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Eastern Texas:
Petrochemicals and Tourism

Tourism, petroleum and chemicals are the primary industries in eastern Texas. There's also a thriving paper and lumber industry in the northeast, centered in Lufkin (population 30,000), where Donohue, a Quebec firm, recently invested $230 million in modernizing its newsprint and specialty paper mill.

Moving southward, the oil and gas industry dominates communities like Beaumont (population 114,000) and Port Arthur (population 60,000). BASF Corp. is building a new facility for the manufacture of ethylene and propylene in Port Arthur. The $600 million capital investment will create 163 jobs. Other major chemical employers are DuPont, Exxon-Mobil and Texaco.

A major expansion project is planned at the Port of Port Arthur, a deepwater facility with convenient rail and truck access. A number of properties at the port are available for lease to commercial tenants. About 25 million tons (22.7 million m. tons) of cargo, primarily oil and petrochemical products, are shipped from the port annually.

Located on Galveston Bay, Galveston (population 65,000) is the state's primary cotton port and commercial fishing center.

Corpus Christi is both a major tourist center and the industrial hub of the 500,000-population central Gulf Coast region. The nearby Padre Island beaches and other attractions bring in 5 million visitors annually. The Port of Corpus Christi is one of the largest in the United States, and major employers include a naval air station, naval mine warfare center and army helicopter repair facility.

The petrochemical industry provides an estimated 50,000 jobs in the region. Koch Refining, one of the area's largest employers, has invested $1 billion in the region over the past two decades. Another area resource is the Corpus Christi Technical Center, a 400-employee facility designed to create new business based on advanced technologies.   SS

--Richard Westlund is a business writer based in Miami, Fla.