The KCS Railway bridge over the Neches River in Beaumont is a major transportation link for the region.

Map of the Neches River and associated watershed

The Neches River (pronounced "NAI ches") flows for 416 miles through east Texas to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and Lake B. A. Steinhagen are located on the Neches. Several cities are located along the Neches River Basin, including Tyler, Lufkin, Silsbee, Beaumont, Vidor, Port Neches, Nederland, Groves, and Port Arthur. Image File history File links NechesRiverBridge. ... Image File history File links NechesRiverBridge. ... The Kansas City Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark KCS) is a United States-based Class I railroad operating over 3,130 track miles in 10 central and southeastern states. ... Image File history File links Neches_Watershed. ... Image File history File links Neches_Watershed. ... Official language(s) None See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Sabine Lake is a 90,000 acre (364 km²) salt water estuary formed by the confluence of the Sabine River and the Neches River. ... The Rainbow Bridge is a cantilever bridge crossing the Neches River in Southeast Texas just upstream from Sabine Lake. ... Tyler is the county seat of Smith County in East Texas, United States. ... Lufkin is a city in Angelina County, Texas, United States. ... Silsbee is a city located in Hardin County, Texas. ... Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Jefferson County Mayor Guy Goodson Area    - City 222. ... Vidor is a city in Southeast Texas at the intersection of Interstate 10 and State Highway 105, six miles east of Beaumont in western Orange County. ... Port Neches is a city located in Jefferson County, Texas. ... Groves is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. ... Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan area and is situated in southeast Texas. ...

From Lake B.A. Steinhagen down to Beaumont, the Neches River flows through the 97,000-acre Big Thicket National Preserve. This important ecosphere preserves the area where several eco-systems converge -- an event that harkens back to the last Ice age. The Big Thicket Visitor Center is off U.S. Highway 69 several miles north of Kountze. The Big Thicket is the name of a heavily forested area in Southeast Texas. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... US 69 is a north-south United States highway. ...

The Lower Neches Valley Authority is the river authority which oversees the Neches River in Tyler County, Hardin County, Liberty County, Chambers County, and Jefferson County counties of Texas. The Lower Neches Valley Authority The Lower Neches Valley Authority was established in 1933 as a district to store, control, conserve, and utilize the water of the lower Neches River valley. ... Tyler County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... Hardin County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... Liberty County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area. ... Chambers County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area. ... Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Texas. ...

A new national wildlife refuge was purchased on the Neches River in 2006(Neches River National Wildlife Refuge). It currently covers 1 acre but is proposed for 16,000 acres. This site where the new wildlife refuge is is a proposed dam site for the city of Dallas and it's suburbs. The aquisition of one acre by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was at one time enough to stop the proposed dam from being erected, but now the aquisition has to go through the governor of Texas to stop the dam.

Points of interest

The Port of Beaumont is located on the Neches River at Beaumont, TX. The Port of Beaumont is a deep-water port located in Beaumont, Texas. ...

The Big Thicket National Preserve. The Big Thicket is the name of a heavily forested area in Southeast Texas. ...

See also

• List of Texas rivers
• USS Neches (AO-5) — a fleet oiler built in 1920.

. ... The first USS Neches (AO–5) was laid down 8 June 1919 by the Boston Navy Yard; launched 2 June 1920; sponsored by Miss Helen Griffin, daughter of Rear Admiral Robert Griffin; and commissioned 25 October 1920, Comdr. ... An oiler is a ship, also called a tanker, that can carry a liquid cargo of petroleum, or a naval support vessel that carries fuel to other naval ships steaming at sea, and can transfer the fuel during underway RAS improved fleet operations reliability, availabiltiy and serviceability. ...

External links

• Neches River from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Fun365Days.com -- regional tourism web site
• Partnership of Southeast Texas -- regional economic development site
• Big Thicket National Preserve
• Lower Neches Valley Authority
• Historic photos of Army Corps of Engineers projects on the Neches River from 1910-20s
• Salt Lick Agreement, March 19, 1835 From Texas Tides