West Texas Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! {{Distinguish|text=the town named [[West, Texas]]}} {{Infobox settlement | name = West Texas | native_name = | native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead --> | settlement_type = [[List of regions of the United States|Region]] | image_skyline = West Texas Hwy 302 west of NoTrees.jpg | image_caption = West of [[Notrees, Texas|Notrees]] | etymology = | nickname = | coordinates = |population_as_of = [[2020 United States Census|2020]] |population_total = 2,300,264 | subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]] | subdivision_name = [[United States]] | subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Texas]] | subdivision_type2 = Largest city | subdivision_name2 = [[El Paso]] | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> | image_map = West_Texas_Regional_Map.png | map_caption = West Texas counties in red; counties sometimes included in West Texas in pink }} '''West Texas''' is a loosely defined [[region]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Texas]], generally encompassing the [[desert climate|arid]] and [[semiarid climate|semiarid]] lands west of a line drawn between the cities of [[Wichita Falls, Texas|Wichita Falls]], [[Abilene, Texas|Abilene]], and [[Del Rio, Texas|Del Rio]]. No consensus exists on the boundary between [[East Texas]] and West Texas.<ref>Cochran, M., Lumpkin, J. and Heflin, R. 1999. ''West Texas: a portrait of its people and their raw and wondrous land''. Lubbock: [[Texas Tech University Press]], 176 pp.</ref> While most Texans understand these terms, no boundaries are officially recognized and any two people are likely to describe the boundaries of these regions differently. The historian and geographer [[Walter Prescott Webb]] has suggested that the [[98th meridian west|98th meridian]] separates East and West Texas;<ref>Webb, W.P. 1935. ''The Texas Rangers: a century of frontier defense''. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 583 pp.</ref> writer A.C. Greene proposed that West Texas extends west of the [[Brazos River]].<ref>Greene, A.C. 1998. ''Sketches from the five states of Texas''. College Station: [[Texas A&M University Press]], 176 pp.</ref> Use of a single line, though, seems to preclude the use of other separators, such as an area—[[Central Texas]]. Texas is part of the [[American South]] and the American Southwest at the same time, while the semiarid and desert climates of West Texas are clearly characteristic of the [[American Southwest]]. West Texas is often subdivided according to distinct physiographic features. The portion of West Texas that lies west of the [[Pecos River]] is often called "Far West Texas" or the "[[Trans-Pecos]]", a term introduced in 1887 by geologist [[Robert T. Hill]].<ref>Hill, R.T. 1887. The topography and geology of the Cross Timbers and surrounding regions in Northern Texas. ''The American Journal of Science'', 3rd Series, 33:291–303.</ref> The Trans-Pecos lies within the [[Chihuahuan Desert]] and is the aridest part of the state. Another part of West Texas is the [[Llano Estacado]], a vast region of high, level plains extending into [[Eastern New Mexico]] and the [[Texas Panhandle]]. East of the Llano Estacado lies the “[[Red beds|redbed country]]” of the [[Osage Plains|Rolling Plains]], and south of the Llano Estacado lies the [[Edwards Plateau]]. The Rolling Plains and Edwards Plateau subregions act as transitional zones between eastern and western Texas. ==Climate== West Texas receives much less rainfall than the rest of Texas and has an arid or semiarid climate, requiring most of its scant agriculture to depend heavily on irrigation.