Coastal Plains

A Growing Region

What is the location and importance of the Coastal Plains?

The Coastal Plains of Texas is the state’s largest geographic region. Like the Great Plains, it extends beyond the borders of Texas. This natural region is part of a long expanse of coastland. It reaches from eastern and southeastern portions of the United States into Texas, and south to Mexico. Within Texas, the Coastal Plains lie to the east of the North Central Plains. Its inland border is the Balcones Escarpment. Elevations are low in this coastal region. Height above sea level ranges from just a few feet up to 1,000 feet.

Coastal Climate

The climate along the region’s coastline is hot and humid. Winds from the nearby Gulf of Mexico deliver moisture to the coast and create a more dependable water supply than in other areas of the state. Tropical storms and hurricanes are common here. Strong winds bring hard rains that can damage property and cost lives. In the coastal city of Galveston, some 6,000 people died when a hurricane slammed the coast in 1900. More recent storms, including the 2001 tropical storm Allison, brought heavy rains, flooding, and great damage to Houston and other parts of the region.

Resources and Population

More people live in the Coastal Plains than in the rest of Texas. A warm climate and good water supply support agriculture and other industries. The coastal location brings in shipping trade. Resources within the region include the East Texas pinewood forests. The lumber from these forests is used for building materials and other products. In parts of the region, good soils produce cotton, rice, vegetables, and grains. Livestock graze on the grasses of drier areas.

Petroleum discoveries, such as the Spindletop Oilfield in 1901 and the East Texas Oilfield in 1930, have greatly enriched the region. Petroleum processing and products continue to be an important part of the region’s economy. Shipping and warehousing industries, two other important economic activities, grew out of the oil industry.

A network of roads, railroads, and pipelines transports goods to and from the seaports. A shipping channel known as the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway reaches from Brownsville to Apalachee Bay, Florida. This waterway allows Texas access to trade along the nation’s southeastern coast and links it to countries overseas.

Identifying What are three of the region’s natural resources?

Houston Port

Spindletop Oil Field

Dallas, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

Austin, Texas

The Coastal Plains can be divided into five smaller geographic areas: the Blackland Prairie, the Post Oak Belt, the Piney Woods, the Gulf Coast Plain, and the South Texas Plain.

Blackland Prairie

What are the important features and cities of the Blackland Prairie? The Blackland Prairie reaches from the Red River in the north to San Antonio in the south. Before the land was settled, a wide variety of native grasses thrived on the prairie. Today, the land is important for growing cotton.

Dallas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas. A number of industries, such as financial, insurance, electronics, and technology make their homes in Dallas. It is also an important commercial and transportation hub. Retailers visit the merchandising center of Dallas. Here they preview items to buy for their stores. Cultural landmarks include the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which explores the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. The Dallas area has a number of popular sports teams including the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, and Dallas Stars.

Dallas has a central location that encourages the movement of people and goods. Transportation routes, such as highways, railroads, and the busy Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport provide important links to the nation and the world.

Other Cities

To the south is San Antonio, the second-largest city in Texas. In recent years, it has become a major location of customer-support call centers in the country. Military installations are also important to this area. Three U.S. Air Force bases are located here, as is Fort Sam Houston, home of the U.S. Fifth Army. Visitors come to San Antonio to see the historic Alamo mission and the River Walk of shops along the San Antonio River. A large Hispanic population makes the city a lively center of Mexican American culture.

The capital city of Austin is the center of Texas state government. Several high-technology firms are based in Austin, as is the University of Texas at Austin. The city has a lively music scene, and it is known worldwide for its many bands and dance clubs. It hosts the annual Austin City Limits music festival, featuring well-known bands and musicians. Smaller cities of the region include Sherman, San Marcos, and Waco.

Analyzing Why is Dallas a transportation hub?

The Post Oak Belt

What natural features mark the Post Oak Belt?

Wrapping around the northern tip and alongside the eastern edge of the Blackland Prairie is the Post Oak Belt. This is a timbered area of oak, hickory, and other hardwood trees. Soil conditions in the Post Oak Belt are good for raising corn, grains, cotton, peanuts, pecans, hay, watermelon, peaches, and Christmas trees. The land is also used to graze livestock.

Light industry and education are also important to the area’s economy. Texas A&M University is located in the Bryan and College Station area. Together, the communities are home to about 150,000 people. Medicine, agriculture, and service industries are established here. The Post Oak Belt has no large cities. The city of Tyler, the region’s largest, is nicknamed the “Rose Capital of America” because of the thousands of roses that are grown there.

In and around the area’s Bastrop State Park grows a species of loblolly pine called Pinus taeda. These pines can sometimes live 300 to 400 years. Experts think that this section of forest was long ago separated from similar trees in the larger Piney Woods geographical area. The forest is known as the Lost Pines.

