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What Do You Use Your Log Cabin For? | Log Homes Blog

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Many people use their log cabin home when they need a peaceful getaway from the noise of everyday life. Others use it as a place to relax and sleep and tell stories after a long day hunting in the woods, or after a day spent fishing on the water.

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Log cabins are renowned for their versatility, as they can be used to suit an array of needs. As such, a log cabin's flexibility is a key buying point for many owners. With that in mind, let's take a look at 4 ways in which an owner can use their log cabin.

1) As the place to raise a family in; a place to settle down in; or a place to enjoy your retirement years in. In other words, a log cabin can serve as the perfect long-term home for people who value a log cabin's rustic charm, its energy efficiency and the innumerable cool designs they can fashion their home after.

2) Vacation, vacation, vacation. Many people use their log cabin home when they need a peaceful getaway from the noise of everyday life. Others use it as a place to relax and sleep and tell stories after a long day hunting in the woods, or after a day spent fishing on the water. Regardless of your vacation preferences, building a log cabin in a chosen area will allow you embark on many memorable weekend getaways.

3) An area to conduct business. Rather than rent business space for a small operation, and pay exorbitant rental prices, why not make a shrewd long-term investment, and build a log cabin? The tranquility that a log cabin provides makes it an ideal place to work on office tasks, make phone calls and balance the books. Best of all, the money you would use to rent a space is money you'll never see again; conversely, the money you invest in a log cabin can be redeemed if you re-sell it someday, or you can simply flaunt it as an asset in your portfolio.

4) A log cabin can be used to supplement your income. This idea is kind of a spinoff of numbers 2 and 3, but a log cabin be used to help earn you more money. For example, as outlined in number, an ideally placed log cabin can be the perfect destination for trips. As such, when you and your family aren't using it for your own vacations, perhaps you could rent it out to other individuals or families, which will provide you with more pocket change and reduce the burden of your overall investment.

In addition to using a log cabin as office space, you could use it as a small retail shop. For example, wouldn't it be fitting to sell hunting or other outdoor gear in a log cabin, rather than in a mundane retail shop? Alternatively, perhaps you could open your own gift shop, and sell special knick-knacks. Any which way, it will add a distinct feature to your business and help separate you from competitors.

Ultimately, the important thing to remember is a log cabin can be more than just your home, although it certainly serves well in that capacity. You can be as creative as you want, both in the design of a log cabin, and in its uses!

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What Do You Use Your Log Cabin For? | Log Homes Blog

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Log cabins are renowned for their versatility, as they can be used to suit an array of needs. As such, a log cabin's flexibility is a key buying point for many owners. With that in mind, let's take a look at 4 ways in which an owner can use their log cabin.

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Animals

Opossum

Mole

Armadillo

eastern cottontail/ swamp rabbit

gray squirrel, flying squirrel, fox squirrel, fox squirrel black

north american beaver

coyote

gray fox, red fox

raccoon

river otter

striped skunk, eastern spotted skunk

bobcat

feral hog

white tailed deer

Plants

Trees: elm, maple, pine, ceder, magnolia

Shrubs: American beauty berry, button bush

Vines: cross vine, pipeline, trumpet creeper, Carolina jessamine, coral honey suckle

Grasses: bushy bluestem, brooms edges, inland sea-oats

Wildflowers: wine up, coral bean, halbert-leaf rose-mallow

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East Texas is a distinct cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the U.S. state of Texas.

According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north-central Lamar County southwestward to east-central Limestone County and then southeastward towards eastern Galveston Bay", though most sources separate the Gulf Coast area into a separate region.

Most of the region consists of the Piney Woods ecoregion, and East Texas can sometimes be reduced to include only the Piney Woods. At the fringes, towards Central Texas, the forests expand outward toward sparser trees and eventually into open plains.

Population, demographics, and government

East Texas comprises 41 counties, 38 of which collaborate in sub-regional Ark-Tex Council of Governments, the East Texas Council of Governments, the Deep East Texas Council of Governments and the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission.

The three additional East Texas counties that join with other regional government councils are Chambers County (Anahuac), Liberty County (Liberty), and Walker County (Huntsville), all three in geographic proximity to the Houston metropolitan areas.

