Center is a city in far eastern Texas that serves as the seat of Shelby County, a deep East Texas county bordering Louisiana along the Sabine River. Shelby County was among the original counties of Texas, organized in 1837 and named for Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War officer and governor of Kentucky. The county's early prosperity was tied to its location along the Sabine River and its proximity to Louisiana, and the town of Center grew as the county's governmental and commercial hub, taking its name from its position near the geographic center of the county. Today Center has a population of about 5,200 and functions as the largest town and service center in Shelby County. It sits at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 96 and State Highways 7 and 87, about 33 miles northeast of Nacogdoches and 59 miles south of Marshall. The surrounding region is the Piney Woods of East Texas, a landscape of pine and hardwood timber, rolling hills, and small farms. The local economy is built on timber, poultry, and agriculture, and the city celebrates that heritage with an annual Poultry Festival each October. Center ISD, the largest school district in the county, anchors the community along with county government and regional healthcare services. To the east, Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River forms one of the largest reservoirs in the South and a major destination for fishing, boating, and lake recreation. Center offers the small-town pace and close-knit character of a county seat, combined with the conveniences that come from serving as a regional commercial center. Its location in deep East Texas places it within reach of the larger cities of the Ark-La-Tex region while preserving the slower rhythms and wooded landscape of the Piney Woods.