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City of Bryan
—  City  —
Nickname(s): The Good Life, Texas Style.
Location in the state of Texas
Coordinates: 30°39′56″N 96°22′0″W / 30.66556°N 96.366667°W / 30.66556; -96.366667Coordinates: 30°39′56″N 96°22′0″W / 30.66556°N 96.366667°W / 30.66556; -96.366667
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Brazos
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City Council	Mayor Jason Bienski Richard M. Cortez, Sr. Paul Madison, Sr. Chuck Konderla Ann M. Horton Art Hughes Mike Southerland
• Interim City Manager	Kean Register
Area
• Total	43.3 sq mi (112.3 km2)
• Land	43.29 sq mi (112.1 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	374 ft (114 m)
Population (2007)
• Total	67,266
• Density	1,515.2/sq mi (584.9/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	77801-03, 77807-08
Area code(s)	979
FIPS code	48-10912[1]
GNIS feature ID	1353099[2]
Website	[1]

Downtown Bryan

Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County^[3] and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (Southeast Central Texas). It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south. Together they are referred to as the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area, the sixteenth largest Metropolitan area in Texas containing around 190,000 people.

The city is centrally located, approximately equidistant from three of the 10 largest cities in the United States. It is 92 miles (148 km) north-northwest of Houston, 166 miles (267 km) northeast of San Antonio and 169 miles (272 km) south of Dallas. It is 104 miles (167 km) east of Austin, the state capital of Texas. 75% of the Texas and Louisiana populations (13.1 million people) live within 3.5 driving hours of Bryan.

History[link]

The area around Bryan, Texas was part of a land grant to Moses Austin by Spain. Moses Austin's son, Stephen F. Austin helped bring settlers to the area. Among the settlers was William Joel Bryan, the nephew of Stephen F. Austin. The town of Bryan was founded in 1821. It grew quickly when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad arrived in 1860. In 1866, the county seat of Brazos County, Texas was changed from Boonville, Texas to Bryan. A short time later, in 1871, the City of Bryan became incorporated.

Timeline[link]

• 1820s: Area settled by members of Stephen F. Austin's colony.
• 1859: The Houston and Texas Central Railroad is built in the area.
• 1866: A post office was granted and Bryan replaced Boonville, Texas as the Brazos County seat.
• 1867: The railroad that had stopped at Millican, Texas because of delays during the Civil War reached Bryan.
• 1871: The first Bryan courthouse was built.
• 1872: Bryan is incorporated.
• 1876: Texas A&M College opens nearby in what became College Station, Texas.
• 1877: The Bryan Independent School District was established.
  • 1884: Population reaches 3,000.
• 1889: Bryan obtained electric lighting and a waterworks.
• 1892: Bryan's fifth Brazos County Courthouse was built.
• 1900: The International-Great Northern Railroad arrived in Bryan.
  • 1900: Population reaches 3,589.
• 1902: Bryan's Carnegie Library was opened with a $10,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie.
• 1910: Bryan builds an interurban railroad to College Station, Texas, which is abandoned in 1923.
  • 1910: Population reaches 4,132.
• 1913 Bryan's first synagogue, Temple Freda, is completed. ^[4]
  • 1920: Population reaches 6,307.
• 1930s: North Oakwood merges with Bryan so Bryan and College Station, become "twin" cities.
  • 1930: Population reaches 7,814.
• 1936: State Highway 6 is built through Bryan.
  • 1940: Population reaches 11,842.
  • 1950: Population reaches 18,072.
  • 1960: Population reaches 27,542.
  • 1970: Population reaches 33,141.
  • 1980: Population reaches 44,337.
  • 1990: Population reaches 55,002.
  • 2000: Population reaches 65,660.
• 2006: The Texas A&M University System announces the new Texas A&M Health Science Center campus will be built in Bryan near the new Traditions Golf Course development.^{[citation needed]}
• 2009: A fire at the El Dorado Chemical Co. caused the evacuation of 70,000 residents due to the ammonium nitrate burning possibly causing minor respiratory problems.^[5] However the city only requested that "anyone who can smell smoke or see smoke to evacuate their homes and businesses" and did not enforce an evacuation except for a 500 homes in the nearby vicinity of the fire.^[6][7] Less than 1,000 residents chose to evacuate, taking shelter at Texas A&M University, which closed its campus for the day to ease traffic problems. City fire officials chose to let the fire burn down before tackling it as the chemicals are water reactive.^[6][8][9] The evacuation, which started at 2:30 pm CST ended at 7 pm except for a small, defined area immediately around the fire, where approximately 100 Bryan residents live.^[8] In the end, only 500 residents were under a mandatory evacuation, and 35 people were treated for respiratory problems from the smoke, while officials from El Dorado said there was never any danger from the smoke or fire. The warehouse, valued at just under $1 million, was destroyed.^[7]
• 2010: Brazos County District Attorney's Office starts enforcement of a gang safety Zone in response to an escalation in violence in and around Bryan. Major US papers and ABC news covered this history-making move. Cities like Houston, Texas and Los Angeles, California look to the Bryan model of safety enforcement surrounding gang violence. The injunction declares a 3.2-mile area in Bryan. This placed about half of downtown in this area.^[10]
  • 2010: Population reaches 76,201.

