West Texas

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West Texas is a region in Texas that has more in common geographically with the Southwestern United States than it does with the rest of the state.^{[citation needed]}. This part of Texas is in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert and the high mountain areas have a climate of cold nights and warm afternoons in winter; hot days and cool nights in the summer.

[edit] Population

Texas population density (2000 census)

West Texas has a much lower population density than the rest of the state. It was once 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 other parts of the Southern United States as does East Texas, although many of the people who currently populate West Texas are also migrants from other parts of Texas and other Southern states or their descendants. There is a very large Hispanic population, especially near the Rio Grande. Many Mexicans fled Ojinaga and walked to Stonewall during the Mexican revolution in the early days of the 20th century. Many Mexican-Americans still have close family ties in Mexico.

[edit] Climate

West Texas features dry plains

West Texas receives much less rainfall than the rest of Texas and has an arid or semi-arid climate, requiring most of its scant agriculture to be heavily dependent on irrigation. This irrigation, and water taken out farther North for the needs of El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, has reduced both the Pecos River and the once mighty Rio Grande to a stream in some places, even dry at times. Much of West Texas has rugged terrain including many 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.

[edit] Politics

The area is known for its conservative politics — some of the most heavily Republican counties in the United States are located in the region, where United States President George W. Bush spent his early youth. However, El Paso is heavily Democratic, and in the 2008 Presidential election, El Paso, Culberson, Reeves, Presidio, and Brewster counties were won by Democrat Barack Obama.^[1]