Beaumont doesn’t always get a lot of love from the rest of the state. And that’s just not fair. Located only thirty miles west of the Louisiana border and less than an hour-and-a-half drive from Houston, the second-largest city in southeast Texas is often thought of as a pit stop on the way to New Orleans, but local boosters and business owners are hoping to change that. Along with its rich Cajun culture, Beaumont has a thriving restaurant scene, alligator sanctuaries, and museums that rival institutions in much bigger cities.Settled in 1824, Beaumont has had many lives: it was an early cattle-ranching area, a lumber town, and the site of the 1901 Lucas oil gusher. Revisit the area’s early history at the Spindletop–Gladys City Boomtown…
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