Carthage is a city in East Texas that serves as the seat of Panola County, situated about 20 miles west of the Louisiana state line and roughly 42 miles west of Shreveport. The city grew as a trade and governmental center for a county whose economy has long been tied to agriculture, timber, and, from the early 20th century onward, the oil and gas of the East Texas region. Its development as a commercial hub accelerated with the growth of East Texas oil production, and its role as a government, education, and retail center for Panola County endures. Today Carthage has a population of about 6,600 and functions as the largest town and commercial hub of Panola County. Carthage's most distinctive claim is its role in Texas country music. The city is home to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, which honors Texans who have shaped the genre, and the adjoining Tex Ritter Museum, dedicated to the legendary singer and actor who was raised nearby. The museum complex is a focal point for visitors and a point of local pride. The city is also a designated state and national Main Street City, and its downtown has been renovated around the courthouse square. Panola College, a two-year public college founded in 1947, anchors higher education in the county, and Carthage ISD serves the area's public school students. Carthage sits at the intersection of U.S. Highways 59 and 79, with Interstate 20 a short drive to the north, placing it within reach of Shreveport, Tyler, and the broader East Texas-Louisiana corridor. The surrounding countryside is rolling pine-and-hardwood timberland, and the city retains the small-town character and Southern hospitality typical of deep East Texas.