Geography[link]

Bryan is located at 30°39′56″N 96°22′00″W / 30.665547°N 96.366745°W / 30.665547; -96.366745 (30.665547, -96.366745).^[11]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.4 square miles (112 km²), of which, 43.3 square miles (112 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.21%) is water.

Climate[link]

The local climate is subtropical and temperate and winters are mild with periods of low temperatures usually lasting less than two months. Snow and ice are extremely rare. Summers are warm and hot with occasional showers being the only real variation in weather.

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 65,660 people, 23,759 households, and 14,873 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,515.2 people per square mile (584.9/km²). There were 25,703 housing units at an average density of 593.1 per square mile (229.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.65% White, 17.72% African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 13.32% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any ethnicity/nationality were 27.83% of the population.

There were 23,759 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 18.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,672, and the median income for a family was $41,433. Males had a median income of $29,780 versus $22,428 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,770. About 15.5% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure[link]

State representation[link]

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Hamilton Unit, a pre-release facility in Bryan.^[13] Hamilton opened as an adult prison facility. It was renovated for juveniles and, in mid-1997,^[14] re-opened as the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) J.W. Hamilton Jr. State School. On June 15, 2003, the facility was transferred back to the TDCJ.^[15] The TDCJ also operates the Bryan District Parole Office in nearby College Station.^[16]

Federal representation[link]

The United States Postal Service operates the Bryan and Downtown Bryan post offices.^[17][18] The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Prison Camp, Bryan, a women's prison, is located in Bryan.^[19]

Economy[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Major employers include:

• Texas A&M University (~19,000 Employees)
• Bryan Independent School District (~2,000 Employees)
• Sanderson Farms (~1,400 Employees)
• St. Joseph Regional Health Center (~1,600 Employees)
• City of Bryan (~1,000 Employees)
• Alenco (~500 Employees)

Sports[link]

• Football: Kyle Field (Largest Crowd: 90,079)
• Football: Merrill Green Stadium (Capacity 11,800)
• Racing: Texas World Speedway (Capacity: 23,000)
• Basketball: Reed Arena (Largest Crowd: 12,811)
• Baseball: Olsen Field (Largest Crowd: 11,052)
• Baseball: Travis Field
• Volleyball: G. Rollie White Coliseum (Largest Crowd: 3,778)
• Track and Field: Anderson Track and Field Complex (Capacity: 3,500)
• Soccer: Aggie Soccer Complex (Capacity: 2,275)
• Soccer: Bryan Regional Athletic Complex (BRAC)
• Softball: Aggie Softball Complex (Capacity: 1,750)
• Tennis: George P. Mitchell Tennis Center (Capacity: 1,500)
• Hockey: Arctic Wolf Ice Center (Capacity: 500)
• Golf: Traditions Golf Course at University Ranch, Miramont, Briarcrest Country Club, Bryan Municipal
• Golf: Miramont Country Club
• Golf: Pebble Creek Country Club
• Golf: Bryan Municipal Golf Course
• Fishing: Lake Bryan

Education[link]

Universities and colleges[link]

• Blinn College - Bryan Campus
• Texas A&M Health Science Center

Area school districts[link]

• Bryan Independent School District

Area independent schools[link]

• Allen Academy: PK–12 College Preparatory
• St. Joseph Catholic School: PK–12 College Preparatory
• St. Michaels Academy: PK–12 College Preparatory
• Brazos Christian School: PK–12 College Preparatory
• Still Creek Ranch: Private K-12 Boarding and Day School

