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62-423: No consensus exists on the boundary between East Texas and West Texas. 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 separates East and West Texas; writer A.C. Greene proposed that West Texas extends west of

124-582: A 40.6% Hispanic or Latino population. East Texas and Southeast Texas in particular, which had been areas of cotton plantation before the Civil War, have a significant African-American population, ranging to nearly 20% in some counties. East Texas is often considered the westernmost extension of the Deep South . The predominant cultural influence comes from customs and traditions passed down from European American and African American Southerners who settled

186-551: A Democrat for president since 1948 . The Rolling Plains to the east remained Democratic substantially longer: although Walter Mondale 's 1984 campaign lost Texas by 27.50%, he won three counties in this region. 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, and by 2016, it had nearly

248-1043: A native of nearby Shreveport, Louisiana , was raised in Kilgore . Kilgore College houses the Van Cliburn Auditorium on its home campus. Many high-school bands in East Texas continue the tradition of military-style marching, unlike other parts of the state. These bands compete in the National Association Of Military Marching Bands. As with other parts of Texas, high school football is the most popular local sport venue in East Texas. Residents of East Texas towns and rural communities fill high-school stadiums in support of their local teams, cheerleaders, bands, etc. Many East Texas high-school teams have won Texas state championships, along with producing many collegiate and professional football players. Earl Campbell ,

310-772: A range of music that is influenced by gospel , bluegrass , blues , rock , country , soul , rhythm and blues , Cajun , etc. Texas blues originated in East Texas, with many legends having been born in the region, including Lightnin' Hopkins and T-Bone Walker . East Texans enjoy live music at many of the region's fairs and festivals, including the Texas Rose Festival in Tyler , the East Texas Yamboree in Gilmer , and Longview's Great Texas Balloon Race . East Texas also has many venues included in what

372-873: A star running back for the Minnesota Vikings , played high-school football in Palestine . Many other high-school sports are popular in East Texas, including basketball , baseball , volleyball , softball , and track . A significant number of East Texan youths participate in Little League Baseball , soccer , and softball . Church leagues are quite common in providing opportunities for basketball and softball for youth and adults alike. In recent years, cowboy churches have grown in number and offer rodeo events for their youth. East Texans also enjoy collegiate athletic competition. Most residents support collegiate teams located in other regions of

434-564: Is also home to the Angelina National Forest , Davy Crockett National Forest , Sam Houston National Forest , Sabine National Forest , Big Thicket National Preserve , Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge , Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge , and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge . Historically, the East Texas economy has been led by lumber , cotton , cattle , and oil . Prior to the discovery of

496-1024: Is commonly referred to as the Texas country music circuit, although the majority of such venues are located in Central/South/West Texas and the metropolitan areas of the state. Many notable music artists have East Texas roots, including: George Jones ( Saratoga ), Miranda Lambert ( Lindale ), Kacey Musgraves ( Mineola ), Jamie Foxx , ( Terrell ), Neal McCoy (Longview and Jacksonville ), Lee Ann Womack (Jacksonville), Janis Joplin ( Port Arthur ), UGK ( Port Arthur ), Don Henley ( Linden ), Ray Price ( Perryville ), Johnny Horton ( Rusk ), Johnny Mathis ( Gilmer ), Tex Ritter ( Panola County ), Jim Reeves (Panola County), Mark Chesnutt (Beaumont), Tracy Byrd ( Vidor ), Clay Walker (Beaumont), T-Bone Walker (Linden), Chris Tomlin ( Grand Saline ), and Michelle Shocked (Gilmer), among many others. Worldwide-acclaimed pianist Van Cliburn ,

558-522: Is within the Black Belt region, the fertile area that was the center of cotton culture and enslaved African-American labor. East Texas has the largest Black population in the state. Unlike Texas's total state racial demographics, only two counties in East Texas outside of Greater Houston 's sphere had a majority minority . Jefferson County in the Golden Triangle and Titus County have

620-500: The Ark-La-Tex , the area where Arkansas, Louisiana, and East Texas meet. According to the 2010 U.S. census , these 41 East Texas counties had a total population of 2,057,518 residents. This represented 8% of the total state population of Texas. Per the 2023 census estimates, the five most populous counties were: Per the 2022 census estimates, the ten most populous East Texas cities outside of Houston's metro area were: In 2010,

682-705: The Brazos River . 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

