Edgewood, TX

Edgewood is a city in Van Zandt County that began as a railroad stop on the East Texas timberline. Settlement started along the Dallas-to-Shreveport road in the 1840s, then the Texas and Pacific Railroad arrived in the 1870s. A depot called Edgewood was established in 1878, and by 1881 the town had a hotel and blacksmith. The 2020 census counted 1,530 residents. Early Edgewood revolved around cotton, with a steam gristmill, gin, church, school, and general stores in place by 1890. Railroad days are still visible in the town's street pattern.

The town later picked up the nickname Tomato Capital of East Texas as tomato farming took over after the Depression. Natural gas discovery in 1960 brought another turn, shifting the local economy toward ranching and new homes. Edgewood's historic downtown still carries the railroad-town outline, while the Edgewood Independent School District and town government keep the place centered on its own community institutions. It is a small East Texas city with a layered agricultural and rail identity.