Media[link]

Radio[link]

• KAMU-FM NPR 90.9 (National Public Radio)
• KJXJ-FM 103.9 Rock 103.9 (Rock)
• KBXT 101.9 THE BEAT
• KKYS Mix 104.7 (Hot A/C)
• KNFX-FM 99.5 The Fox (Classic Rock)
• KNDE 95.1 Candy 95 (Top 40)
• KVJM 103.1 La Preciosa (Regional Mexican)(Formerly V103.1 Hip Hop/Power 94)
• KTEX 106.1 Texas Country (Country)
• KAGG 96.1 Aggie 96 (Country)
• KORA 98.3(Country)
• KZNE 1150 The Zone (ESPN Sports Radio)
• WTAW 1620 (Talk Radio)
• KTAM 1240 Radio Alegria (Regional Mexican)
• KEOS 89.1 (community radio)

Television[link]

• KAGS-TV 23 (NBC) (Daily, Live Newscasts from studio on Texas Ave. in Bryan, Texas)
• KBTX-TV 3 (CBS) (Daily, Live Newscasts from studio on 29th Street in Bryan, Texas)
• KAMU-TV 15 (PBS)
• KYLE-TV 28 (FOX) (Taped Newscast weekday nights from Tyler, TX rarely covering Bryan)
• KRHD-TV 40 (ABC) (Daily, Taped Newscasts, from Waco, Texas)

Publications[link]

• The Bryan/College Station Eagle (Main newspaper)
• The Battalion (Texas A&M)
• The Press
• Insite Magazine (Local magazine - monthly publication)

Infrastructure[link]

Transportation[link]

The District began offering public transportation in the Bryan-College Station in 1974. It offers fixed bus routes throughout Bryan-College Station. Operating on weekdays on an hourly basis, the seven routes converge at a central location for transferring between routes.^[20][21] It also offers paratransit services for disabled riders and an on-demand shared ride service.^[22] Texas A&M University, headquartered in sister city College Station, operates student-driven free buses on weekdays for use by the general public that includes coverage around several apartment complexes in Bryan near campus and along a route that culminates at the Blinn College campus.^[23][24][25]

Airports[link]

Bryan is served commercially by Easterwood Airport, a regional airport operated by Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.^[26] Continental Connection and American Eagle offer flights to and from their larger hub airports at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Continental) and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (American).^[27][28][29]

The city of Bryan owns and operates Coulter Field, operating as American Flight Services, a fixed base operator offering services, hangar space, and runways for private flights.^[30][31]

Major roads[link]

• U.S. Highway 190
• State Highway 6: Earl Rudder Freeway (East Loop)
• State Highway 6 Business:Texas Avenue
• State Highway 21: San Jacinto
• State Highway 47
• Farm to Market Road 60: University Drive
• Farm to Market Road 158: William J. Bryan Parkway / Boonville Road
• Farm to Market Road 974: Tabor Road
• Farm to Market Road 1179: Briarcrest Drive
• Farm to Market Road 2154: Wellborn Road
• Farm to Market Road 2818: Harvey Mitchell Parkway (West Loop)

Health care[link]

• St. Joseph Regional Health Center (316 Bed/Level III Trauma Center)
• College Station Medical Center (119 Bed/Level III Trauma Center)
• Scott & White Clinic (Outpatient)
• The Physicians Centre -(16 Bed/Specialty Outpatient)

Notable residents[link]

• R.J.Q. Adams - historian and author
• Terry H. Anderson - historian and author^[32]
• Walter L. Buenger - historian
• Kent Caperton - former state senator
• Gerald Carter - National Football League wide receiver (Jets/Bucs)
• Chester Dunning - historian and specialist in Russian studies^[33]
• James T. Draper, Jr., Texas Southern Baptist clergyman began his pastorate in Bryan in 1956.
• Linda Ellerbee - NBC broadcast journalist
• Claude Hall - historian^[34]
• Devin Lemons - National Football League linebacker (Redskins)
• William T. "Bill" Moore - State senator from 1949-1981, known as "the Bull of the Brazos" and "the father of the modern Texas A&M University"^[35]
• J. Milton Nance - historian
• Shawn Slocum - Special teams coordinator of the Green Bay Packers
• Doug Supernaw - country music artist
• Ty Warren - National Football League defensive-end (Patriots)
• Melvin Bullitt - National Football League free safety (Colts)
• Jack Kingston - U.S. Representative from First District of Georgia
• Henry C. Schmidt - historian and specialist in Latin American affairs
• Syndric Steptoe - National Football League wide receiver (Browns)
• Raini Rodriguez - actress who appeared in Paul Blart: Mall Cop and the Disney channel's "Austin & Ally"
• Rico Rodriguez II - a young actor known best for his role in the ABC sitcom "Modern Family"
• Lou Zaeske - engineer, Czech heritage activist, headed English-only movement in 1988