Outside of the Greater Houston area, the average population density is around 18-45 per mi ² (7-12 per km ²), with the population density near the Big Thicket dropping below 18 people per mi ². East Texas's population is very large and is centered around the Golden Triangle (Texas), which is Beaumont/ Port Arthur/ Orange in Southeast Texas. Moving north from the coast, Lufkin and Nacogdoches anchor the population center of Deep East Texas. Continuing north from Deep East Texas, Tyler, Longview, and Marshall, in Northeast Texas, along with Texarkana, on the far northeastern border with Arkansas, represent the major population centers in the northern section of East Texas. Only 8 mi from the Texas border, Shreveport, Louisiana, is considered the economic and cultural center for the Ark-La-Tex, the area where Arkansas, Louisiana, and East Texas meet.

The 2010 U.S. Census shows these 41 East Texas counties with a total population of 2,057,518 residents, which represents 8% of the total state population of Texas.

Per the 2010 US Census records, the five most populous counties are:

Per the 2010 US census records, the ten most populous East Texas cities are:

1. Beaumont (118,296)

2. Tyler (98,564)

3. Longview (81,336)

4. Port Arthur (53,937)

5. Huntsville (38,548) (Huntsville, Walker County, Texas is not of the above 41 listed counties of East Texas.)

6. Texarkana (36,411) (TX side only, 66,330 when combined with Texarkana, AR)

7. Lufkin (35,067)

8. Nacogdoches (32,996)

9. Paris (25,151)

10. Marshall (23,523)

According to US Census records from 2010, the population of East Texas counties is 65.93% White non-Hispanic, 17.44% African American, 14.29% Hispanic or Latino origin, and 2.34% Other (including Native American and Asian). East Texas' most ethnically and racially diverse county is Jefferson County, its largest county, which includes the city of Beaumont, with 44.1% White non-Hispanic, 34.1% African American, 17.7% Hispanic or Latino origin and 4.1% other (including Native American and Asian). East Texas is within the Black Belt region. Unlike Texas' total state racial demographics, only two counties in East Texas have a majority minority, Jefferson County in the Golden Triangle and Titus County having a 40.6% Hispanic or Latino origin population. East Texas and Southeast Texas have a significant African-American population, ranging to nearly 20% in some counties.

Climate is the unifying factor in the region's geography; all of East Texas has the humid subtropical climate typical of the Southeast, occasionally interrupted by intrusions of cold air from the north. East Texas receives more rainfall, 35 to 60 inches (890 to 1,520 mm), than the rest of Texas. In Houston, the average January temperature is 50.4 °F (10.2 °C) and the average July temperature is 82.6 °F (28.1 °C). However, Houston has slightly warmer winters than most of East Texas due to its lower latitude and proximity to the coast.

All of East Texas also lies within the Gulf Coastal Plain, but with less uniformity than the climate with rolling hills in the north and flat coastal plains in the south. Local vegetation also varies from north to south, with the lower third consisting of the temperate grassland extending from South Texas to South Louisiana and the northern two-thirds of the region dominated by the temperate forest known as the Piney Woods, which extends over 23,500 square miles (61,000 km ²). The Piney Woods are part of a much larger region of pine- hardwood forest that extends into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The Piney Woods area thins out as it nears the Gulf of Mexico. West of the Piney Woods are the ranchlands and remnant oak forests of the East Central Texas forests ecoregion.

The Sabine, Trinity, Neches, Angelina and Sulphur Rivers are the major rivers in East Texas, but the Brazos River and Red River also flow through the region. The Brazos cuts through the southwest portion of the region, while the Red River forms its northern border with Oklahoma and a portion of Arkansas. In East Texas and the rest of the South, small rivers and creeks collect into swamps called " bayous" and merge with the surrounding forest. Bald cypress and Spanish moss are the dominant plants in bayous. The most famous of these bayous are Cypress Bayou and Buffalo Bayou. Cypress Bayou surrounds the Big, Little, and Black Cypress Rivers around Jefferson. They flow east into Caddo Lake, and the adjoining wetlands cover the rim and islands of the lake.

