Before the Civil War, East Texas' pine forests were the base of the lumbering that began in the region. Later shipbuilding became important too and as livestock raising and rice farming spread in the surrounding area, Beaumont became an important processing and transportation center. In 1901, life in town was revolutionized, when the world's first principal oil gusher came in at nearby Spindletop. The spot is now marked by an 18 m (58 feet) high granite shaft and is a national historic site.

Later more oil wells were exploited and the oil industry became one of Beaumont's major economic forces. The town houses several pioneer and oil museums. There is an art center and events include a horse show, a river festival, and a rodeo. Beaumont is the seat of Lamar University.

A ship channel provides the facilities of a modern deepwater port, with shipyards and large storage tanks. Together with Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the 'Golden Triangle', a vast petrochemical and industrial complex. Other industries are based on the forests and farmlands of the area. There are rice mills, granaries, lumber and paper plants, meatpacking houses and huge metalworks.

There are several hotels and restaurants in Beaumont. The city is on the Sabine-Neches Waterway in the southeast of Texas, 395 km southeast of Dallas and 1880 km southwest from Washington D.C.