See also[link]

Texas portal

• College Station, Texas - neighboring sister city
• James Bryan - The name "Bryan" traces back to him in particular.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Bryan Visitors & Convention Bureau
• Bryan Chamber of Commerce

v t e Municipalities and communities of Brazos County, Texas, United States County seat: Bryan Cities Bryan College Station Kurten Millican Wixon Valley Unincorporated community Wellborn Ghost towns Boonville Zack

v t e  State of Texas Austin (capital) Topics Architecture Climate Cuisine Geography Government History Languages Literature Sports Texans Transportation Symbols Visitor attractions Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions Ark‑La‑Tex Big Bend Blackland Prairies Brazos Valley Central Texas Coastal Bend Cross Timbers Deep East Texas East Texas Edwards Plateau Golden Triangle Hill Country Llano Estacado Northeast Texas North Texas Osage Plains Panhandle Permian Basin Piney Woods Rio Grande Valley Southeast Texas South Plains South Texas Trans-Pecos West Texas Metropolitan areas Abilene Amarillo Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos Beaumont–Port Arthur Brownsville–Harlingen College Station–Bryan Corpus Christi Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington El Paso Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Laredo Longview Lubbock McAllen–Edinburg–Mission Midland Odessa San Angelo San Antonio–New Braunfels Sherman–Denison Texarkana Tyler Victoria Waco Wichita Falls Counties There are 254 counties in Texas. (See Table of Texas counties or List.)

State of Texas
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Lone Star State
Motto(s): Friendship
Official language(s)	No official language (see Languages spoken in Texas)
Spoken language(s)	English 68.7% Spanish 27.0%[1]
Demonym	Texan Texian (archaic) Tejano
Capital	Austin
Largest city	Houston
Largest metro area	Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex[2]
Area	Ranked 2nd in the U.S.
- Total	268,581[3] sq mi (696,241 km2)
- Width	773[4] miles (1,244 km)
- Length	790 miles (1,270 km)
- % water	2.5
- Latitude	25° 50′ N to 36° 30′ N
- Longitude	93° 31′ W to 106° 39′ W
Population	Ranked 2nd in the U.S.
- Total	25,674,681 (2011 est)[5]
- Density	98.1/sq mi  (37.9/km2) Ranked 26th in the U.S.
Elevation
- Highest point	Guadalupe Peak[6][7][8] 8,751 ft (2667.4 m)
- Mean	1,700 ft  (520 m)
- Lowest point	Gulf of Mexico[7] sea level
Before statehood	Republic of Texas
Admission to Union	December 29, 1845 (28th)
Governor	Rick Perry (R)
Lieutenant Governor	David Dewhurst (R)
Legislature	Texas Legislature
- Upper house	Senate
- Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. Senators	Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) John Cornyn (R)
U.S. House delegation	23 Republicans, 9 Democrats (list)
Time zones
- most of state	Central: UTC −6/−5
- tip of West Texas	Mountain: UTC −7/−6
Abbreviations	TX Tex. US-TX
Website	www.texas.gov

Texas (ⁱ/ˈtɛksəs/) (Alibamu: Teksi ^[9]) is the second most populous and the second most extensive of the 50 United States, and the most extensive state of the 48 contiguous United States. The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in East Texas.^[10] Located in the South Central United States, Texas shares an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south, and borders the US states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km²), and a growing population of 25.7 million residents.^[11]

During the Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas: La Provincia de Texas.^[12] Antonio Margil de Jesús was known to be the first person to use the name in a letter to the Viceroy of Mexico in July 20, 1716. The name was not popularly used in daily speech but often appeared in legal documents until the end of the 1800s.