East Texas is often considered the westernmost extension of the Deep South. The predominant cultural influence comes from customs and traditions passed down from European-American and African-American Southerners who settled the region during the mid-to-late 19th century. African Americans were first brought to the area as slaves to work on plantations. Deep South accent influences are noticeable in the subdialect of Texan English that is spoken throughout the region. According to the most recent linguistic studies, East Texans tend to pronounce Southern English with the drawl typical of the Lower South, whereas other parts of Texas are more prone to the "twang" of the Upper South, or-depending upon demographic influences of the particular area-with some Hispanic and Midwestern traits.

East Texas lacks the strong influence of late 19th-and early 20th-century European immigrants from Germany and central Europe. Similarly, the new waves of immigrants since the late 20th century, primarily from India, other Asian nations, and Latin America, and their influences, have been less prevalent in East Texas compared to other Texas regions.

East Texans are predominantly Protestant Christians, expressing their faith as members of many denominations: Baptist (particularly Southern Baptist), Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, and others. Catholicism continues to have influence, particularly with an increased Hispanic population in recent decades. Other religions with smaller numbers, but with adherents in East Texas, include Mormonism and Judaism.

Significant numbers of people of Cajun and Creole descent have come from Louisiana, although most are assimilated partially or completely into East Texas culture (adopting the local culture, and losing to varying degrees, their original culture). This assimilation pattern has often historically included conversion from Catholicism to Protestant faiths. United States settlers from the Protestant Southeast practiced some discrimination against Cajun and Creole migrants, a cultural attitude that persisted until quite recently. Despite the tendency towards assimilation, Cajun and Creole cuisine (for example, jambalaya and catfish gumbo), are popular in the region. Many East Texans, including those without Louisiana roots, are known to be expert at preparing at least some well-known Louisiana dishes.

While some East Texans associate with cowboy culture, most identify more with smaller scale farming of the South, than with the expansive cattle ranching of the plains regions of Texas. However, East Texans commonly own and trade cattle. Several "sale barns" exist across East Texas, with weekly and monthly trades, as is common in other parts of the deep South.

In the northern part of East Texas, awareness of the native and historical Caddo Mississippian culture remains significant. Cherokee County is home to the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. Patrons can also view the "Caddo Indian Collection" at the Gregg County Historical Museum in Longview. In the mid-1800s, East Texas cities such as Marshall and Jefferson constituted a sphere of influence that led the entire state into the Confederacy, and during the Mexican and Republic periods, Nacogdoches and San Augustine were the most developed and influential cities in East Texas.

Many East Texans have a mixture of European and Native American ancestry, as seen in East Texan country artists Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves.

The Museum of East Texas opened in Lufkin in 1976 under the name Lufkin Historical and Creative Arts Center.

Worldwide-acclaimed pianist Van Cliburn, a native of nearby Shreveport, Louisiana, was raised in Kilgore. Kilgore College houses the Van Cliburn Auditorium on its home campus.

Many high-school bands in East Texas continue the tradition of military-style marching, unlike other parts of the state. These bands compete in the National Association Of Military Marching Bands.

As with other parts of Texas, high school football is the most popular local sport venue in East Texas. Residents of East Texas towns and rural communities fill high-school stadiums in support of their local teams, cheerleaders, bands, etc. Many East Texas high-school teams have won Texas state championships, along with producing many collegiate and professional football players.

A significant number of East Texan youths participate in Little League Baseball, soccer, and softball. Church leagues are quite common in providing opportunities for basketball and softball for youth and adults alike. In recent years, cowboy churches have grown in number and offer rodeo events for their youth.

Other universities and colleges that field athletic teams in East Texas include East Texas Baptist University Tigers in Marshall; University of Texas at Tyler Patriots in Tyler; LeTourneau University Yellowjackets in Longview; Texas A&M-Commerce Lions; and several junior colleges throughout the region, which participate in the Southwest Junior College Conference in Region XIV of the NJCAA. East Texas is also home to the Kilgore College Rangerettes, a world-famous dance team that debuted in 1939.

A few professional sports teams are located in East Texas. The East Texas Pump Jacks, located in Kilgore, play baseball in the Texas Collegiate League. Additionally, the East Texas Storm, a semiprofessional football team located in Tyler, competes in the Lone Star Minor League. Typically, northern parts of East Texas tend to support the professional teams from the Dallas/Fort Worth area ( Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars), while southern parts of East Texas tend to support professional teams from the Houston area ( Houston Texans, Houston Rockets, Houston Astros).

