Seeing Double In Texarkana

Folks in Texarkana like to describe their home as "twice as nice," and you can certainly see why. Although there is just one name, it is actually two separate cities: Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Ark.

But when Ramona Humphrey invited The Early Show to visit for its "Tour My Town" series, she said it's more like one big happy home. "I live in Texarkana, Ark., but most of my daily drives take me to Texarkana, Texas," she wrote. "Most people who live here consider this to be one town despite the fact that there are two different states here."

Each Texarkana has its own local government, school system and police force. But the two cities share one of the area's favorite oddities, a post office and courthouse, which straddles the two Texarkanas. The post office has two ZIP codes, 71854 for Texarkana, Ark., and 75501 for Texarkana, Texas. Built in the 1930s, the structure features a base of pink granite from Texas and walls of limestone from Arkansas.

Standing outside this landmark, you can actually put one foot in each state. The Texarkana Chamber of Commerce Web site claims the building is the most photographed courthouse in the United States; second only to the Supreme Court in Washington.

The two Texarkanas seem to live in easy harmony. "It takes both halves of the city to make a city," Mayor Horace Shipp of the Arkansas side told Storm. And Mayor James Bramlett of the Texas side added, "It's two towns, two counties, two states all joined together. …We could not live without each other."

Each mayor gave Storm a tour of his side of Texarkana, pointing out some of his city's special treasures. In Texas, that included the family-friendly Spring Lake Park, where Bramlett remembers proposing to his wife 29 years ago. On the Arkansas side, the sights included the oldest house in the area, a sprawling yellow structure built in 1895.

There are certain ground rules all Texarkana residents know by heart. If you want to buy beer or wine at a liquor store, for instance, you'll have to do so in Arkansas — the Texas side is dry. Smoking in indoor public places isn't allowed on the Texas side, but you can light up in Arkansas.

Storm also found out that if you're looking for a job, you might want to come to Arkansas, where there's more industry. If you want to spend the money you've earned, head to the Texas side, where retail rules.

And a visit to Texarkana has to end on a sweet note, which means a visit to Bryce's Cafeteria, in Texas. It dates back 75 years and everything there is done the old-fashioned way: made from scratch. "This is an institution in Texarkana, and it's a rich family history of a father creating an empire in the food industry," Bramlett told Storm over a piece of pie.

A few Texarkana natives have been known to hit the big time. Ross Perot, Latin singer Selena and pianist-composer Scott Joplin are all from Texarkana.