Ok admittedly this is not a terribly new story, but I’m only just now getting to writing on it, so readers will have to please bear with me as it’s an important story for our area. Representatives from Tyler and Lindale met in June and hammered out an agreement between the two cities which defined their Extra Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJ). The ETJ is the surrounding area outside the city limits into which the city anticipates it will grow. Tyler’s ETJ is obviously larger (about five miles) than that of its sister city (about one mile) due to its size. The primary reason for the agreement is that both communities anticipate good growth along highway 69 and interstate 20. The continued expansion of loop 49 is also expected to help spur growth. The “treaty” will allow both towns to grow in such away, that they can reap the maximum benefit from their proximity to the important freeways. As they grow into their ETJs the border (Tyler’s northern and Lindale’s southern), will be defined more or less permanently.

For a more detailed report on the story visit the City of Tyler’s webpage at http://www.cityoftyler.org/Home/tabid/36/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/865/CategoryID/10/NewsID/1378/Default.aspx .