Texas

===Administrative divisions===
{{see also|List of counties in Texas|List of Texas metropolitan areas|List of municipalities in Texas}}
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="2" |[[List of municipalities in Texas|Largest city in Texas]] by year<ref name="Census Largest Cities">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab01.txt |title=100 Largest Cities by Decade |publisher=U.S. Bureau of the Census |date=June 15, 1998}}</ref>
|-
! Year(s)
! City
|-
| 1850–1870 ||[[San Antonio]]<ref name="SATX TSHA">{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=hds02 |title=San Antonio, TX |first=T. R. |last=Fehrenbach |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=March 30, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| 1870–1890 ||[[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]]<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=hdg01 |title=Galveston, TX |first=David G. |last=McComb |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=May 5, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| 1890–1900 ||[[Dallas]]<ref name="Census Largest Cities" />
|-
| 1900–1930 ||[[San Antonio]]<ref name="SATX TSHA" />
|-
| 1930–present ||[[Houston]]<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=hdh03 |title=Houston, TX |first=David G. |last=McComb |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>
|}
[[File:Dirt road texas.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Colonia (United States)|Colonia]] in the [[Rio Grande Valley (Texas)|Rio Grande Valley]] near the [[Mexico–United States border]]]]
The state has three cities with populations exceeding one million: Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.<ref name="PopEstBigCities">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006–01.csv |title=Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2006 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 |format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]] |website=2005 Population Estimates |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date=June 10, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2008}} {{dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> These three rank among the 10 most populous cities of the United States. As of 2020, six Texas cities had populations greater than 600,000. Austin, Fort Worth, and El Paso are among the 20 [[List of United States cities by population|largest U.S. cities]]. Texas has four [[List of Texas metropolitan areas|metropolitan areas]] with populations greater than a million: {{nowrap|[[Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington]]}}, {{nowrap|[[Greater Houston|Houston–Sugar Land–The Woodlands]]}}, {{nowrap|[[Greater San Antonio|San Antonio–New Braunfels]]}}, and {{nowrap|[[Greater Austin|Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos]]}}. The Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas number about 7.5 million and 7 million residents as of 2019, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bureau|first=US Census|title=Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Totals: 2010–2019|url=https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=The United States Census Bureau|language=en-US}}</ref>

Three [[Interstate Highway System|interstate highways]]—[[Interstate 35 (Texas)|I-35]] to the west (Dallas–Fort Worth to San Antonio, with Austin in between), [[Interstate 45 (Texas)|I-45]] to the east (Dallas to Houston), and [[Interstate 10 (Texas)|I-10]] to the south (San Antonio to Houston) define the [[Texas Urban Triangle]] region. The region of {{convert|60000|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} contains most of the state's largest cities and metropolitan areas as well as 17 million people, nearly 75 percent of Texas's total population.<ref name="urbantriangle">{{cite web|last=Neuman |first=Michael |title=The Texas Urban Triangle: Framework for Future Growth |publisher=Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC) |url=http://swutc.tamu.edu/projectdescriptions/167166.htm |access-date=October 14, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705231054/https://swutc.tamu.edu/projectdescriptions/167166.htm |archive-date=July 5, 2009}}</ref> Houston and Dallas have been recognized as [[global city|world cities]].<ref name="worldcities">{{cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2008 |website=Globalization and World Cities Research Network |access-date=March 1, 2009 |url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2008t.html}}</ref> These cities are spread out amongst the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance Houston to Dallas – Air line, driving route, midpoint|url=https://www.distance.to/Houston/Dallas|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=distance.to|language=en-us}}</ref>

In contrast to the cities, unincorporated rural settlements known as [[Colonia (border settlement)|colonia]]s often lack basic infrastructure and are marked by poverty.<ref name="Colonias">{{cite web |url=http://www.sos.state.tx.us/border/colonias/faqs.shtml |title=Colonias FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) |access-date=October 12, 2008 |author=Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Office of Community Affairs |publisher=Texas Secretary of State |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009044415/http://www.sos.state.tx.us/border/colonias/faqs.shtml |archive-date=October 9, 2008}}</ref> The office of the Texas Attorney General stated, in 2011, that Texas had about 2,294 colonias, and estimates about 500,000 lived in the colonias. [[Hidalgo County, Texas|Hidalgo County]], as of 2011, has the largest number of colonias.<ref name="Grinberg">Grinberg, Emmanuella. "[http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/05/texas.colonias/index.html?hpt=hp_c1 Impoverished border town grows from shacks into community]". [[CNN]]. July 8, 2011. Retrieved on July 9, 2011.</ref> Texas has the largest number of people living in [[colonia (United States)|colonias]] of all states.<ref name="Colonias" />

Texas has [[List of counties in Texas|254 counties]], more than any other state.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA215 |title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States|chapter=Georgia|first=Paul T.|last=Hellmann|date=February 14, 2006 |publisher=Routledge |access-date=February 16, 2017|isbn=978-1135948597}}</ref> Each county runs on [[Commissioners' Court]] system consisting of four elected commissioners (one from each of four precincts in the county, roughly divided according to population) and a county judge elected at large from the entire county. County government runs similar to a "weak" [[mayor-council]] system; the county judge has no veto authority, but votes along with the other commissioners.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Texas County Government|url=https://co.jefferson.tx.us/prct1/TAC_brochure.pdf|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=co.jefferson.tx.us}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Texas county judge|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Texas_county_judge|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=Ballotpedia}}</ref>

