West Texas
Encyclopedia : W : WE : WES : West Texas
West Texas is a region in Texas which has more in common geographically with the Southwestern United States than it does with East Texas and North Texas.
West Texas has a much lower population density than the rest of the state and was mostly inhabited by nomadic Native American tribes such as the Apache, Comanche, and Kiowa until after the Civil War. It does not have as many ties to the Southern United States as does East Texas, although many of the people who currently populate West Texas are also migrants from other parts of Texas and other Southern states or their descendants.
The Chihuahuan desert covers much of southern West Texas, west of the Pecos River
West Texas receives much less rainfall than the rest of Texas and has an arid or semi-arid climate, requiring most of its agriculture to be dependent on irrigation. Much of West Texas has rugged terrain including several small mountain ranges while there are none in other parts of the state. West Texas contains part of the Chihuahuan desert and also the Southern Great Plains, known as the Llano Estacado. Due to their smaller numbers, many West Texans feel politically isolated from the rest of the state. The area is known for its conservative politics. United States President George W. Bush spent much of his life in this region. Major industries include livestock production, petroleum and natural gas production, cotton and grain farming.
- See also: Delaware Basin
Map showing differences in population density from West to East Texas
Major cities and metropolitan areas
| State of Texas Texas Topics | History | Republic of Texas | Geography | Government | Politics | Economy | Texans |
|---|---|
| Capital | Austin |
|
Regions | Arklatex | Big Bend | Brazos Valley | Central Texas | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex | Deep East Texas | East Texas | Edwards Plateau | Galveston Bay | Golden Triangle | Greater Houston | North Texas | Northeast Texas | Permian Basin | Piney Woods | Rio Grande Valley | Texas Hill Country | Texas Panhandle | Llano Estacado | Southeast Texas | South Texas | West Texas |
|
Metropolitan areas | Abilene | Amarillo | Austin–Round Rock | Beaumont–Port Arthur | Brownsville–Harlingen | Bryan–College Station | Corpus Christi | Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington | El Paso | Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown | Killeen–Temple | Laredo | Longview–Marshall | Lubbock | McAllen–Edinburg–Mission | Midland–Odessa | San Angelo | San Antonio | Sherman–Denison | Texarkana | Tyler | Victoria | Waco | Wichita Falls See also: List of Texas counties |
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