The arrival of the L&N Railroad in the 1880s made possible Long Beach's development as a truck farming center. In 1884, James Thomas and W. J. Quarles began the truck farm industry by raising and shipping green beans to northern markets. During the next 25 years, more than 70 individual growers on area farms ranging from one to 125 acres raised a variety of vegetables and fruits that were shipped by rail to northern markets. The city became famous for growing Long Beach Long Reds radishes for patrons of northern beer parlors and saloons before Prohibition. Truck farming in the area declined with increased competition from Florida and Texas, and as the Great Depression of 1929 deepened, Long Beach truck farming passed into history.