The city was named after lumberman Charles Shelton Vidor, owner of the Miller-Vidor Lumber Company and father of director King Vidor. Landmarks include KAYD-FM, KIOC and KKMY. Vidor is the birthplace of Tracy Byrd, musician.
Vidor, Texas gifts and souvenirs: 21 designs made from Vidor's own map, landmarks and history, from $16 to $95. Printed to order and shipped free in the USA.
| Popular | Price |
|---|---|
| Vidor Hometown Ornament | $23 |
| Vidor Vintage Travel Poster | from $40 |
| Vidor Varsity Crewneck | from $57 |
| Vidor Est. Tee | from $33 |
| Vidor Town Line Mug | from $26 |
| Vidor Market Tote | $37 |
Ceramic keepsake, gold ribbon, in 3 styles
Its landmark photo in a classic travel-poster layout
A local landmark photo as a gallery print
The town's story in dates, from its own records, for home or classroom
Map of local landmarks, washable fabric
Heavy-blend fleece, street map printed on the back
Red heavy-blend crewneck, knit-stitch town print
Soft Bella+Canvas jersey
Kids' Bella+Canvas jersey, youth sizes
Bella+Canvas toddler jersey
Bella+Canvas baby bodysuit
Glossy ceramic, dishwasher safe
Weatherproof, for the front walk
24″×16″, printed coir-look fibers, rubber back
12″×12″ printed wood, ready to hang
Soft-touch, zip cover
A local landmark photo with the town name, 18″×18″
Sturdy all-over-print tote
Glossy top, cork back
Soft fleece, 50″×60″
20 oz, double-wall stainless
The area was heavily logged after the construction of the Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway that was later part of a line that ran from Kansas City to Port Arthur, Texas. The city was named after lumberman Charles Shelton Vidor, owner of the Miller-Vidor Lumber Company and father of director King Vidor. By 1909, the Vidor community had a post office, and four years later, a company tram road was built. Almost all Vidor residents worked for the company. In 1924, the Miller-Vidor Lumber Company moved to Lakeview, just north of Vidor, in search of virgin timber. A small settlement remained, and the Miller-Vidor subdivision was laid out in 1929. Vidor was incorporated in 1960.
Historically, Vidor has been described as a sundown town, a term used to describe racially homogeneous communities, specifically all-white towns, that have shown hostility to people of other races after sunset. Vidor's segregated public-housing practices were formally abolished in 1993 after U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice issued an order to desegregate 36 counties in Texas, which included public housing in Vidor. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) responded by hosting rallies in support of an all-white Vidor, though some citizens protested the anti-black coalition; church leaders held a well-attended prayer rally in opposition to the KKK hatred. After four black families moved into the complex, the residents suffered racial threats, including a bomb threat to the complex. All nine black residents eventually moved out under this pressure. One of the residents, Bill Simpson, was interviewed about his negative experiences while living there. "I've had people who drive by and tell me they're going home to get a rope and come back and hang me. . . ."
In 2005, 2008, and 2017, Vidor and surrounding areas suffered extensive damage from Hurricanes Rita, Ike, and Harvey, respectively. A mandatory evacuation was imposed upon its residents for about two weeks.
During the George Floyd protests of 2020, Black Lives Matter held a rally in Vidor that was attended by a diverse crowd of 150–200 people.
Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Vidor, Texas, revision 1380428449 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
We share a part of every Vidor sale with local partners, and we'd love to print from your collection. Old photographs, maps and postcards make the best keepsakes.
Partner with usA favorite landmark, your street, a school or team, an anniversary gift, a different product. Tell us and we'll get back to you by email.
1 free coloring page of Vidor, each traced from a photo of a local landmark. Print them at home, at school or for story hour.
Vidor's population was 9,789 in the 2020 U.S. Census, down from 10,000 in 2000.
A view of Vidor