Tyler is located in Smith County and presently has a population of approximately 96,900. Its name originates from President John Tyler and is nicknamed the "Rose Capital of the Nation" due to the copious amount of rose bushes all over the area. Tyler also hosts the biggest rose garden within America. The Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area, wherein the city of Tyler is a principle city, has a population projected to be roughly 209,714. It is also the regional center of the Tyler-Jacksonville combined statistical area, that has a population of 260,559.
During 1985, the international Adopt-A-Highway movement was started within the city of Tyler. During that year, a local Civitan chapter adopted a 2-mile stretch along Highway 69. Broadway Square mall and Caldwell Zoo are also situated in the city.
The Caddo Indians were the first inhabitants within the area. During the year 1846, Smith County was established by the legislature in Texas. It soon became the center of county government. The city of Tyler was named to honor President John Tyler due to his avid vision of the annexation of Texas. During 1850 the city of Tyler was incorporated. The main industry in the city during the 19th century was agriculture, with cotton being an extremely important resource. During the Civil war, many Union soldiers were held at the largest prison camp west of the Mississippi River, which was located beside the city of Tyler. In the year 1877 the Tyler Tap Railroad provided a significant increase in economic development due to the increased effectiveness of transporting agriculture goods to different areas.
The world famous Tyler Rose Festival is just one of many interesting festivities and attractions hosted in the city of Tyler. The city also boasts the Tyler Azalea Trail. The Tyler Heritage on Tour offers a historically accurate, wonderful tour of historic residences and offers carriage rides. Among the most prominent recreational areas in Tyler is Tyler State Park, which is created out of a pine forest. Some outdoor recreational activities, such as hiking, swimming, canoeing, bicycle riding, camping, picnicking and fishing can be done all over the area. One of the nation's largest skating floors can be found at Tyler Skateplex.
The city is responsible for growing nearly 20% of the commercial rose bushes in the nation, while the region packages and ships over 50%. Aside from agriculture, the city of Tyler likewise is home to some famous corporate headquarters including the Brookshire Grocery Company and Adams Engineering. There are also numerous manufacturing companies, such as Ferguson Beauregard, Tyler Pipe, Trane, Carrier, Cavender's Boot City, and Vesuvius USA. Synthesizers.com, Group M7, CBI, Arrick Robotics and Power-Up are some of the smaller high-tech companies that are located within Tyler.
The majority of the employment within Tyler is generated by the sectors of healthcare, education services, construction, accommodation and food services, technical, professional and scientific services, and machinery. About 28 percent of the workforce is connected with management, professional and related jobs and 24% of the labour force is involved with sales and office occupations.