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744-772: The Deep East Texas Council of Governments , and the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission . Counties generally included are Anderson , Angelina , Bowie , Camp , Cass , Cherokee , Delta , Franklin , Gregg , Hardin , Harrison , Henderson , Hopkins , Houston , Jasper , Jefferson , Lamar , Marion , Morris , Nacogdoches , Newton , Orange , Panola , Polk , Rains , Red River , Rusk , Sabine , San Augustine , San Jacinto , Shelby , Smith , Titus , Trinity , Tyler , Upshur , Van Zandt , and Wood County, Texas . Harris County and those forming

806-507: The East Texas Oil Field , cotton, lumber and cattle were the predominant source of economic growth and stability. The needs of local farmers contributed greatly to the establishment of local towns and trading posts. As with many parts of the nation, the chosen paths of railroads often determined the continuation of many towns. At the beginning of the 20th century, the oil fields were discovered and oil became accessible, changing

868-653: The Greater Houston area, the average population density is around 18–45 per mi (7–12 per km ), with the population density near the Big Thicket dropping below 18 people per mi . East Texas's population total is very large and is centered around the Golden Triangle (Texas) of Beaumont / Port Arthur / Orange in Southeast Texas . Moving north from the coast, Lufkin and Nacogdoches anchor

930-560: The Greater Houston metropolitan area are sometimes included in varying sources, such as the Texas Department of Transportation , or more generally, Southeast Texas. The three additional East Texas counties that join with other regional government councils are Chambers County (Anahuac), Liberty County (Liberty), and Walker County (Huntsville), all three in geographic proximity to the Houston metropolitan area. Outside of

992-721: The Pecos River is often called "Far West Texas" or the " Trans-Pecos ", a term introduced in 1887 by geologist Robert T. Hill . 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

1054-673: The Permian Basin , the highest producing oil field in the United States. This likely inclines the region to support the Republican Party over the Democratic Party , as the latter supports environmentalism and action on climate change . Several counties in the Midland-Odessa area were some of the first parts of Texas to abandon the state's " Solid South " Democratic roots; two counties have not supported

1116-753: The Piney Woods ecoregion . East Texas can sometimes be defined only as the Piney Woods. At the fringes, towards Central Texas , the forests expand outward toward sparser trees and eventually into open plains. According to the Handbook of Texas , the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north-central Lamar County southwestward to east-central Limestone County and then southeastward towards eastern Galveston Bay". Most sources separate

1178-583: The Piney Woods . These extend more than 23,500 square miles (61,000 km ). The Piney Woods are part of a much larger region of pine - hardwood forest that extends into Louisiana , Arkansas, and Oklahoma . The Piney Woods area thins out as it nears the Gulf of Mexico. West of the Piney Woods are the ranchlands and remnant oak forests of the East Central Texas forests ecoregion. The Sabine , Trinity , Neches , Angelina and Sulphur rivers are

1240-582: The Republic of Texas , the state of Texas, or the United States). Well into the first quarter of the 20th century, renegade clans controlled local governments, especially in Shelby County . The area contains two of the oldest towns in Texas; Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, dating from the 18th century, and San Augustine, the oldest "British-American" settlement in Texas, dating from

1302-1069: The Texas Tech Red Raiders , and 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 the 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

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1364-561: The defense industry . West Texas has become notable for its numerous wind turbines producing clean and alternative electricity . As of 2018, the West Texan economy was in a prosperous economic period , which has been described as the "West Texas oil boom". 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

1426-684: The "Caddo Indian Collection" at the Gregg County Historical Museum in Longview . In the mid-1800s, East Texas cities such as Marshall and Jefferson constituted a sphere of influence that led the entire state into the Confederacy . East Texas was the aread of powerful planters and the most significant numbers of slaveholders. Before that, during the Mexican and Republic periods, Nacogdoches and San Augustine were

1488-737: The "Tyler Rose", played football for John Tyler High in Tyler before playing for the Texas Longhorns and the Houston Oilers . Don Meredith , who famously played for the Dallas Cowboys , played at Mt. Vernon. Dez Bryant , a football player from Lufkin, formerly played wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys before signing with the New Orleans Saints (then getting injured three days afterwards). Adrian Peterson ,

1550-413: The 1820s. People of English , Scottish , Scots-Irish , and to a lesser extent Welsh ancestry predominate in this region, because of the history of settlement. This is in contrast to West Texas and South Central Texas, where people of Hispanic and German ancestry predominate, respectively. Hispanic settlers are descended from colonists of New Spain, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Most of

1612-626: The Baptists, particularly the Southern Baptist Convention (majority white) and National Baptist Convention USA (majority black, formed after the Civil War); Methodists and Presbyterians ; Lutherans and classical Pentecostals ; and others. Roman Catholicism continues to have influence, particularly given the increased Hispanic or Latino American population in recent decades. The largest Catholic jurisdictions in

