Lindale Tx (KETK) — The population sign for Lindale reads just less than 5,000.

But that number is merely a mirage, masking the true number of people, and dollars, that make they way down Main Street every single day.

Each day 61,000 cars make their way down Highway 69, which is why over the past year, new restaurants like Main Street Cafe, Lincoln's Restaurant, and the Dixie Pig, have been able to open their doors.

And although the new bigger chains moving in may be the ones to entice I-20 drivers to take the exit, it's the locally owned restaurants that leave a more lasting impact.

"They keep the money local, they bring in sales tax that's true but the money that's spent at those local restaurants stays here," Lindale Economic Development Corporation president John Clary told KETK.

So as Main Street gets bigger, it's the small businesses that sustains that growth.

Clary tells KETK the tax revenue from January was at a record number.