State Highway 7 is an east–west state highway that runs from Interstate 35 south of Waco

Waco, Texas

Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

 to U.S. Highway 84 about 3 miles (5 km) west of the Texas-Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

 state line. Between Crockett

Crockett, Texas

Crockett is a city in Houston County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,141. It is the county seat of Houston County.- History :...

 and Nacogdoches

Nacogdoches, Texas

Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...

, SH 7 passes through the Davy Crockett National Forest

Davy Crockett National Forest

Davy Crockett National Forest is off U.S. Highway 69 lying west of Lufkin, Texas and east of Crockett. It is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture National Forest Service local headquarters in Lufkin...

.

History

SH 7 was one of the original 26 state highways proposed in 1917, proposed as a 'Central Texas Highway.' In 1919 the routing was mostly proposed between San Angelo and Goldthwaite

Goldthwaite, Texas

Goldthwaite is a small city located in Mills County in Central Texas. The population was 1,802 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mills County, which is named for John T. Mills, a justice of the Supreme Court for the Third, Seventh, and Eighth districts of the former Republic of Texas....

, but only the segment to Paint Rock

Paint Rock, Texas

Paint Rock is a town in and the county seat of Concho County, Texas, United States. The population was 320 at the 2000 census.The town's name comes from Indian pictographs painted on cliffs overlooking the nearby Concho River.These pictographs cover nearly half a mile upstream from the town of...

 was created. From Goldthwaite, the road parallels U.S. Highway 84 to Waco. The remainder follows SH 164 to Buffalo

Buffalo, Texas

This article is about the city in Leon County, Texas. A similarly named place exists in Henderson County, Texas, the settlement of John H. Reagan.Buffalo is a city in Leon County, Texas, United States...

, was unbuilt between Buffalo and Jasper

Jasper, Texas

Jasper is the county seat of Jasper County, Texas, in the United States. The population was 8,247 at the 2000 census. Jasper is situated in the Deep East Texas subregion, about northeast of Houston. The city is best known for the 1998 murder of James Byrd, Jr., an event which gained national...

, and U.S. Highway 190 to the State Line.

Possibly due to the amount of construction necessary to build this route as proposed, by 1919 the road was completely rerouted via the current U.S. Highway 84 through Lubbock

Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...

 to Sweetwater

Sweetwater, Texas

Sweetwater is the county seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,415 at the 2000 census.-History:Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway started service in 1881, with the first train arriving on March 12 of that year, beginning...

. Between Sweetwater and Coleman, the road was not constructed as proposed. SH 7 returns to US 84, through Waco to Palestine

Palestine, Texas

Palestine is a city in Anderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,598, and 18,458 in the 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Anderson County and is situated in East Texas...

, heads south on U.S. Highway 287 to Crockett, turns to Lufkin via the current SH 7 then SH 103

State Highway 103 (Texas)

State Highway 103, or SH 103, is a state highway that runs through east Texas from an intersection with SH 7 near the Neches River through Lufkin to an intersection with SH 21 near the Louisiana state border. The route was originally designated in 1926....

 and finally onto Jasper and Newton via present day U.S. Highway 69, SH 63

State Highway 63 (Texas)

State Highway 63 or SH 63 is a highway in east Texas that runs from Zavalla through Jasper, continuing east to the Louisiana border. The highway was originally designated by 1926 along the easternmost branch of previously numbered SH 7 from Zavalla southeast to Bon Wier. By 1938, the section from...

 and US 190.

In 1926, U.S. Highway 70, 80, and 67 were overlaid over pieces of SH 7. While the entirety of the SH 7 maintained its number, the road had been realigned yet again, mainly due to constructions issues. The Sweetwater-Coleman road was never built, and SH 7 was rerouted over existing roads into Abilene. The road's east terminus was shortened to Long Lake. By 1933, the highway was extended east across SH 294 into Alto, SH 21

State Highway 21 (Texas)

State Highway 21, or SH 21, runs from the Texas-Louisiana boundary east of San Augustine to San Marcos in east and central Texas.-History:...

 to Nacogdoches, ending in Joaquin

Joaquin, Texas

Joaquin is a city in northeastern Shelby County, Texas, United States. The population was 925 at the 2000 census. It is located on U.S. Highway 84 and the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad.-Geography:Joaquin is located at ....

 via current SH 7, replacing SH 76.

By 1939 most of the highway had been overrun by a patchwork of US Highways, leaving only a small portion from Joaquin to Crockett remaining, rerouted yet again to a more southerly route from Nacogdoches. The road was slowly extended northwest, absorbing SH 139 from Chilton to Marquez (originally ended in Marlin) in 1948, reaching its current routing by 1990.

SH 7A was a spur route of SH 7 that split off at Coleman and traveled southwest through San Angelo to Fort Stockton. It was transferred to portions of SH 23

State Highway 23 (Texas)

State Highway 23 or SH 23 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation . The highway, located in eastern Lipscomb County in the Texas Panhandle, begins at northwest of Canadian and extends northward through the town of Booker to the Oklahoma...