1674-671: The East Texas Storm, a semiprofessional football team located in Tyler, competes in the Lone Star Minor League. Typically, northern parts of East Texas tend to support the professional teams from the Dallas/Fort Worth area in North Texas ( Dallas Cowboys , Dallas Mavericks , Texas Rangers , Dallas Stars , FC Dallas ), while southern parts of East Texas tend to support professional teams from

1736-712: The German immigrant ancestors in Central Texas arrived after the Revolutions of 1848 . The Spanish and later Mexican governments did not want settlers from the United States until after Mexico had gained independence. East Texas had been barely settled by Spanish and Mexican colonists, and the government decided to allow immigration from the US to bolster defenses against raiding by the Apache and Comanche. Neither government

1798-695: The Gulf Coast area into a separate region. Another popular, somewhat simpler, definition defines East Texas as the region between the Trinity River , north and east of Houston (or sometimes Interstate 45 , when defining generously) as the western border; the Louisiana border as the eastern border; the Gulf of Mexico as the southern border; the Oklahoma border as the northern border; Arkansas as

1860-896: The Houston area in Southeast Texas ( Houston Texans , Houston Rockets , Houston Astros , Houston Dynamo FC ). As with other parts of Texas and/or the Southern U.S., other popular sporting activities in East Texas include rodeo (including PRCA), hunting , and fishing . Prominent rodeos in East Texas are held in Beaumont, Nacogdoches, Paris, Longview, Gladewater , Huntsville, Lufkin, Athens , Palestine, Lindale, etc. East Texas contains several award-winning lakes for sport fishing, including Toledo Bend Reservoir , Lake Sam Rayburn , Lake Livingston, Lake Fork Reservoir , Lake Tawakoni , etc. East Texas also contains numerous golf courses and avid golfers, as well as NASCAR fans. However,

1922-1166: The Piney Woods has historically been a fiercely contested sports rivalry between the Bearkats of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville and the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in Nacogdoches. Both schools long competed as members of the NCAA Division I Southland Conference (SLC), which plays football at the FCS level, but they moved to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2021 , and Sam Houston will move to FBS and join Conference USA in July 2023. The Cardinals of Lamar University in Beaumont left

West Texas - Misplaced Pages Continue

1984-435: The SLC for the WAC alongside Sam Houston and SFA, but rejoined the SLC a year later. The Lions of Texas A&M University–Commerce joined the SLC in 2022. Other universities and colleges that field athletic teams in East Texas include East Texas Baptist University Tigers in Marshall; University of Texas at Tyler Patriots in Tyler; LeTourneau University Yellowjackets in Longview; and several junior colleges throughout

2046-447: 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 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 and

2108-423: The coast. All of East Texas lies within the Gulf Coastal Plain . It has less uniformity of climate than the rolling hills in the north and flat coastal plains in the south. Local vegetation varies from north to south, with the lower third consisting of the temperate grassland extending from South Texas to South Louisiana and the northern two-thirds of the region dominated by the temperate forest known as

2170-484: The decline of oil production, many small towns closed cafés and gas stations, some of which were replaced with cash loan shops and pawn shops. In 2022, East Texas was highlighted for its diversifying economy penetrating Deep East Texas with the decline in crude oil. Additionally, the region has become home to many patent-holding companies, due to its legal system being particularly friendly to patent holders and hostile to out-of-state tech defendants. In 2009, Paul Knight of

2232-435: The dominant plants in bayous. The most famous of these bayous are Cypress Bayou and Buffalo Bayou . Cypress Bayou surrounds the Big, Little, and Black Cypress rivers around Jefferson. They flow east into Caddo Lake , and the adjoining wetlands cover the rim and islands of the lake. Deep East Texas is a subregion of East Texas, alongside Northeast and Southeast Texas. According to the Deep East Texas Council of Governments ,

2294-458: The expansive cattle ranching of the plains regions of Texas. But East Texans commonly own and trade cattle. Several "sale barns" exist across East Texas, with weekly and monthly trades, as is common in other parts of the Deep South. In the northern part of East Texas, awareness of the native and historical Caddo Mississippian culture remains significant. Cherokee County is home to the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site . Patrons can also view

2356-431: The future of the region. In the decades leading to the new millennium, crude oil production in the East Texas Oil Field, the largest oil field in the United States, somewhat decreased. In turn, the number of high-paying jobs for uneducated workers also decreased. During the 20th century, local groceries, general stores, and cafes were replaced with franchise department stores, retail chains, and fast-food restaurants. Due to