Although Texas permits cities and counties to enter "interlocal agreements" to share services, the state does not allow [[consolidated city-county]] governments, nor does it have [[metropolitan government]]s. Counties are not granted [[home rule]] status; their powers are strictly defined by state law. The state does not have townships—areas within a county are either incorporated or unincorporated. Incorporated areas are part of a municipality. The county provides limited services to unincorporated areas and to some smaller incorporated areas. Municipalities are classified either "general law" cities or "home rule".<ref name="homerule">{{cite thesis |last=McDonald |first=John V. |title=An Analysis of Texas' Municipal Home Rule Charters Since 1994" |date=August 2000 |publisher=Texas State University |url=http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/124/ |access-date=October 14, 2008 |archive-date=March 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304010149/http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/124/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> A municipality may elect home rule status once it exceeds 5,000 population with voter approval.<ref>{{cite web|title=Home Rule |url=https://centertexas.org/city-council/home-rule|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=centertexas.org}}</ref>

Texas also permits the creation of "special districts", which provide limited services. The most common is the [[school district]], but can also include hospital districts, community college districts, and utility districts. Municipal, school district, and special district elections are [[Non-partisan democracy|nonpartisan]],<ref name="reqvote">{{cite web|title=Run for Party Nomination to Public Office |website=Texas Politics |publisher=University of Texas |url=http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/4_6_2.html |access-date=October 12, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318023922/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/4_6_2.html |archive-date=March 18, 2009 }}</ref> though the party affiliation of a candidate may be well-known. County and state elections are partisan.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 2008|title=County Elections – Partisan or Non-Partisan? State by State|url=https://www.pinellascounty.org/charter/pdf/County-elections-partisan-or-non-partisan.pdf|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=pinellascounty.org|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126210054/https://www.pinellascounty.org/charter/pdf/County-elections-partisan-or-non-partisan.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{Largest cities
| country = Texas
| stat_ref = 2022 U.S. Census Bureau Estimate<ref name=2010Census>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2010-2019/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2019-ANNRES-48.xlsx |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Texas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 (SUB-IP-EST2019-ANNRES-48) |date=May 21, 2020 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |access-date=December 23, 2022}}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| div_name =
| div_link = Counties of Texas{{!}}County
| city_1 = Houston
| div_1 = Harris County, Texas{{!}}Harris
| pop_1 = 2,302,878
| img_1 = Aerial views of the Houston, Texas, skyline in 2014 LCCN2014632225.tif
| city_2 = San Antonio
| div_2 = Bexar County, Texas{{!}}Bexar
| pop_2 = 1,472,909
| img_2 = Gfp-texas-san-antonio-tall-buildings.jpg
| city_3 = Dallas
| div_3 = Dallas County, Texas{{!}}Dallas
| pop_3 = 1,299,544
| img_3 = View of Dallas from Reunion Tower August 2015 13.jpg
| city_4 = Austin, Texas{{!}}Austin
| div_4 = Travis County, Texas{{!}}Travis
| pop_4 = 974,447
| img_4 = Downtown Austin from Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge, October 2022.jpg
| city_5 = Fort Worth
| div_5 = Tarrant County, Texas{{!}}Tarrant
| pop_5 = 956,709
| img_5 =
| city_6 = El Paso
| div_6 = El Paso County, Texas{{!}}El Paso
| pop_6 = 677,456
| img_6 =
| city_7 = Arlington, Texas{{!}}Arlington
| div_7 = Tarrant County, Texas{{!}}Tarrant
| pop_7 = 394,602
| img_7 =
| city_8 = Corpus Christi, Texas{{!}}Corpus Christi
| div_8 = Nueces County, Texas{{!}}Nueces
| pop_8 = 316,239
| img_8 =
| city_9 = Plano, Texas{{!}}Plano
| div_9 = Collin County, Texas{{!}}Collin
| pop_9 = 289,547
| img_9 =
| city_10 = Lubbock, Texas{{!}}Lubbock
| div_10 = Lubbock County, Texas{{!}}Lubbock
| pop_10 = 263,930
| img_10 =
| city_11 = Laredo, Texas{{!}}Laredo
| div_11 = Webb County, Texas{{!}}Webb
| pop_11 = 256,187
| img_11 =
| city_12 = Irving, Texas{{!}}Irving
| div_12 = Dallas County, Texas{{!}}Dallas
| pop_12 = 254,715
| img_12 =
| city_13 = Garland, Texas{{!}}Garland
| div_13 = Dallas County, Texas{{!}}Dallas
| pop_13 = 240,854
| img_13 =
| city_14 = Frisco, Texas{{!}}Frisco
| div_14 = Collin County, Texas{{!}}Collin
| pop_14 = 219,587
| img_14 =
| city_15 = McKinney, Texas{{!}}McKinney
| div_15 = Collin County, Texas{{!}}Collin
| pop_15 = 207,507
| img_15 =
| city_16 = Grand Prairie, Texas{{!}}Grand Prairie
| div_16 = Dallas County, Texas{{!}}Dallas
| pop_16 = 201,843
| img_16 =
| city_17 = Amarillo, Texas{{!}}Amarillo
| div_17 = Potter County, Texas{{!}}Potter
| pop_17 = 201,291
| img_17 =
| city_18 = Brownsville, Texas{{!}}Brownsville
| div_18 = Cameron County, Texas{{!}}Cameron
| pop_18 = 189,382
| img_18 =
| city_19 = Killeen, Texas{{!}}Killeen
| div_19 = Bell County, Texas{{!}}Bell
| pop_19 = 159,172
| img_19 =
| city_20 = Denton, Texas{{!}}Denton
| div_20 = Denton County, Texas{{!}}Denton
| pop_20 = 150,353
| img_20 =
}}