Transcript Notes from 09/13/2016

Chapter 3
Regions of Texas
The Coastal
Plains
The Coastal Plains
The Coastal Plains
• The State’s largest geographic region. More
people live in this region than the rest of
Texas.
• The inland border is the Balcones Escarpment
• Lower elevations (0-1000 feet above sea level)
• Petroleum discoveries such as the 1901
Spindletop Oilfield discovery have greatly
enriched the area. Shipping and warehousing
grew out of the oil industry.
Spindletop Oilfield
Spindletop Oilfield
The Coastal Plains
Climate
• Along the coastline is hot and humid
• Gulf Coast winds deliver moisture and create a
more dependable water supply
• Tropical storms and hurricanes are common
• In 1900, more than 6,000 people died when a
hurricane slammed into Galveston
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The Coastal Plains
Resources and Population
• More people live in the Coastal Plain than the
rest of Texas due to the warm climate and water
supply.
• Shipping, agriculture, oil production, farming,
livestock grazing, and warehousing are big
economic activities
• The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a channel that
stretches from Brownsville to Apalachee Bay,
Florida, allows for trade along the southeastern
U.S.
Sub region—The Blackland Prairie
Sub region—The Blackland Prairie
• Reaches from the Red River to San Antonio
• Great for growing cotton
• Dallas—the 3rd largest city in Texas. Industries include
financial, insurance, electronics, commercial hub,
transportation hub. Home to the Dallas Cowboys. It’s central
location encourages movement of people and goods due to
transportation routes
• San Antonio—The 2nd largest city in Texas. Industries include
customer-support call centers, military installations. Home
to the Alamo.
• Austin—the capital of Texas. Known world-wide for its music
scene, bands, and dance clubs. Home to the UT Longhorns
and high-tech firms.
Sub region—The Post Oak Belt
Sub region—The Post Oak Belt
• A timbered area of oak, hickory, and other
hardwood trees.
• Soil is great for growing corn, grains, cotton,
peanuts, pecans, hay, watermelons and Christmas
trees. Livestock grazed here.
• Medicine, agriculture, and service industries. Home
to Texas A&M and Bastrop State Park
• No large cities, but the largest in this sub region is
Tyler, Texas.
Sub region—The Piney Woods
Sub-region—Piney Woods
• Pinewood and hardwood forests supply most of
the state’s timber industry
• National Forests found here include: Angelina,
Sabine, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett. The Big
Thicket National Preserve includes dense
forestland and swamp.
• Natural resources: wood and oil.
• Farming is also important as the growing season
is long because of climate and the water supply.
• Texarkana, Longview, Huntsville are cities in this
region.
Sub region—The Gulf Coast Plains
Sub region—The Gulf Coast Plains
• Cattle and farming country due to excellent grasslands
• Crops such as cotton, grain sorghum, and rice are also grown.
• The mainland near the coast is full of bayous—tributaries off larger bodies
of water where the water usually moves slowly.
• An area for heavy industry: oil and natural gas products, such as gasoline,
plastics, fertilizer, antifreeze. Petrochemical (any substance made from
petroleum or natural gas)industries found through the area
• Houston is the state’s largest city. Houston has a diverse economy (science,
technology, banking, oil). Home to the Johnson Space Center and the
Houston Texans.
• Houston Ship Channel—a man-made waterway dug to ship goods and
allow travel between Houston and the Gulf of Mexico.
• Corpus Christi—petrochemicals, fishing/shrimping, U.S. Navy
• Beaumont—petroleum
• Galveston—fishing, shipping
• Victoria—agriculture and petrochemicals
Buffalo Bayou
Sub region—The South Texas Plains
Sub region—The South Texas Plains
• Dryer than the Gulf Coast Plains, but near the Rio Grande, water is
plentiful for growing crops even in the winter.
• Vegetation includes: prickly pear cactus, mesquite, black brush,
other shrubs
• 10-month growing season makes cattle ranching, farming, and
related industries possible.
• “Winter Garden”-a cluster of counties that use wells and irrigation
to grow vegetables in the winter
• Alluvial soil—rich soil that has been deposited from flowing river
water. Allows for citrus trees to grow in the Rio Grande Valley
• Laredo is important for rail transport, meatpacking, and is the
main entry point for Mexican and American trucks.
• Other cities include Kingsville, McAllen, Brownsville, Edinburg,
Harlingen.
Questions to consider…
• How do the cities in the Coastal Plains
compare to other regions of Texas?
• Petroleum discoveries have been important to
the Coastal Plains of Texas. Why has this led to
strong shipping and warehousing industries in
the state?
Know which Region and Subregion is
which!