As with other parts of Texas and/or the South, other popular sporting activities in East Texas include rodeo (including PRCA), hunting, and fishing. Prominent rodeos in East Texas are held in Beaumont, Nacogdoches, Paris, Longview, Gladewater, Huntsville, Lufkin, Athens, Palestine, Lindale, etc. East Texas contains several award-winning lakes for sport fishing, including Toledo Bend Reservoir, Lake Sam Rayburn, Lake Livingston, Lake Fork Reservoir, Lake Tawakoni, etc.

East Texas also contains numerous golf courses and avid golfers, as well as NASCAR fans. However, the region does not host professional events in either of those sports. The nearest NASCAR track to East Texas is Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

Sandy Duncan, Henderson, Rusk County and Tyler, Smith County

George Foreman, Marshall, Harrison County

Jamie Foxx, Terrell, Kaufman County

Sam Houston, former president of the Republic of Texas, former governor of Texas, retired in Huntsville, Walker County

Lady Bird Johnson, former First Lady of the United States, born in Karnack, Harrison County

Joe R. Lansdale, award-winning author and martial arts expert, born in Gladewater, Gregg County

Richard Linklater, film-maker, Huntsville, Walker County

Margo Martindale, award-winning actress, Jacksonville, Cherokee County

Matthew McConaughey, Longview, Gregg County

Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim, founder of Pilgrim's Pride Chicken, Pittsburg, Camp County

Ross Perot, former U.S. presidential candidate born in Texarkana, Bowie County

Adrian Peterson, Palestine, Anderson county

Tye Sheridan, Elkhart, Anderson County

Carroll Shelby, racer and car developer known for Shelby Cobra and numerous Ford and Chrysler products, Leesburg, Camp County

Sissy Spacek, Quitman, Wood County

William B. Travis, famous commander at the Alamo, settled in Anahuac, Chambers County

Forest Whitaker, Longview, Gregg County

Former United States Senators:

Horace Chilton born near Tyler, Smith County

Charles Allen Culberson settled in Gilmer, Upshur County and Jefferson, Marion County

James W. Flanagan settled in Henderson, Rusk County

Samuel B. Maxey settled in and practiced law in Paris, Lamar County

John Henninger Reagan practiced law in Palestine and Henderson County

Thomas Jefferson Rusk settled in Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, and was also a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas

Morris Sheppard born in Morris County

Matthias Ward settled in Clarksville, Red River County and Jefferson, Marion County

Louis Wigfall lived in Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County and Marshall, Harrison County

Ralph Yarborough born in Chandler, Henderson County

Other former governors of Texas:

Thomas Mitchell Campbell, born in Rusk, Cherokee County

Oscar Branch Colquitt, newspaper owner in Pittsburg, Camp County and in Morris County

Price Daniel, born in Dayton, Liberty County

James Pinckney Henderson, first governor of Texas, practiced law in San Augustine, San Augustine County

William P. Hobby, born in Moscow, Polk County

Jim Hogg, born in Rusk, Cherokee County

Richard B. Hubbard, lived in Tyler, Smith County and Lindale, Smith County

Allan Shivers, born in Lufkin, Angelina County

Ross S. Sterling, born in Anahuac, Chambers County

Mark White, born in Henderson, Rusk County

George Tyler Wood, second governor of Texas, settled near Point Blank in Liberty County and San Jacinto County

Deep East Texas is a sub-region of East Texas. According to the Deep East Texas Council of Governments the region consists of the following twelve counties: Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler.

The "Deep" designation comes from the similarity to East Texas (it is similar in culture and topography, being highly forested), but with a location "deeper" (i.e., farther south and towards the Gulf Coast) than the rest of East Texas.