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bubenik|first=Travis|date=2018-04-15|title=Texas Could Look Increasingly Like West Texas, Climate Study Says|url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2018/04/15/278952/texas-could-look-increasingly-like-west-texas-climate-study-says/|access-date=2020-10-20|website=Houston Public Media|language=en-US}}</ref> Northern portions of the area are irrigated with water from underground sources, such as the [[Ogallala Aquifer]]. Irrigation withdrawal, and water taken out farther north for the needs of El Paso and [[Ciudad Juárez|Juarez, Mexico]], have reduced the [[Rio Grande]] to a stream in some places, even dry at times. Parts of West Texas have rugged terrain, including many small mountain ranges, while most parts of the state are closer to sea level. The northern parts of West Texas (notably the Panhandle) and the higher elevations of the mountain ranges of the Trans-Pecos region are prone to occasional heavy snowfall during winter, whereas snow is less common in other areas of West Texas. <gallery widths="200px"> File:Guadalupe Mountains El Capitan 2006.jpg|[[Guadalupe Mountains]] File:Davis Mts Nima (2).JPG|[[Davis Mountains]] File:Big Bend National Park PB122635.jpg|[[Chisos Mountains]] File:North-franklin-south-tx1.jpg|[[Franklin Mountains (Texas)|Franklin Mountains]] File:Big Bend National Park PB112564.jpg|[[Cañón de Santa Elena Flora and Fauna Protection Area|Santa Elena Canyon]] File:Palo Duro Canyon State Park 2002.jpg|[[Palo Duro Canyon]] File:Caprock Canyons Butte 2005.jpg|[[Caprock Canyons]] File:Rita Blanca National Grassland.jpg|[[Rita Blanca National Grassland]] File:Monahans Sandhills at Sunrise.jpg|[[Monahans Sandhills State Park]] File:Caprock Escarpment Garza County Texas 2010.jpg|[[Llano Estacado]] </gallery> ==Counties== The counties included in any Texas region vary depending on the organization compiling the list. ''Texas Counties.net'' acknowledges the variations while including 70 counties in its definition of West Texas. Within these broad boundaries, encompassing some of the [[Panhandle (Texas)|Panhandle]], are four principal metropolitan areas: [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]], [[Midland, Texas|Midland]]/[[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], [[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock]], [[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Regions of Texas|url=http://www.texascounties.net/statistics/regions.htm|publisher=Texas Counties.net|access-date=13 October 2014}}</ref> The counties included are [[Andrews County, Texas|Andrews]], [[Bailey County, Texas|Bailey]], [[Borden County, Texas|Borden]], [[Brewster County, Texas|Brewster]], [[Brown County, Texas|Brown]], [[Callahan County, Texas|Callahan]], [[Castro County, Texas|Castro]], [[Cochran County, Texas|Cochran]], [[Coke County, Texas|Coke]], [[Coleman County, Texas|Coleman]], [[Comanche County, Texas|Comanche]], [[Concho County, Texas|Concho]], [[Crane County, Texas|Crane]], [[Crockett County, Texas|Crockett]], [[Crosby County, Texas|Crosby]], [[Culberson County, Texas|Culberson]], [[Dawson County, Texas|Dawson]], [[Deaf Smith County, Texas|Deaf Smith]], [[Dickens County, Texas|Dickens]], [[Eastland County, Texas|Eastland]], [[Ector County, Texas|Ector]], [[El Paso County, Texas|El Paso]], [[Fisher County, Texas|Fisher]], [[Floyd County, Texas|Floyd]], [[Gaines County, Texas|Gaines]], [[Garza County, Texas|Garza]], [[Glasscock County, Texas|Glasscock]], [[Hale County, Texas|Hale]], [[Haskell County, Texas|Haskell]], [[Hockley County, Texas|Hockley]], [[Howard County, Texas|Howard]], [[Hudspeth County, Texas|Hudspeth]], [[Irion County, Texas|Irion]], [[Jeff Davis County, Texas|Jeff Davis]], [[Jones County, Texas|Jones]], [[Kent County, Texas|Kent]], [[Kimble County, Texas|Kimble]], [[King County, Texas|King]], [[Knox County, Texas|Knox]], [[Lamb County, Texas|Lamb]], [[Loving