2418-1616: 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. The 72 counties of West Texas are Andrews , Bailey , Borden , Brewster , Brown , Callahan , Castro , Cochran , Coke , Coleman , Comanche , Concho , Crane , Crockett , Crosby , Culberson , Dawson , Deaf Smith , Dickens , Eastland , Ector , El Paso , Fisher , Floyd , Gaines , Garza , Glasscock , Hale , Haskell , Hockley , Howard , Hudspeth , Irion , Jeff Davis , Jones , Kent , Kimble , King , Knox , Lamb , Loving , Lubbock , Lynn , Martin , Mason , McCulloch , Menard , Midland , Mitchell , Motley , Nolan , Pecos , Presidio , Reagan , Reeves , Runnels , Schleicher , Scurry , Shackelford , Stephens , Sterling , Stonewall , Sutton , Taylor , Terrell , Terry , Throckmorton , Tom Green , Upton , Ward , Winkler , and Yoakum . Smaller West Texas cities and towns include Alpine , Andrews , Anthony , Brownfield , Canutillo , Coyanosa , Crane , Fabens , Fort Davis , Fort Stockton , Hale Center , Horizon City , Iraan , Kermit , Lamesa , Levelland , Littlefield , Marathon , Marfa , McCamey , Mertzon , Monahans , Ozona , Pecos , Post , Rankin , Ransom Canyon , San Elizario , Seminole , Slaton , Snyder , Sweetwater , and Van Horn . Major industries include livestock , petroleum and natural gas production, textiles such as cotton , grain , and because of very large military installations such as Fort Bliss ,

2480-430: The local culture, and losing to varying degrees, their original culture). This assimilation pattern has often historically included conversion from Roman Catholicism, associated with French and Spanish traditions, to Protestant denominations. United States settlers from the Protestant Southeast practiced some discrimination against Cajun and Creole migrants, a cultural attitude that persisted until quite recently. Despite

2542-421: The major rivers in East Texas, but the Brazos and Red rivers also flow through the region. The Brazos cuts through the southwest portion of the region, while the Red River forms its northern border with Oklahoma and a portion of Arkansas. In East Texas and the rest of the South, small rivers and creeks collect into swamps called bayous and merge with the surrounding forest. Bald cypress and Spanish moss are

West Texas - Misplaced Pages Continue

2604-424: The most developed and influential cities in East Texas. Many East Texans have a mixture of European and Native American ancestry, as seen in East Texan country artists Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves . The Museum of East Texas opened in Lufkin in 1976 under the name Lufkin Historical and Creative Arts Center. East Texas is home to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame , located in Carthage . East Texans enjoy

2666-454: The most recent linguistic studies, East Texans tend to pronounce Southern English with the drawl typical of the Lower South . Other parts of Texas are more apt to use the "twang" of the Upper South , or—depending upon demographic influences of the particular area—with some Hispanic and Midwestern traits. East Texas lacks the strong influence of late 19th-and early 20th-century European immigrants from Germany and central Europe. Similarly,

2728-412: The movie was filmed there. East Texas 31°52′N 94°55′W  /  31.867°N 94.917°W  / 31.867; -94.917 East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas . Most of the region consists of

2790-401: The new waves of immigrants since the late 20th century, primarily from India , other Asian nations, and Latin America , and their influences, have been less prevalent in East Texas compared to other Texas regions. East Texans are predominantly Protestant Christians . They are members of many denominations as part of the Bible Belt . The most numerous Christian adherents have included

2852-409: The northeastern border, and extending as far south as Orange, Texas . The East Texas region includes Tyler , Longview , Texarkana , Lufkin , Marshall , Palestine , Henderson , Jacksonville , Mount Pleasant , and Nacogdoches as principal cities in addition to, in its expanded definition, Greenville , Houston, and Beaumont metropolitan statistical areas. Climate is the unifying factor in

2914-403: The population center of Deep East Texas . Continuing north from Deep East Texas, Tyler , Longview , and Marshall , in Northeast Texas , along with Texarkana , on the far northeastern border with Arkansas , represent the major population centers in the northern section of East Texas. Eight miles from the Texas border, Shreveport, Louisiana , is considered the economic and cultural center for

2976-510: The population of East Texas counties was 65.93% non-Hispanic white , 17.44% African American , 14.29% Hispanic or Latino American , and 2.34% other (including Native American and Asian). East Texas's most ethnically and racially diverse county was Jefferson County, its largest county. This includes the city of Beaumont, with 44.1% non-Hispanic whites, 34.1% African Americans, 17.7% Hispanic or Latinos of any race, and 4.1% other races or ethnicities (including Native American and Asian). East Texas