"Deep" also refers to the cultural and social characteristics of the area and is considered synonymous to the " Big Thicket", an allusion to the dense growth of underbrush in the Piney Woods. It was the earliest area of Texas to be settled by Anglo-Americans (and one of the last areas to submit to law enforcement-by the governments of New Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the state of Texas, or the United States). Renegade clans controlled local governments, especially in Shelby County, well into the first quarter of the 20th century.[citation needed ]

The area contains two of the oldest towns in Texas; Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, dating from 18th century, and San Augustine, the oldest "Anglo" settlement in Texas, dating from the 1820s. People of English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, and to a lesser extent Welsh ancestry predominate in the region, which is in contrast to South Central Texas and West Texas, where people of German and Hispanic heritage predominate, respectively. Prior to the Texas War of Independence, settlement was generally prohibited by the Spanish and later Mexican governments, but neither government was able to exert control or law enforcement in the area. As a consequence, the "Big Thicket" became a refuge for criminals fleeing the United States and hiding out in a "no man's land" in the pine tree thickets.

The early isolation of the region and its links to the Deep South have resulted in its well-known pine woods being described as a 'curtain' that demarcates a certain cultural enclave or bubble that distinguishes East Texas from the rest of the state. Former residents describe leaving behind the 'Pine Curtain' as a form of escape.

The phrase is often used to describe the area, appearing in a newspaper column in the Palestine Herald-Press, and in tourist guide by Mike Dougan.

Historically, the East Texas economy has been led by lumber, cotton, cattle, and oil. Prior to the discovery of the East Texas Oil Field, cotton, lumber and cattle were the predominant source of economic growth and stability. The needs of local farmers contributed greatly to the establishment of local towns and trading posts. As with many parts of the nation, the chosen paths of railroads often determined the continuation of many towns. At the beginning of the 20th century, the oil fields were discovered and oil became accessible, changing the future of the region.

In the decades leading to the new millennium, crude oil production in the East Texas Oil Field, the largest oil field in the United States, somewhat decreased. In turn, the number of high-paying jobs for uneducated workers also decreased. During the 20th century, local groceries, general stores, and cafes were replaced with franchise department stores, retail chains, and fast-food restaurants. Due to the decline of oil production, many small towns closed cafés and gas stations, some of which were replaced with cash loan shops and pawn shops.

Paul Knight of the Houston Press in a 2009 article said, "some say natural gas has surpassed crude as king in East Texas."

Tourism has not been a highly significant source of economic activity in East Texas, although several high-traffic corridors pass through East Texas, which have aided economic development along those routes. These include: Interstate 30 (from Dallas through Texarkana), Interstate 20 (through Dallas and on through Shreveport), Interstate 10 (through Houston and Beaumont into Louisiana), Interstate 45 (through Houston up to Dallas), and U.S. Highway 59 (through Houston and north past Texarkana; in process of being upgraded along most of the route to Interstate 69).

In recent years, the region has become home to many patent-holding companies, due to its legal system being particularly friendly to patent holders and hostile to out-of-state tech defendants.

The region also contains Sam Houston State University in Huntsville and Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, which help contribute millions of dollars into the Deep East Texas economy. Texas A&M University-Texarkana, University of Texas at Tyler, LeTourneau University, and East Texas Baptist University are a few of the smaller universities in East Texas. Texas A&M University-Commerce is right outside East Texas and is formerly known as East Texas State University, while A&M-Texarkana was a branch campus of ETSU.

Gone to Texas: Genealogical Abstracts from The Telegraph and Texas Register 1835-1841, compiled by Kevin Ladd.

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East Texas is a distinct cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas , the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north-central Lamar County southwestward to east-central Limestone County and then southeastward towards eastern Galveston Bay", though most sources separate the Gulf Coast area into a separate region.

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Hot and humid

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Without ventilation the cabin can become moldy and rot.

Opening doors and windows

Installing wall vents

Add an electrical fan

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What Is The Best Wood For Building A Log Cabin?

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Pine and cedar are among the most commonly sourced wood types for the construction of log cabins in North America. There are two reasons for this: accessibility and price. First, pine and cedar are much easier to get ahold of than other more exotic wood types.

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What Is The Best Wood For Building A Log Cabin?

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Learn about your different choices when you are building your log cabin and remember to consider maintenance-free, durable, steel log siding from TruLog™.

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What Is the Best Wood for Building a Log Cabin?

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Historically log cabin construction has its roots in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. Although their origin is uncertain, the first log structures were probably being built in Northern Europe by the Bronze Age (about 3500 BC). C. A. Weslager describes Europeans as having:

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Need to insulate  roof and floor

70% of heating can be lost without insulation in the roof and floor