Founded in 1882, Lufkin is home to Lufkin Industries, which manufactures and services oil field equipment and power transmission equipment. It is also a leading supplier of creosote-treated utility poles.
Lufkin is also home to the Atkinson Candy Company, the creator of the Chick-O-Stick, and Brookshire Brothers, a chain of grocery stores in Texas and Louisiana.
Lufkin is served by two hospitals, the Memorial Medical Center at Lufkin, which includes the Arthur Temple Sr. Regional Cancer Center, and Woodlands Heights Medical Center.
The space shuttle Columbia disaster happened in the Lufkin area.
Lufkin is well known for its high school football team, the Lufkin Panthers.
Lufkin celebrated its 125th anniversary in October 2007.
Lufkin will receive Texas's first biomass power plant in late 2009. Aspen Power will build the power plant.
The headquarters of all four United States National Forests and two United States National Grasslands in Texas are located in Lufkin. They are the Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine, and Sam Houston National Forests and the Caddo and Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands. (Three other National Grasslands in Texas, the Black Kettle, McClellan Creek, and Rita Blanca, are headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico.)
As of the census of 2000, there were 32,709 people, 12,247 households, and 8,364 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,225.1 people per square mile (473.0/km²). There were 13,402 housing units at an average density of 502.0/sq mi (193.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.92% White, 26.58% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 10.31% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.59% of the population.
There were 12,247 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,989, and the median income for a family was $40,591. Males had a median income of $30,922 versus $20,008 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,613. About 15.0% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.
Lufkin is served by U.S. Highway 69 and U.S. Highway 59.
State Highway 103 and State Highway 94 serve Lufkin.
Lufkin will be served by the extension to Interstate 69 which is planned to run from Canadian border at Port Huron, Michigan to the Texas/Mexico border.
General Aviation service is provided by Angelina County Airport.
The Coach USA bus lines is served in Lufkin, carried under the Kerville Bus Company.
The District (formerly Brazos Valley Transit Authority) provides public bus transportation in the Lufkin area.
360 PTS Provides Passenger Vans to Transport you to and from work in the Lufkin area.
The Checkerboard Taxi Company and Hughes Cab Company serve the Lufkin area for taxi service.
The Angelina and Neches River Railroad (A&NR) runs through Lufkin. It runs for approx. 20 miles and runs into the Union Pacific Railroad lines.