Lufkin is bringing back its welcome signs.
The city is moving ahead with three new gateway signs at the same highway sites where its old tree-cookie signs once stood — U.S. Highway 59 South, U.S. Highway 69 North and U.S. Highway 69 South. A fourth sign on U.S. Highway 59 North will come later as its own project, after highway work in that corridor is finished.
The old signs welcomed drivers for about 12 years. They were built with a foam composite that broke down over time, and by the end they were past repairing, so the city took them down. Residents noticed, and some of them said so.
“Gateway signage helps introduce our community to the people traveling into Lufkin,” said Tara Hendrix, Director of Visit Lufkin. “This project has involved careful consideration of design, cost, lasting performance, funding, and maintenance. Our goal is to create a welcoming, enduring representation of Lufkin while being responsible stewards of public resources.”
Built to outlast the last set
The new signs trade foam for steel framing, an aluminum composite face, a concrete foundation and external spotlights. Each one carries the City of Lufkin name and a pine branch.
Getting to that design took two years. The first concepts went to City Council at its June 2024 budget retreat. More came in 2025, and some of the earlier ideas were set aside after council members raised questions about what they would cost to build and what they would cost to keep up.
Where the money comes from
None of it comes out of property taxes. The signs are paid for with Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue — money collected from people who stay overnight in Lufkin hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfasts.
Texas Tax Code Chapter 351 is strict about where that money can go. It can’t pay for street repairs or public safety or anything else on the general city ledger. It has to go toward drawing visitors and helping local hospitality, which is how welcome signs qualify.
The city calls the signs one piece of a wider effort that also includes downtown Lufkin’s Texas Cultural District designation. More on the project’s design, funding and history is coming through the city’s own channels as the work moves along.
