried a handgun and wore a mask. The case was never solved and the spree ended with no suspects arrested.

A man by the name of Yuell Lee Swinney, who was 29 at the time, was arrested but released. He was later released from prison in 1974 after serving 28 years for the theft of a doctor's car and other crimes, but was never convicted of any murders. He had been implicated by his wife who claimed she was present when he committed the murders, yet her various accounts varied each time she told them. Swinney himself denied having any involvement, which he maintained until his death in 1993 at age 76 in a prison hospital where he had been held for funny money and still more crimes. Still, many believe he was the murderer, including several of his prison inmates who claimed Swinney had confessed to them^{[citation needed]}.Even his sister, Mildred Swinney-Sones, believed he did the murders.

These events inspired the film The Town That Dreaded Sundown, released in 1977, written and directed by Charles B. Pierce, and starring Ben Johnson, Dawn Wells, and Pierce himself. Some of the facts of the original case were fictionalized or altered for the film, including victims' names.

In recent years, most area police and sheriff's records of the case was discovered by investigative journalists to be mysteriously missing. No active files of the cases are currently being maintained by area law-enforcement agencies. Some locals believe that the Phantom Killer died long ago. Some claim that he was a member of the local upper class aristocracy, which collaborated to keep his identity quiet to avoid scandal. Others say that he was more a supernatural force than a human being (e.g., Jack the Ripper), and that he will return some day to resume his bloody deeds^{[citation needed]}. Technically, the case is still open, though as of 2006 it is considered cold.

The swampy terrain of Boggy Creek, near Fouke, Arkansas, a small Miller County town southeast of Texarkana, is the reputed home of an anthropoid monster similar in appearance and behavior to the Pacific Northwest's Bigfoot and Sasquatch, and to the Skunk Ape of Florida legend. A film dramatizing these stories, entitled The Legend of Boggy Creek, was released in 1972. Two sequels, Return to Boggy Creek (1977) and The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II (1985) (AKA Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues; the "official" sequel made by the original film's director, Charles B. Pierce) followed with very little commercial success (although The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II was featured in the eleventh season of Mystery Science Theater 3000).

• Walk the Line
• 2 Fast 2 Furious
• Smokey and the Bandit
• The Town That Dreaded Sundown
• The Legend of Boggy Creek
• Return to Boggy Creek
• The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II
• American Psycho
• One False Move by Billy Bob Thornton
• A Perfect World starring Kevin Costner

• All My Ex's Live in Texas by George Strait
• Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' by Crazy Elephant
• Texarkana by R.E.M
• Texarkana by Coby Carlucci
• Texarkana Moonlight by The Bad Detectives
• Texarkana To Panama City by Lee Rocker
• Texarkana State of Mind by Bob Delevante
• Texarkana Baby by Eddie Arnold
• Blue Tail Fly by Leadbelly
• Cotton Fields by Leadbelly; later covered by many other artists
• Call It What You Want by Tesla
• Ride My Llama by Neil Young
• Fingernails by Joe Ely
• I've Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash
• East Bound and Down by Jerry Reed and later covered by the Supersuckers
• Red Bull of Juarez by Frodus
• Goddamn Lonely Love by Drive-By Truckers
• Immortal by Clutch

• A Canticle for Leibowitz

See also: Category:People from Texarkana

• Scott Joplin (childhood home)
• Parnelli Jones, race car driver
• Ross Perot
• David Crowder, Christian Contemporary musician
• Rod Smith, Denver Broncos-wide receiver
• Nathan Vasher, Chicago Bears-defensive back
• Craig Monroe, Chicago Cubs-outfielder
• Eric Warfield, Kansas City Chiefs
• Neil Peters, Comcast Entertainment Group
• Bill Rogers, Golfer, winner of 1981 British Open
• Bob Moose, Pittsburgh Pirates-pitcher
• Miller Barber, professional golfer
• Ryan Mallet, University of Michigan Quarterback - Known Backup
• Craig Forand, Drummer for OneFifty

• Metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, December 2003 [2]
• Texarkana, Texas fact sheet from the U.S. Census Bureau
• Texarkana, Arkansas fact sheet from the U.S. Census Bureau
• Texarkana Chamber of Commerce 2006-2007 Community Profile (in PDF format)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Texarkana

• Texarkana is at coordinates 33°25′32″N 94°02′35″W / 33.425487, -94.043097Coordinates: 33°25′32″N 94°02′35″W / 33.425487, -94.043097
• TxkUSA.org, official web site for Texarkana, USA
• Texarkana Chamber of Commerce
• RateTexarkana.com
• Texarkana Symphony Orchestra

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