Coastal Plains Cities – Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio Most strongly affected by the Gulf of Mexico

(since it is a water souce and helps bring in money for fishing and the ports)

Most popular region for several reasons: Lots of job opportunities Oil industry; good soil for farming and ranching Major cities Most populated (2/3 of all Texans live here)

Contains state capitol - Austin

Central Plains Thick grasses Limestone is a major resource here Cross Timbers area (large areas of hardwood trees) Limestone rock Higher elevation because limestone doesn’t wear

down) Includes Fort Worth and Abilene Ranching Cattle , farming , oil and gas Oil and gas

Great Plains Also called the “High Plains” Does not get a lot of rain and dust storms

Big on farming here, so they rely on irrigation (a water source where you store water after it rains and then use it for farming)

Cities include Lubbock and Amarillo

Mountains and Basins Many mountains, deserts, and plateaus here Least amount of rain El Paso is the main city (rich in the Hispanic

culture because it is close to Mexico) It’s southern border is the Rio Grande River Has highest point in Texas – Guadalupe Peak

Other important facts: Top cash crop in Texas (the crop that we grow

and brings us the most money) is cotton. Oil is a major resource is all regions.