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest United States metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin—the state capital. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former independent republic and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal today.^[13]

Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes that resemble both the American South and Southwest.^[14] Although Texas is popularly associated with the Southwestern deserts, less than 10% of the land area is desert.^[15] Most of the population centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.

The term "six flags over Texas" came from the several nations that had ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas. France held a short-lived colony in Texas. Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845 it joined the United States as the 28th state. The state's annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state, Texas declared its secession from the United States in early 1861, joining the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. After the war and its restoration to the Union, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.

One Texas industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle. Due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The state's economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated an economic boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry in the mid-20th century. As of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57.^[16] With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. It leads the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product.

Geography[link]

Guadalupe Mountains

Texas is the second largest U.S. state, behind Alaska, with an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km²). It is 10% larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, though it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were a country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile and Zambia.

Texas is in the south-central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers. The Rio Grande river forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south. The Red River forms a natural border with Oklahoma and Arkansas to the north. The Sabine River forms a natural border with Louisiana to the east. The Texas Panhandle has an eastern border with Oklahoma at 100° W, a northern border with Oklahoma at 36°30' N and a western border with New Mexico at 103° W. El Paso lies on the state's western tip at 32° N and the Rio Grande.^[17]

Hill Country

With 10 climatic regions, 14 soil regions, and 11 distinct ecological regions, regional classification becomes problematic with differences in soils, topography, geology, rainfall, and plant and animal communities.^[18] One classification system divides Texas, in order from southeast to west, into the following: Gulf Coastal Plains, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, and Basin and Range Province. The Gulf Coastal Plains region wraps around the Gulf of Mexico on the southeast section of the state. Vegetation in this region consists of thick piney woods. The Interior Lowlands region consists of gently rolling to hilly forested land and is part of a larger pine-hardwood forest. The Great Plains region in central Texas is located in spans through the state's panhandle and Llano Estacado to the state's hill country near Austin. This region is dominated by prairie and steppe. "Far West Texas" or the "Trans-Pecos" region is the state's Basin and Range Province. The most varied of the regions, this area includes Sand Hills, the Stockton Plateau, desert valleys, wooded mountain slopes and desert grasslands.

Texas has 3,700 named streams and 15 major rivers.^[19][20] The largest of these rivers is the Rio Grande. Other major rivers include the Pecos, the Brazos, Colorado, and Red River, which forms the border with Oklahoma. While Texas has few natural lakes, Texans have built over 100 artificial reservoirs.^[21]

The size and unique history of Texas make its regional affiliation debatable: it can be fairly considered a Southern or a Southwestern state, or both. The vast geographic, economic, and cultural diversity within the state itself prohibits easy categorization of the whole state into a recognized region of the United States. Notable extremes range from East Texas which is often considered an extension of the Deep South, to Far West Texas which is generally acknowledged to be part of the interior Southwest.

Geology[link]

Shaded Relief Map of the Llano Estacado

Texas is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the folded Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico. The continental crust forms a stable Mesoproterozoic craton which changes across a broad continental margin and transitional crust into true oceanic crust of the Gulf of Mexico. The oldest rocks in Texas date from the Mesoproterozoic and are about 1,600 million years old. These Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks underlie most of the state, and are exposed in three places: Llano uplift, Van Horn, and the Franklin Mountains, near El Paso. Sedimentary rocks overlay most of these ancient rocks. The oldest sediments were deposited on the flanks of a rifted continental margin, or passive margin that developed during Cambrian time. This margin existed until Laurasia and Gondwana collided in the Pennsylvanian subperiod to form Pangea. This is the buried crest of the Appalachian Mountains–Ouachita Mountains zone of Pennsylvanian continental collision. This orogenic crest is today buried beneath the Dallas–Waco—Austin–San Antonio trend.

The late Paleozoic mountains collapsed as rifting in the Jurassic period began to open the Gulf of Mexico. Pangea began to break up in the Triassic, but seafloor spreading to form the Gulf of Mexico occurred only in the mid and late Jurassic. The shoreline shifted again to the eastern margin of the state and the Gulf of Mexico passive margin began to form.