, SH 30

State Highway 30 (Texas)

State Highway 30, or SH 30, runs from Business SH 6-R in College Station via Roans Prairie to SH 19 in Huntsville. This route was designated in 1961, replacing SH 45...

, and SH 99

State Highway 99 (Texas)

State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway, is a Texas highway, which opened its first section in 1994. When State Highway 99 is complete, it will be the longest beltway in the world, and the third loop within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, with Interstate 610 being...

 by 1933.

SH 7B was a spur route of SH 7 that split off at Lufkin and traveled southwest through Groveton to Trinity. By 1933 it had been renumbered SH 94

State Highway 94 (Texas)

State Highway 94 or SH 94 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs between Trinity and Lufkin. This route was designated in 1926 along the previously designated SH 7B, and has changed little since designation.-Counties and junctions:...

.

Route description

SH 7 begins at an intersection with Interstate 35 and FM 107 in extreme southern McClennan County in central Texas. The highway travels east until it reaches an intersection with US Route 77. It briefly travels south with US 77 around the western side of Chilton

Chilton, Texas

Chilton is an unincorporated community in Falls County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 911 at the 2010 census.The Chilton Independent School District serves area students....

 before turn east again through town. The highway continues east through sparsely populated farmland before reaching Interstate 45 at Centerville

Centerville, Texas

Centerville is a city in Leon County, Texas, United States. The population was 903 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Leon County.Centerville was so named as it is near the geographic center of Leon County...

. The highway continues east, passing through Crockett

Crockett, Texas

Crockett is a city in Houston County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,141. It is the county seat of Houston County.- History :...

 before turning northeast and passing through the center of the city of Nacogdoches

Nacogdoches, Texas

Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...

. The highway continues to its final location, ending at US 84 in extreme northeast Shelby County, just short of the Louisiana State Line.

Junction list

County	Location	Mile	Junction	Notes
McLennan McLennan County, Texas McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....	Eddy
Falls Falls County, Texas Falls County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 18,576. In 2003, the population of the county was estimated to be 17,926. It is named for the waterfalls on the Brazos River, which can be found at the Falls On The Brazos Park, a campsite located only a few...
				West end of US 77 concurrency
				East end of US 77 concurrency
	Marlin Marlin, Texas Marlin is a city in Falls County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,628 at the 2000 census, but decreased to 5,967 by 2010. It is also the county seat of Falls County, and has been so since 1851...
Limestone Limestone County, Texas Limestone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 22,051. Its county seat is Groesbeck.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....	Kosse Kosse, Texas There were 205 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone...
Robertson
Leon	Marquez Marquez, Texas Marquez is a city in Leon County, Texas, United States. The population was 220 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Marquez is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
	Centerville Centerville, Texas Centerville is a city in Leon County, Texas, United States. The population was 903 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Leon County.Centerville was so named as it is near the geographic center of Leon County...
Houston Houston County, Texas Houston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 23,185. Its county seat is Crockett. Houston County is named for Samuel Houston, a president of the Republic of Texas and Governor of Texas...
				West end of SH 21 concurrency
	Crockett Crockett, Texas Crockett is a city in Houston County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,141. It is the county seat of Houston County.- History :...
				East end of SH 21 concurrency
	Kennard Kennard, Texas Kennard is a city in Houston County, Texas, United States. The population was 317 at the 2000 census.The First Baptist Church of Kennard, established in 1903, has over the years been involved in anti-liquor and anti-gambling campaigns.-Geography:...
Angelina Angelina County, Texas Angelina County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Angelina County was formed in 1846 from Nacogdoches County. As of 2000, the population was 80,130. Its county seat is Lufkin. Angelina is named for a Hainai Native American woman who assisted early Spanish missionaries and was named...
Nacogdoches Nacogdoches County, Texas As of the census of 2000, there were 59,203 people, 22,006 households, and 14,039 families residing in the county. The population density was 62 people per square mile . There were 25,051 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
	Nacogdoches Nacogdoches, Texas Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
				West end of US 59 Bus. concurrency
				East end of US 59 Bus. concurrency, west end of SH 21 concurrency
				East end of SH 21 concurrency
San Augustine San Augustine County, Texas As of the census of 2000, there were 8,946 people, 3,575 households, and 2,520 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile . There were 5,356 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...	No junctions in San Augustine County
Shelby Shelby County, Texas *Arcadia*Brooklyn*Center*Dreka *Huxley*Joaquin*Possum Trot*Shelbyville *Tenaha*Timpson*Weaver-Education:The following school districts serve Shelby County:*Center ISD*Excelsior ISD...
	Center Center, Texas Center is a city in Shelby County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,678 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Shelby County...
	Joaquin Joaquin, Texas Joaquin is a city in northeastern Shelby County, Texas, United States. The population was 925 at the 2000 census. It is located on U.S. Highway 84 and the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad.-Geography:Joaquin is located at ....