Small-town charm meets growing downtown in Livingston
Livingston is a small town with tall pines, gently rolling terrain and abundant wildlife in East Texas’s Pineywoods region. Just 10 miles from the city center, woodlands meet waterfront on the shores of Lake Livingston. “Most people are moving to the area because they want to be close to the lake,” says Realtor Pamela DeBlasio with Lake Homes Realty LLC, who has sold many houses in the community. “They’re usually choosing to live here, not coming for a job because they like what the lake has in terms of boating, waterskiing or fishing.” But, as the seat of Polk County, Livingston offers more than nearby waterfront recreation. Its downtown continues to develop, opening new shops and restaurants. Local events, from rodeos and livestock shows to farmers markets and Little League games, bring neighbors together. “We’re getting more developed, but people are still coming here to be in the country,” DeBlasio says. “It’s a slower pace of life and a small-town feel.”
City parks feature playgrounds, trails and local events
Joe Pedigo City Park features baseball, soccer and softball fields, as well as picnic pavilions and shelters. The park is the site of various community events, including Trade Days, with food, crafts and antique vendors, and the Smoke in the Pines BBQ Cook Off. Nearby Matthews Street City Park hosts the town’s swimming pool, a playground, tennis courts and trails. Anniversary Park, with paved walkways, picnic shelters and a giant blue beach chair that’s a popular photo op, brings greenery to downtown’s streets. On Saturdays, it’s the site of the Livingston Farmers Market, where vendors sell produce, bread, jams and more. The nearby Polk County Commerce Center hosts events, from corporate gatherings to concerts, while the Livingston Youth Baseball Association offers six fields.
DeBlasio says that proximity to Lake Livingston, one of Texas’s largest lakes, is a major draw. “We are truly a community where life revolves around the lake,” she says. The over 90,000-acre body of water offers more than 450 miles of shoreline with plenty of space for fishing, boating, swimming and camping. Lake Livingston State Park sits on its banks and provides hiking trails, campgrounds and plenty of access to the water.
Local shops and restaurants add charm to Livingston’s core
“Downtown Livingston has been going through a renaissance the past few years,” DeBlasio says. “We have multiple boutiques, restaurants and shops that we didn’t have before. It’s a real bonus when describing the town to potential buyers, who think, ‘We’re moving to the country, what is there to do?’” The Blue Duck Kitchen & Bar is a go-to for dinner, serving entrees like Cajun pasta and pork chops alongside classic cocktails. A few doors down, Alma’s Courthouse Whistlestop Café offers country cooking, with lots of fried and homestyle food, while Katie’s Café & Bakery is popular for Sunday brunch. For local shopping, Good Golly Miss Molly’s Antiques & Gifts carries vintage treasures and rustic home items. Gobel West sells classic Texan apparel, including hats, boots, jewelry and more. On the west side of town, shopping centers house big-box and grocery stores, like Bealls, Dollar General, H-E-B, Lowe’s Home Improvement and Walmart Supercenter.
Livingston offers privacy and wooded residential areas
Livingston’s residential streets have a country feel, with dense brush and mature trees surrounding roadsides. Houses near the city’s downtown commercial district feel separated from activity, and those farther out of town offer even more seclusion. Ranch-style homes can cost $120,000 to $200,000, while New Traditionals, Colonial Revivals or older homes that have been completely renovated can range from $230,000 to $540,000.
Zoned for Livingston Independent School District
The Livingston Independent School District serves the community. For prekindergarten and kindergarten, students can attend Pine Ridge Primary, which gets a C-plus from Niche. They can attend B-rated Timber Creek Elementary for first through fifth grades. Livingston Junior High and Livingston High get C-plus scores. The high school has career- and technical-education courses and a Pathways in Technology Early College High School program, offering students a high school diploma and an associate degree upon graduation.
Annual rodeos and livestock shows celebrate local traditions
The rodeo regularly comes to Livingston. The Barney Wiggins Memorial Rodeo Arena hosts the annual Polk County Youth Rodeo, one of the state’s largest. Bareback riding, goat tying and bull riding are just a few of the happenings during this three-day event. The Trinity-Neches Livestock Show and Rodeo began in 1945 and has continued every year since. During this multi-day event, breeders and farmers show off their best animals, barbecue chefs compete in cookoffs and hometown cowboys rope and ride.
Highways connect Livingston to Houston and nearby cities
U.S. routes 190 and 59 run through Livingston. Lufkin is about 50 miles north, and Houston, with George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is about 75 miles south. In case of emergency, St. Luke’s Health - Memorial Hospital Livingston is in town.
Written By
Adreanna DeMarino