Identifying How is land used in the Post Oak Belt?

Piney Woods of East Texas

Piney Woods

What are the physical characteristics and industries of the Piney Woods?

The Piney Woods extends southward from the Red River on the Texas coast. Its borders include the Post Oak Belt to the west and the Gulf Coast Plain to the south. Pine and hardwood forests here supply most of the state’s timber industry. The national forests of Angelina, Sabine, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett are part of the area. The Big Thicket National Preserve includes dense forestland and swamp.

Two natural resources, wood and oil, have greatly added to the economic health and growth of the area. Logging and lumber-related businesses are here. The 1930s discovery of a large oilfield in Gregg, Rusk, and Smith Counties led to a boom in population as oil workers rushed to the area.

While lumber and oil are the area’s main industries, farming is also important. Piney Woods enjoys a long growing season, making it possible to raise fruits and vegetables as well as roses and bedding plants for the gardening market.

Piney Woods has long been a settled area. Its cultural history has been influenced by Native Americans, the Spanish, African Americans, and Anglo Americans who lived here over time. A manufacturing and medical center known as Texarkana is located here on the Texas-Arkansas boundary. Other communities include Longview, which is a center for industry, conventions, and recreation. Huntsville is home to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the state’s prison system. Conroe and many northern suburbs of Houston are also in the Piney Woods.

Identifying Name two major industries of the Piney Woods.

The Gulf Coast and South Texas Plains

How does the South Texas Plain compare with the Gulf Coast Plain?

Two important regions of Texas are the Gulf Coast Plain and the South Texas Plain. The Gulf Coast Plain is cattle and farming country. It is also the location of many important Texas industries. The South Texas Plain is dryer than the Gulf Coast Plain, but around the Rio Grande water is plentiful and crops can be grown even in the winter.

The Gulf Coast Plain

Cattle thrive on the excellent grasslands of the Gulf Coast Plain, making cattle ranching a major industry here. Per square mile, more cattle are raised here than in any other region of the state. Crops such as cotton, grain sorghum, and rice are also grown. Wharton County is the largest rice producer in Texas. Texas farmers sell their rice to countries around the world.

Although the Gulf Coast Plain is well suited to ranching and farming, parts of the area serve heavy industry. Products made from oil and natural gas include gasoline, plastics, fertilizer, antifreeze, and synthetic rubber. A great many petrochemical industries, or businesses related to oil and gas products, may be found throughout the area. This industry is important from Corpus Christi up to the Louisiana border.

The Gulf Coast city of Houston is the state’s largest city, with about 2 million people. Houston’s economy is diverse, with ties to such industries as science and technology, banking, and oil. The city is home to the famous NASA's Johnson Space Center for astronaut training. A highly respected medical research complex is in the city, while computer manufacturing takes place in suburban areas. Popular Houston sports teams are the Houston Astros, Houston Texans, and Houston Rockets.

Houston’s major economic role is as a leader of the state’s petrochemical industry. Oil refineries use the city’s coastal location to transport oil in tankers, huge ships that carry large amounts of liquid. These tankers and other large ships carry goods through a human-made waterway dug at the city’s port, or harbor, called the Houston Ship Channel. Ships use the channel to travel between Houston and the Gulf of Mexico.

The port city of Corpus Christi is also important to the petrochemical industry. Its ports are useful to the U.S. Navy, which has a base here, and to an active fishing and shrimping industry. Beaumont is a petroleum-refining center. Tourism, fishing, and shipping industries are found in Galveston. Another city, Victoria, is important in agriculture and petrochemicals.

Houston, Texas

Corpus Christi

The South Texas Plain

The South Texas Plain gets much less precipitation than the Gulf Coast Plain to its north. In this drier area, vegetation includes prickly pear cactus, mesquite, black brush, and other shrubs. A long 10-month growing season makes cattle ranching, farming, and related industries possible. Water from wells and streams services an area known as the “Winter Garden,” a cluster of counties using wells and irrigation to grow vegetables and fruits for sale in winter.

In the lower Rio Grande Valley to the south, rich alluvial soil from river deposits help to grow citrus trees, such as orange, grapefruit, and lemon. At times, dangerous freezes strike the area, damaging crops and killing trees.

The city of Laredo on the Rio Grande is important for rail transport, meatpacking, and various manufacturing industries. It is the main entry point for Mexican and American trucks carrying trade products between the two countries. Other cities in the area include Kingsville, Brownsville, McAllen, Edinburg, and Harlingen.

Explaining What conditions make it possible for farmers of the “Winter Garden” to grow fruits and vegetables for sale in winter?

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