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Alba Texas
Alba is a small community located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and Farm To Market Road 17 on the western edge of Wood County in Upper East Texas. Part of the town extends west into Rains County.
It is situated south of Lake Fork and approximately ten miles west of Quitman, and near Emory, Mineola and Golden. Alba is located 80 miles east of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, and 90 miles west of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Alba offers a variety of opportunities for business, weekend getaways, sport fishing, and much more. The population of Alba is listed as 473 in the Federal 2020 Census. It is assigned Area Code 903 and Zip Code 75410.
Welcome sign to Alba, Texas, established 1843 |
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Brief History of Alba
 Historical marker about the Alba coal mines in East Texas |
Alba was originally settled in 1843, and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad (MKT) reached Alba in 1881. Later that year, Alba also received a post office. By 1882, a townsite had been laid out and a number of merchants were opened in the area.
A lignite coal deposit was discovered near Alba around 1900 and shortly afterwards the Texas Short Line Railway was constructed to ship coal from Alba and nearby Hoyt to Grand Saline in Van Zandt County.
By 1911, five area mines produced about 40,000 tons of coal per month. During peak production, the mines employed about 1,000 workers.
Lake Fork
Lake Fork, just northeast of Alba, was designed to be a premier bass fishing lake and currently holds records for 34 out of the Top 50 largemouth bass caught in Texas. This popular lake located on the Sabine River in Hopkins, Rains and Wood Counties, 5 miles northwest of Quitman, and north of Mineola.
Largemouth bass is the most popular sportfish in this reservoir. A combination of restrictive harvest regulations, stocking of Florida strain largemouth, and abundant habitat has contributed to Lake Fork's development as one of the country's premier trophy bass lakes.
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about Lake Fork |
Alba Links and Resources
Alba Public Library and Museum
Alba Economic Development Council
Alba-Golden Independent School District
Alba Looking to Reinvent, Rolls Out Welcome Mat (Tyler Morning telegraph, 10/16/2017)
Map of Alba Texas (courtesy of Google Maps)
Map Showing the Location of Alba in East Texas