County, Texas|Loving]], [[Lubbock County, Texas|Lubbock]], [[Lynn County, Texas|Lynn]], [[Martin County, Texas|Martin]], [[Mason County, Texas|Mason]], [[McCulloch County, Texas|McCulloch]], [[Menard County, Texas|Menard]], [[Midland County, Texas|Midland]], [[Mitchell County, Texas|Mitchell]], [[Motley County, Texas|Motley]], [[Nolan County, Texas|Nolan]], [[Parmer County, Texas|Parmer]], [[Potter County, Texas|Potter]], [[Pecos County, Texas|Pecos]], [[Presidio County, Texas|Presidio]], [[Randall County, Texas|Randall]], [[Reagan County, Texas|Reagan]], [[Reeves County, Texas|Reeves]], [[Runnels County, Texas|Runnels]], [[Schleicher County, Texas|Schleicher]], [[Scurry County, Texas|Scurry]], [[Shackelford County, Texas|Shackelford]], [[Stephens County, Texas|Stephens]], [[Sterling County, Texas|Sterling]], [[Stonewall County, Texas|Stonewall]], [[Sutton County, Texas|Sutton]], [[Terrell County, Texas|Terrell]], [[Terry County, Texas|Terry]], [[Throckmorton County, Texas|Throckmorton]], [[Upton County, Texas|Upton]], [[Ward County, Texas|Ward]], [[Winkler County, Texas|Winkler]], and [[Yoakum County, Texas|Yoakum]]. ==Major cities== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Region rank ! City ! 2020 Census <ref name=2020Census>{{cite web|url=https://demographics.texas.gov//Resources/Decennial/2020/Redistrict/pl94-171/csvdata/totpop/sumlev//tx48s160.zip |title=Total Population, Housing Unit, and Group Quarter Data by Area in Texas |date=April 26, 2021 |website=Texas Demographic Center |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> ! State ranked ! County |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | 1 | [[El Paso]] | 678,815 | 6 | [[El Paso County, Texas|El Paso County]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | 2 | [[Lubbock]] | 257,141 | 10 | [[Lubbock County]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | 3 | [[Midland, Texas|Midland]] | 132,524 | 26 | [[Midland, Texas|Midland County]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | 4 | [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]] | 114,428 | 35 | [[Ector County, Texas|Ector County]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | 5 | [[Socorro, Texas|Socorro]] | 34,306 | 92 | [[El Paso County, Texas|El Paso County]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | 6 | [[Big Spring, Texas|Big Spring]] | 26,144 | 117 | [[Howard County, Texas|Howard County]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | 7 | [[Horizon City, Texas|Horizon City]] | 22,489 | 132 | [[El Paso County, Texas|El Paso County]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | 8 | [[Plainview, Texas|Plainview]] | 20,187 | 145 | [[Hale County, Texas|Hale County]] |} <gallery> File:Downtown El Paso at sunset.jpeg|[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] File:LubbockSkyline2013.jpg|[[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock]] File:Midland44 Skyline.jpg|[[Midland, Texas|Midland]] File:Downtown Odessa.jpg|[[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]] File:Socorro mission front.jpg|[[Socorro, Texas|Socorro]] File:Big Spring 1.jpg|[[Big Spring, Texas|Big Spring]] File:Horizon City.jpg| [[Horizon City, Texas|Horizon City]] File:Plainview Texas City Hall 2019.jpg| [[Plainview, Texas|Plainview]]</gallery> Smaller West Texas cities and towns include [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]], [[Andrews, Texas|Andrews]], [[Anthony, Texas|Anthony]], [[Brownfield, Texas|Brownfield]], [[Canutillo, Texas|Canutillo]], [[Canyon, Texas|Canyon]], [[Coyanosa, Texas|Coyanosa]], [[Crane, Texas|Crane]], [[Dalhart, Texas|Dalhart]], [[Fort Davis, Texas|Fort Davis]], [[Fabens, Texas|Fabens]], [[Fort Bliss]], [[San Elizario, Texas|San Elizario]], [[Fort Stockton, Texas|Fort Stockton]], [[Hale Center, Texas|Hale