Kilgore sits in southern Gregg County and reaches into Rusk County, a town built by the East Texas oil boom. Describe your foundation problem once, and independent foundation repair companies serving Kilgore can reply with free quotes. Tyler TX Foundation Experts is a quote service, not a contractor.
Get a Free Quote Call (323) 880-1300Kilgore grew quickly after October 3, 1930, when the East Texas Oil Field was discovered. By the 1940s more than 1,000 wooden derricks stood in town, and one downtown block was nicknamed "the world's richest acre." The field covers about 140,000 acres across parts of Gregg, Rusk, Upshur, Smith and Cherokee counties (Wikipedia).
Kilgore is also home to Kilgore College and its Rangerettes, founded in 1940 as the world's first precision dance drill team. The 2020 Census counted 13,376 residents.
For a homeowner, the boom years show up in the housing. Kilgore has the second-oldest stock in our research, after Henderson.
Census ACS 2020–2024 estimates.
| Measure | Kilgore | Gregg County |
|---|---|---|
| Median year built | 1973 | 1980 |
| Built before 1960 | 34% | 15% |
| Built before 1980 | 61% | 50% |
| Single-family detached | 80% | 64% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% | 60% |
| Median home value | $171,600 | $203,400 |
A third of Kilgore homes are more than 65 years old. Houses that age often have original drain lines, mature trees close by and grading that has shifted over time. Some may sit on pier-and-beam, where floors that dip toward the middle of a room are a common first sign. See pier and beam repair.
Kilgore straddles two USDA NRCS survey areas. North of the county line, the Upshur and Gregg survey is mostly Cuthbert and Bowie soils, with about 57% of land low in shrink-swell and about 6% high. South of it, Rusk County has more clay soils with high shrink-swell potential, with about 28% mapped high or very high, including Eastwood clay.
Weather records come from Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. Tyler averages about 42 inches of rain a year, but July is the driest month (2.1 inches) and the city sees about 98 days of 90°F-plus heat (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Tyler Pounds Regional Airport). Large pines and oaks near the house can dry out clay soil under a foundation in a drought.
If your house is on the Rusk County side, it is worth asking each company how its plan accounts for clay that swells in wet months. See foundation piers and pilings and foundation inspections.
Texas does not issue a state license for foundation repair companies, so check experience, insurance, written warranties and reviews yourself, and ask whether a licensed professional engineer (PE) designs or signs off on the repair.
Whether a repair needs a permit or an engineer's plan depends on the work, so check with the city's building department or have the company you choose do it before work starts. Ask whether the warranty is transferable if you sell the home, whether there's a transfer fee, and what it covers.
Tyler TX Foundation Experts passes your request to independent foundation companies that serve Kilgore, Gregg County and Rusk County, and they reply to you directly. Companies may pay to receive requests; there is no cost or obligation for you.
Common requests here:
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Typical national price ranges are in the Tyler foundation repair cost guide.
No source links oil field activity to foundation movement in Kilgore homes, so we would not assume it. The boom matters mainly because it explains the town's older housing: about 61% of homes were built before 1980 (Census ACS 2020–2024).
Both. North Kilgore is in the USDA NRCS survey for Upshur and Gregg counties, which is mostly low to moderate shrink-swell. South Kilgore, in Rusk County, is in a survey area with more clay soils with high shrink-swell potential. Check Web Soil Survey for your address.
Ask who designs or signs off on the repair, what pier type they use and how many, the spacing in writing, whether a plumbing test is included, and whether the warranty transfers to a buyer and for what fee.
Describe it once and independent foundation companies serving Tyler, Smith County and East Texas can reply with no-obligation quotes.