3038-413: The region consists of the following twelve counties: Angelina , Houston , Jasper , Nacogdoches , Newton , Polk , Sabine , San Augustine , San Jacinto , Shelby , Trinity , and Tyler . The "Deep" designation comes from the similarity to East Texas (it is similar in culture and topography , being highly forested), but with a location "deeper" (i.e., farther south and towards the Gulf Coast ) than

3100-447: The region does not host professional events in either of those sports. The nearest NASCAR track to East Texas is Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. East Texans enjoy many Texas state parks , including Caddo Lake , Atlanta , Daingerfield , Lake Bob Sandlin , Tyler , Mission Tejas in Grapeland, Cooper Lake , Lake Tawakoni , Martin Creek , Huntsville , Lake Sam Rayburn , Lake Livingston and Sea Rim among others. East Texas

3162-403: The region during the mid-to-late 19th century. African Americans were first brought to the area as enslaved workers to develop and cultivate commodity crops on plantations. Harrison County had the most plantations and highest number of slaves in the antebellum period. Deep South accent influences are noticeable in the subdialect of Texan English that is spoken throughout the region. According to

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3224-471: The region has been the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in Southeast Texas, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler in the northeastern subregion. Other religious faiths with smaller numbers, but with adherents in East Texas, include Mormonism and Judaism . Significant numbers of people of Cajun and Creole descent have migrated from Louisiana , although most are assimilated partially or completely into East Texas culture (adopting

3286-465: The region in double-A baseball. Junior hockey is also present in the region, with the Odessa Jackalopes of the Tier II North American Hockey League. Except for the Trans-Pecos region, West Texas has become well known as a stronghold for conservative politics. Some of the most heavily 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 region includes much of

3348-524: The region's geography; all of East Texas has the humid subtropical climate typical of the Southeast, occasionally interrupted by intrusions of cold air from the north. East Texas receives more rainfall, 35 to 60 inches (890 to 1,520 mm), than the rest of Texas. In Houston, the average January temperature is 50.4 °F (10.2 °C) and the average July temperature is 82.6 °F (28.1 °C). However, Houston has slightly warmer winters than most of East Texas due to its lower latitude and proximity to

3410-411: The region, which participate in the Southwest Junior College Conference in Region XIV of the NJCAA. East Texas is also home to the Kilgore College Rangerettes , a world-famous dance team that debuted in 1939. A few professional sports teams are located in the traditionally defined East Texas. The East Texas Pump Jacks, located in Kilgore , play baseball in the Texas Collegiate League . Additionally,

3472-421: The rest of East Texas. "Deep" also refers to the cultural and social characteristics of the area. This is considered synonymous to the " Big Thicket ", an allusion to the dense growth of underbrush in the Piney Woods. It was the earliest area of Texas to be settled by Anglo-Americans from the United States (and one of the last areas to submit to law enforcement—by the governments of New Spain , Mexico ,

3534-428: The rest of the state. Former residents describe living behind the 'Pine Curtain' as a form of escape. The phrase is often used to describe the area; it appeared in a newspaper column in the Palestine Herald-Press , and in a late 20th-century tourist guide by Mike Dougan. East Texas comprises 41 counties, 38 of which collaborate in sub-regional Ark-Tex Council of Governments , the East Texas Council of Governments ,

3596-426: The same Cook PVI as the Panhandle. "West of the Pecos" has become a metaphor for the universe of Westerns . "Fastest 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 and its subsequent film adaptation take place in West Texas, and much of

3658-409: The state; the Texas A&M Aggies , Texas Longhorns , Texas Tech Red Raiders , Baylor Bears , TCU Horned Frogs , etc. Including the city of Houston, its Houston Cougars are another prominent collegiate team. Due to proximity to neighboring states, East Texas has a substantial number of fans of the LSU Tigers , Arkansas Razorbacks , Oklahoma State Cowboys , and Oklahoma Sooners . The Battle of

3720-409: The tendency toward assimilation, Cajun and Creole cuisine (for example, jambalaya and catfish gumbo ), are popular in the region. Many East Texans, including those without Louisiana roots, are known to be expert at preparing at least some well-known Louisiana dishes. While some East Texans associate with cowboy culture, most identify more with smaller scale farming of the Southern U.S., than with

3782-413: The “ redbed country ” of the 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. 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. Northern portions of

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3844-440: Was able to exert much control or law enforcement in the area. As a consequence, the "Big Thicket" became a refuge for criminals fleeing the United States and hiding out in a "no man's land" in the pine tree thickets. The early isolation of the region and its links to the Deep South have resulted in the piney woods being described as a 'curtain' that demarcates a certain cultural enclave or bubble that distinguishes East Texas from

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