Center]], [[Hereford, Texas|Hereford]], [[Iraan, Texas|Iraan]], [[Kermit, Texas|Kermit]], [[Lamesa, Texas|Lamesa]], [[Levelland, Texas|Levelland]], [[Littlefield, Texas|Littlefield]], [[Marathon, Texas|Marathon]], [[Marfa, Texas|Marfa]], [[McCamey, Texas|McCamey]], [[Mertzon, Texas|Mertzon]], [[Monahans, Texas|Monahans]], [[Muleshoe, Texas|Muleshoe]], [[Ozona, Texas|Ozona]], [[Pampa, Texas|Pampa]], [[Pecos, Texas|Pecos]], [[Horizon City, Texas|Horizon City]], [[Post, Texas|Post]], [[Rankin, Texas|Rankin]], [[Seminole, Texas|Seminole]], [[Slaton, Texas|Slaton]], [[Snyder, Texas|Snyder]], [[Sweetwater, Texas|Sweetwater]], and [[Van Horn, Texas|Van Horn]]. ==Economy== Major industries include [[livestock]], [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]] production, [[textiles]] such as [[cotton]], [[cereal|grain]], and because of very large military installations such as [[Fort Bliss]], the [[Defense contractor|defense industry]]. [[Wind power in Texas|West Texas has become notable]] for its numerous [[wind turbine]]s producing [[Environmental effects of wind power|clean and alternative electricity]]. As of 2018, the West Texan economy was in a prosperous [[Business cycle|economic period]], which has been described as the "West Texas oil boom".<ref>{{cite news|last=Clifford|first=Krauss|date=March 28, 2018|title=$9.5 Billion Purchase by Concho Is Latest Sign of West Texas Oil Boom|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/business/energy-environment/texas-oil-deal.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Saphir|first=Ann|date=May 1, 2018|title=Boom in West Texas oil patch lifts wages, prices|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-oil-record-economy-analysis/boom-in-west-texas-oil-patch-lifts-wages-prices-idUSKBN1I22TF|work=Reuters|access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref> <gallery> File:West Texas Pumpjack.JPG|[[Pumpjack]]s, like this one south of Midland, are a common sight in West Texas oil fields. File:Farm in west texas Nima.JPG|[[Irrigation|Irrigated agriculture]] in West Texas File:GreenMountainWindFarm Fluvanna 2004.jpg|The [[Brazos Wind Farm]] near [[Fluvanna, Texas|Fluvanna]] is one of many wind farms in West Texas. File:Abrams Tank at the Dona Anna Range.jpg|[[Fort Bliss]] is the number one employer in the [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] region </gallery> ==Sports== While there are no major league teams in the West Texas region, sports fans are faithful to their local high school and college teams. [[NCAA Division I]] college teams include the [[Texas Tech Red Raiders]], the [[UTEP Miners]]. [[NCAA Division II]] teams include the [[West Texas A&M Buffaloes]], the [[Texas–Permian Basin Falcons]], and the [[Lubbock Christian Chaparrals and Lady Chaps]]. El Paso hosts the [[El Paso Chihuahuas]], a AAA baseball team, and [[El Paso Locomotive FC]] which plays in the [[USL Championship]], the second tier of the [[American soccer pyramid]]. The [[Midland RockHounds]] and [[Amarillo Sod Poodles]] represent the region in double-A baseball. In 2019, the [[West Texas Rumbleweeds]] of the [[U.S. Arena Professional Soccer League]] began play. Junior hockey is also present in the region, with the [[Odessa Jackalopes]] of the Tier II North American Hockey League. ==Politics== Except for the Trans-Pecos region, West Texas has become well known as a stronghold for [[Conservatism|conservative]] politics. Some of the most heavily [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] counties in the United States are in the region. Former U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] spent most of his childhood in West Texas. The Panhandle and several counties in the Midland-Odessa area were some of the first parts of Texas to abandon the state's "[[Solid South]]" [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] roots; nine counties{{efn|West Texas counties voting Republican at every election since 1952 comprise [[Ector County, Texas|Ector County]], [[Gray County, Texas|Gray County]], [[Hansford County, Texas|Hansford County]], [[Hutchinson County, Texas|Hutchinson County]], [[Lipscomb County, Texas|Lipscomb County]], [[Midland County, Texas|Midland County]], [[Ochiltree County, Texas|Ochiltree County]], [[Randall County, Texas|Randall County]], and [[Roberts County, Texas|Roberts County]].