Bergfeld Park - Great Public Spaces in Texas 2024

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) recognized Bergfeld Park as one of only three for the 2024 Great Public Spaces in Texas. This recognition is part of the APA’s Great Places in Texas program that recognizes and promotes streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces that “exemplify exceptional character”.

Urban Forestry - Tree City USA 2023

For the 15th consecutive year, the City of Tyler was named a 2023 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management.

Tyler achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program's four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

The City also received a Tree City USA Growth Award for the 8th consecutive year for demonstrating environmental improvement and an outstanding level of tree care. Tyler is one out of 12 cities in Texas to earn this award.

Trees provide multiple benefits to the community when properly planted and maintained. They help to improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits.

Tyler Municipal Rose Garden - Texas Recreation and Park Society Lone Star Legacy Park 2023

A Lone Star Legacy Park is a park that holds special prominence in the local community and the state of Texas. These parks have endured the test of time and have become iconic to those who have visited, played and rested on their grounds.  A designation as a Lone Star Legacy is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a park. 

Keep Tyler Beautiful - Keep Texas Beautiful Gold Star Affiliate & Keep America Beautiful Presidents Circle 2023

Keep Tyler Beautiful has reached Gold Star affiliate status as a result of their continuous efforts in beautification, litter reduction maintaining positive partnerships with local organizations, educating our youth, and strong participation in events.

Keep Tyler Beautiful attributes their success as an organization to the support they receive from our City leaders and the dedication of their board members. Keep Tyler Beautiful runs many different programs focusing on community beautification, litter reduction, and improving recycling efforts. These programs include Adopt-a-Spot, the annual Great Tyler Cleanup, Beauty and the Box program, Tyler Recycles Day, and Tyler Against Graffiti (TAG).

Keep Tyler Beautiful also received President's Circle status for achievements last year from Keep America Beautiful.

Urban Forestry - Tree City USA 2022

For the seventh year in a row, the City of Tyler received the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA Growth Award. This award recognizes higher levels of tree care and community engagement. The Tyler City Council accepted the award on Wednesday during the City Council meeting.

The City took several steps to expand its urban forest in 2022, including celebrating multiple Arbor Day plantings, where 62 trees were planted at Bergfeld Park and 16 trees at T.R. Griffith. In addition to Arbor Day events, the City hosted a seedling giveaway where 1,800 seedlings were given to families to plant on their properties.

Over the past year, the Tyler Reforestation Encouraging Ecological Stability (TREES) Committee, Tyler Parks and Recreation Department and Keep Tyler Beautiful have worked together to garner this award. There are 94 cities in Texas recognized as Tree City USA, but only 12 received Growth Awards for 2022. This puts Tyler in the top 15 percent of Texas cities that are managing their trees exceptionally well.

The City has held Tree City USA status for 14 years.

Urban Forestry - Tree City USA 2021

The City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department along with Keep Tyler Beautiful has been a member of Tree City USA since 2009. The Department has been honored with the Tree City USA Growth Award from the Arbor Day Foundation. The Tree City USA Growth Award is presented by the Arbor Day Foundation to participating Tree City USA communities that demonstrate higher levels of tree care and community engagement during the calendar year. 2021 events that made the City of Tyler eligible for this award include Arbor Day Celebrations at Emmett J. Scott and Woldert Parks and the campus of UT Tyler. In addition to Arbor Day events, the City hosted a seedling giveaway where 1,500 seedlings were given to families to plant on their properties. There was a total of 128 trees and 200 seedlings planted on public property. This is the City’s sixth Growth Award and the 13th time to be named Tree City U.S.A.

Urban Forestry - Tree City USA 2020

 The City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department along with Keep Tyler Beautiful has been a member of Tree City USA since 2009. The Department has been honored with the Tree City USA Growth Award from the Arbor Day Foundation in 2015, 2016, and 2017 for demonstrating environmental improvement and higher level of tree care. The Growth Award highlights innovative programs and projects as well as increased commitment of resources for urban forestry. Out of the 85 Tree City USA’s in Texas, less than 30 have received a Growth Award.

Hillside Park - Texas Municipal League 2020 Excellence Award for Park Renovation

The City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department received a 2020 Municipal Award as part of the 2020 Municipal League Annual Conference - recognizing public works and city communications programs for cities with populations over 25,000 - for the Hillside Park renovation project. Members of City Council and city staff accepted the award remotely as part of the city's regularly scheduled City Council meeting on October 14. 

Three years ago, the Parks Department began work to transform Hillside Park, located at 1111 E. Erwin, into a city-wide and regional attraction. Through Keep Tyler Beautiful Board, private donors, and the half-cent sales tax fund, more than $300,000 was raised for its renovation. 

Once plagued with graffiti, Hillside Park reopened in spring 2019, featuring an art wall and the largest concrete slide in Texas and the second-largest in the country. 

Keep Tyler Beautiful - Keep Texas Beautiful Governor's Community Achievement Award

Keep Texas Beautiful has recognized Tyler as one of ten winners of the 2020 Governor's Community Achievement Awards for outstanding community improvement. The Keep Tyler Beautiful Board is the driving force behind many of Tyler's environmental and beautification programs. The award is one of the most coveted annual environmental and community improvement honors in Texas. A community's environmental program is judged by a group of diverse, multi-sector judges on achievements in seven environmental and community improvement areas: public awareness and outreach, environmental education, beautification and community improvement, litter prevention and cleanup, solid waste management, litter law and illegal dumping enforcement.

Tyler Rose Garden - National Register of Historic Places

After a two-year-long application process, the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden was officially recognized as a “national treasure” on the National Register of Historic Places, at a ceremony in October 2019. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the country’s historic buildings, districts, sites, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden joins other Smith County landmarks, such as the Azalea Residential Historic District, the Blackstone Building, Carnegie Public Library, Cotton Belt Building, and several others.

Tyler Rose Garden - Great Public Spaces in Texas 2018

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) recognized the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden as one of the 2018 Great Public Spaces in Texas. This recognition is part of the APA’s Great Places in Texas program that recognizes and promotes streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces that “exemplify exceptional character”.

Bergfeld Park - Texas Recreation and Park Society Lone Star Legacy Park 2014

A Lone Star Legacy Park is a park that holds special prominence in the local community and the state of Texas. These parks have endured the test of time and have become iconic to those who have visited, played and rested on their grounds.  A designation as a Lone Star Legacy is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a park.