Lufkin -

Lufkin has been named the 65th "Best Town for Sportsmen" in the country, according to the June/July 2009 issue of Outdoor Life magazine.

Outdoor Life ranked 200 cities across the nation for hunters and anglers to live based on more than 20 criteria, with outdoor-related factors given slightly heavier emphasis in computing the results than quality-of-life factors. Outdoor factors considered included gun-friendliness of each town's state, huntable and fishable species nearby, the town's proximity to public hunting land and fishable waters and the potential for taking a trophy-caliber game animal or fish nearby, an Outdoor Life press release stated. Quality-of-Life factors considered included population growth since 2000, median household income, median home value, cost of living, unemployment rate, mean commute time and amenities (schools, hospitals).

"Outdoorsmen want world-class hunting and fishing, but like everyone else, they also want to have a high quality of life," says Todd Smith, editor-in-chief of Outdoor Life. "The towns on this list offer the best of the outdoors as well as decent homes and schools and good-paying jobs. They are truly dream towns for sportsmen."

Lufkin Mayor Jack Gorden said he's honored but not surprised by Lufkin's inclusion on the list.

"The beautiful natural landscape of forest and wildlife that abound in this area makes it a natural choice. We're right in the middle of all the national forests in Texas and we've got all this open land — not to mention the untold wealth of private hunting within the area also," Gorden said.

"The cost of doing outdoor activities in this area relative to the western part of the U.S. and other areas is what probably put us over the hump — we're a lot less expensive, relatively speaking."

Gorden noted that the city of Lufkin and Angelina County combined sell more hunting and fishing licenses than any other place in the state. Lufkin is also now home to a major sporting goods chain — Academy Sports and Outdoors.

"I've been told this is the smallest population Academy has ever gone into and it is bound to be based on the outdoor equipment usage sales," Gorden said. "In speaking with the manager out there he said the company is extremely happy with sales in this area — that speaks volumes. Local hardware stores carry lines of archery equipment — everywhere you look there is some semblance of how it has worked its way into our economy."

Gorden said that its not just local hunters and anglers that are fueling the sales.

"There's a sign north of Lufkin on U.S. 69 that says hog hunting and I met the people that do that a few weeks ago. They claim they have people that come in here from all over the U.S. and some even from outside of U.S.," Gorden said. "People are coming and eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, stopping in Academy and spending money here."

The "going green" movement has caused people to get in touch with nature and in the process fueling our local economy, Gorden said.

"I don't know if its a reawakening or just an awakening but as a society we're becoming more open to the outdoors and natural things — "green things," Gorden said. "We've got what the rest of the country is looking for."

Gorden said he looks for Lufkin to climb the chart next year, possibly even overtaking Lewiston, Idaho, population 31,794, which took top honors on the magazine's list.

By JESSICA COOLEY
Lufkin Daily News

Read original story