}} have not supported a Democrat for president since [[United States presidential election in Texas, 1948|1948]]. The Rolling Plains to the east remained Democratic substantially longer: although [[Walter Mondale]]'s [[United States presidential election in Texas, 1984|1984 campaign]] lost Texas by 27.50%, he won five counties in this region.{{efn|West Texas Plains "Bible Belt" counties voting for Mondale in 1984 were [[Cottle County, Texas|Cottle County]] (which was in fact one of 130 counties nationwide to vote for [[George McGovern]] in 1972), [[Dickens County, Texas|Dickens County]], [[Fisher County, Texas|Fisher County]], [[Stonewall County, Texas|Stonewall County]] and [[Swisher County, Texas|Swisher County]].}} Since 2000, this region swung very rapidly toward the Republican Party due to its population's intransigent opposition to the liberal social policies of the Democratic Party,<ref>Cohn, Nate; [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/upshot/southern-whites-loyalty-to-gop-nearing-that-of-blacks-to-democrats.html 'Demographic Shift: Southern Whites' Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats'], ''[[New York Times]]'', April 24, 2014</ref> and by 2016, it had nearly the same [[Cook PVI]] as the Panhandle. ==West of the Pecos in popular culture== {{See|West of the Pecos (disambiguation){{!}}West of the Pecos}} {{Commons category|West Texas|<br />West Texas}} "West of the Pecos" has become a metaphor for the universe of [[Western (genre)|Westerns]]. "Fastest [[Duel#Colonial North America and United States|draw]] west of the Pecos" and similar superlatives are a cliche, and the title character of ''[[Chisum]]'' observed "There’s no law west of Dodge, and no God west of the Pecos”. [[Cormac McCarthy]]'s novel [[No Country for Old Men (novel)|''No Country for Old Men'']] and its subsequent [[No Country for Old Men|film adaptation]] take place in West Texas, and much of the movie was filmed there. ==See also== {{Portal|Texas}} {{Div col|colwidth=22em}} *[[List of geographical regions in Texas]] *[[Llano Estacado]] *[[Beach Mountains]] *[[Chalk Mountains (Texas)|Chalk Mountains]] *[[Chamizal National Memorial]] *[[Davis Mountains]] *[[Franklin Mountains State Park]] *[[Palo Duro Canyon]] *[[Hueco Tanks State Historic Site]] *[[Guadalupe Mountains National Park|Guadalupe Mountains]] *[[McKittrick Canyon]] *[[Big Bend National Park]] *[[Ysleta del Sur Pueblo]] *[[Mount Blanco]] *[[Wind power in Texas]] *[[Farm to Market Road 669]] *[[West Texas Intermediate]] *[[Wyler Aerial Tramway]] {{div col end}} ==References== {{reflist|2}} [https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/we-wanna-know-where-does-west-texas-begin/ We Wanna Know: Where Does West Texas Begin?] ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==External links== * [http://www.texasoutside.com/westtexasparks/westtexas.htm West Texas Vacation Guide] - Texas Outside *{{url|https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/lubbock-tx/cropping-systems-research-laboratory/wind-erosion-and-water-conservation-research/docs/llano/|Public domain images of the Llano Estacado and West Texas}} {{Texas}} [[Category:Regions of Texas]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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