Palo Duro Canyon

Today 9 miles (14 km) to 12 miles (19 km) of sediments are buried beneath the Texas continental shelf and a large proportion of remaining US oil reserves are located here. At the start of its formation, the incipient Gulf of Mexico basin was restricted and seawater often evaporated completely to form thick evaporite deposits of Jurassic age. These salt deposits formed salt dome diapirs, and are found in East Texas along the Gulf coast.^[22]

East Texas outcrops consist of Cretaceous and Paleogene sediments which contain important deposits of Eocene lignite. The Mississippian and Pennsylvanian sediments in the north; Permian sediments in the west; and Cretaceous sediments in the east, along the Gulf coast and out on the Texas continental shelf contain oil. Oligocene volcanic rocks are found in far west Texas in the Big Bend area. A blanket of Miocene sediments known as the Ogallala formation in the western high plains region is an important aquifer.^[23] Located far from an active plate tectonic boundary, Texas has no volcanoes and few earthquakes.^[24]

Climate[link]

Damage from the 1915 Galveston hurricane.

The large size of Texas and its location at the intersection of multiple climate zones gives the state highly variable weather. The Panhandle of the state has colder winters than North Texas, while the Gulf Coast has mild winters. Texas has wide variations in precipitation patterns. El Paso, on the western end of the state, averages 8.7 inches (220 mm) of annual rainfall,^[25] while parts of southeast Texas average as much as 64 inches (1,600 mm) per year.^[26] Dallas in the North Central region averages a more moderate 37 inches (940 mm) per year.

Snow falls multiple times each winter in the Panhandle and mountainous areas of West Texas, once or twice a year in North Texas, and once every few years in Central and East Texas. Snow rarely falls south of San Antonio or on the coast except in rare circumstances. Of note is the 2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm, when 6 inches (150 mm) of snow fell as far south as Kingsville, where the average high temperature in December is 65 °F.^[27]

Maximum temperatures in the summer months average from the 80s °F (26 °C) in the mountains of West Texas and on Galveston Island to around 100 °F (38 °C) in the Rio Grande Valley, but most areas of Texas see consistent summer high temperatures in the 90 °F (32 °C) range.

Night-time summer temperatures range from the upper 50s °F (14 °C) in the West Texas mountains^[28] to 80 °F (27 °C) in Galveston.^[29]

Thunderstorms strike Texas often, especially the eastern and northern portions of the state. Tornado Alley covers the northern section of Texas. The state experiences the most tornadoes in the United States, an average of 139 a year. These strike most frequently in North Texas and the Panhandle.^[30] Tornadoes in Texas generally occur in the months of April, May, and June.^[31]

Some of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history have impacted Texas. A hurricane in 1875 killed approximately 400 people in Indianola, followed by another hurricane in 1886 that destroyed the town. These events allowed Galveston to take over as the chief port city. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 subsequently devastated that city, killing approximately 8,000 people (possibly as many as 12,000), making it the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Other devastating Texas hurricanes include the 1915 Galveston Hurricane, Hurricane Audrey in 1957 which killed over 600 people, Hurricane Carla in 1961, Hurricane Beulah in 1967, Hurricane Alicia in 1983, Hurricane Rita in 2005, and Hurricane Ike in 2008.^[32] Tropical storms have also caused their share of damage: Allison in 1989 and again during 2001, and Claudette in 1979 among them.

Texas emits the most greenhouse gases in the U.S.^[33][34][35] The state emits nearly 1.5 trillion pounds (680 billion kg) of carbon dioxide annually. As an independent nation, Texas would rank as the world's seventh-largest producer of greenhouse gases.^[34] Causes of the state's vast greenhouse gas emissions include the state's large number of coal power plants and the state's refining and manufacturing industries.^[34]

History[link]

History of Texas
This article is part of a series
Timeline
French Texas (1684–1689)
Spanish Texas (1690–1821)
Mexican Texas (1821–1836)
Republic of Texas (1836–1845)
Statehood (1845–1860)
Civil War Era (1861–1865)
Reconstruction and Gilded Age (1865–1899)
State of Texas
Texas Portal v t e

Pre-European era[link]

Texas lies between two major cultural spheres of Pre-Columbian North America: the Southwestern and the Plains areas. Archaeologists have found that three major indigenous cultures lived in this territory, and reached their developmental peak before the first European contact. These were:^[36]

• the Pueblo from the upper Rio Grande region, centered west of Texas;
• the Mississippian culture, also known as Mound Builder, which extended along the Mississippi River Valley east of Texas; and
• the civilizations of Mesoamerica, centered south of Texas. Influence of Teotihuacan in northern Mexico peaked around AD 500 and declined over the 8th to 10th centuries.