TexasEscapes.com HOME Welcome to Texas Escapes
A magazine written by Texas
Custom Search
New   |   Texas Towns   |   Ghost Towns   |   Counties   |   Trips   |   Features   |   Columns   |   Architecture   |   Images   |   Archives   |   Site Map

Orange County TX
Orange County


Texas Towns
A - Z

Hotels

VIDOR, TEXAS

Orange County, Texas Gulf Coast / East Texas

30°7'53"N 93°59'47"W (30.131492, -93.996292)

I-10 and FM 105
14 Miles W of Orange the county seat
6 Miles E of Beaumont
Population: 10,403 Est. (2019)
10,579 (2010) 11,440 (2000) 10,935 (1990)

Book Hotel Here › Beaumont Hotels

King Wallis Vidor
King Wallis Vidor, Son of Charles S. Vidor was born in Galveston. He sold tickets at a Galveston movie house before driving to California, having a remarkable career as a film director.
Wikipedia Photo

History in a Pecan Shell

Charles Shelton Vidor, lumber magnate, is the town’s namesake. Vidor either owned or was a partner in the area’s most productive sawmills. The community began with the railroad (The Texarkana and Fort Smith Railroad) around 1896 and in turn the railroad facilitated the shipping of lumber of which there was plenty.

Huge tracts of pine became available and with several sawmills in operation, unemployment was nearly non-existent. A post office was opened sometime before 1909. But nothing lasts forever and as the forests were clear cut, the population declined. The concept of farming trees was decades in the future.

By 1920 the population had fallen to just 50 die hard residents. Vidor was on the ropes and was on the verge of oblivion. With the building of a subdivision in the late 1920s, it managed to increase its population to 700 by the 1940 census. After WWII, it exploded with people wanting to move away from crowded Beaumont and Port Arthur. The 1950 census reported over 2,000 residents.

The town received its own weekly paper in the mid 1950s as the population increased. The 1970 census reported nearly 10,000 people and over 12,000 in 1980. 11,440 residents were counted for the 2000 census.



Take a road trip

Vidor, Texas Nearby Towns:
Orange the county seat
Beaumont
Houston
See Orange County

Texas Gulf Coast / East Texas

Book Hotel Here:
Beaumont Hotels | More Hotels

Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 


 


Texas Towns A - Z Texas Regions:
Gulf Texas Gulf Coast East East Texas North Central Texas North Central Woutn Central Texas South Panhandle Texas Panhandle
South South Texas Hill Texas Hill Country West West Texas Ghost Texas Ghost Towns counties Texas Counties

Texas Escapes Online Magazine »   Archive Issues » Home »
TEXAS TOWNS & COUNTIES TEXAS LANDMARKS & IMAGES TEXAS HISTORY & CULTURE TEXAS OUTDOORS MORE
Texas Counties
Texas Towns A-Z
Texas Ghost Towns

TEXAS REGIONS:
Central Texas North
Central Texas South
Texas Gulf Coast
Texas Panhandle
Texas Hill Country
East Texas
South Texas
West Texas

Courthouses
Jails
Churches
Schoolhouses
Bridges
Theaters
Depots
Rooms with a Past
Monuments
Statues

Gas Stations
Post Offices
Museums
Water Towers
Grain Elevators
Lodges
Stores
Banks

Vintage Photos
Historic Trees
Cemeteries
Old Neon
Ghost Signs
Signs
Murals
Gargoyles
Pitted Dates
Cornerstones
Then & Now

Columns: History/Opinion
Texas History
Small Town Sagas
Black History
WWII
Texas Centennial
Ghosts
People
Animals
Food
Music
Art

Books
Texas Railroads

Texas Trips
Texas Drives
Texas State Parks
Texas Rivers
Texas Lakes
Texas Forts
Texas Trails
Texas Maps
USA
MEXICO
HOTELS

Site Map
About Us
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer
Contributors
Staff
Contact Us

 
Website Content Copyright Texas Escapes LLC. All Rights Reserved