Troup, TX

Troup is an East Texas city with one foot in Smith County and the other in Cherokee County, a two-county arrangement that locals understand better than any map legend. The 2020 census counted 2,006 residents. The town grew around the railroad in the 1870s, with cotton, timber, mills, general stores, and later the East Texas oil boom filling out the economy. Farm roads and state highways still meet around the city, giving Troup a practical crossroads shape. Troup Independent School District serves a wide rural area across both counties, so the school system is part of the city's regional role.

The Mount Tabor Indian Community also has a long East Texas connection, adding another layer to the area's history and identity. Troup's local scoop is a two-county city with a railroad past, an oil-era chapter, and a school district that reaches well beyond the city limits. It is the kind of place where a county line is part of the introduction.