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 migrants from other parts of Texas and other Southern states or their descendants.

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. Major industries include livestock production, petroleum and natural gas production, cotton and grain farming.

Map showing differences in population density from West to East Texas

Major cities in West Texas

• Abilene
• Amarillo
• El Paso
• Lubbock
• Midland
• Odessa
• San Angelo