Jasper is a city in Deep East Texas and the county seat of Jasper County, situated in the piney woods region roughly 40 miles west of the Texas-Louisiana state line. It lies about 65 miles north of Beaumont and 75 miles southeast of Nacogdoches, with U.S. Routes 96 and 190 crossing just south of the city center. The city is home to roughly 6,900 residents. Jasper's history reaches back to the 1820s, when the settlement was established by John Bevil and known as Snow River or Bevil's Settlement. In 1835 the community was renamed for William Jasper, a hero of the American Revolution, and it has served as the Jasper County seat since the county's early organization. The surrounding forests and the region's timber industry have long shaped the local economy and character. The city is known as the "Butterfly Capital of Texas," a distinction tied to the monarch butterflies that migrate through the region each fall. Jasper holds an annual Butterfly Festival on the first Saturday in October, celebrating the seasonal migration and the area's natural heritage. Jasper serves as a regional hub for commerce, healthcare, and government across Jasper County. The Jasper Independent School District provides public education, and the city's location at the junction of U.S. 96 and U.S. 190 places it along major corridors linking the Piney Woods to Beaumont, Lufkin, and the rest of East Texas. Martin Dies Jr. State Park, on B.A. Steinhagen Reservoir between the Neches and Angelina rivers, offers paddling, fishing, and camping nearby, anchoring the area's outdoor recreation. The tall pines and numerous lakes and waterways of the region support fishing, hunting, and boating, drawing outdoors enthusiasts to the area and giving Jasper a distinctive identity among East Texas communities.