Palestine is a city in Anderson County, Texas, and the county seat, located deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas. It sits about 108 miles southeast of Dallas and 150 miles north of Houston, at the junction of U.S. Highways 79 and 287, with U.S. 84 and Texas Highways 19 and 155 also converging on the city. Palestine had a population of 18,544 at the 2020 census, making it the commercial and governmental hub of its county and one of the larger cities in the East Texas timber region. The city was named for Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who migrated from that town. Its growth accelerated with the arrival of the railroad in the late nineteenth century, when the city became a division point where rail lines branched across the region and the population roughly doubled. That rail heritage endures today in the Texas State Railroad, which runs steam and diesel excursion trains on a roughly 50-mile route between Palestine and the neighboring town of Rusk through the Piney Woods. Palestine is known for its extraordinary collection of historic architecture—more than 1,800 recorded historic sites, second only to Galveston among Texas cities—along with a lively Main Street and the spring dogwood bloom celebrated at Davey Dogwood Park and an annual festival. The Palestine Independent School District serves the community's roughly 3,200 students, and the city's hospital, colleges, and retail base anchor the region. Palestine appeals to those drawn to East Texas history, outdoor recreation, and small-city living with rail access to the region's past and highway access to the Dallas and Houston metros.