Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County , Texas , in the United States . It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau . Tyler is the principal city of the Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area , with a population of 209,714 in 2010, and the regional center of the Tyler-Jacksonville combined statistical area , with a population of 260,559 in 2010. Tyler has the nickname "Rose Capital of the Nation" . It gained this name due to the large quantity of rose bushes processed through the area, along with hosting America 's largest rose garden . In 1985, the international Adopt-a-Highway movement originated in Tyler when, after appeals by local Texas Department of Transportation officials, the local Civitan chapter adopted a 2-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 69 . Tyler is also home to the Caldwell Zoo and Broadway Square Mall . New Tyler welcome sign Goodman House and Museum at 624 N. Broadway is one of the antebellum homes in Tyler Tyler City Hall