What is "East Texas"? What is "West Texas"?

Discussion in 'Cactus Cafe' started by Chop, May 13, 2019.

  1. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Simple question, huh? But lots of conflicting opinions. I've heard some say you're not in East Texas until you're surrounded by pine trees. But if you start around Tyler and Longview and go due North, you'll get out of the pine belt yet be just as Far East. Think Sulpher Springa, Mt. Pleasant, Paris, Clarksville, etc. Beaumont PA Orange--clearly SE Texas, which to me is part of East Texas. Venn diagram-Southeast is contained within the broader East. Yet, Houston would not be called East Texas by many people. A giant international megopolis with little cultural resemblance to East Texas--although plenty of pine trees especially on the East and Northeast sides...

    Surely it's not purely geographic, but also part cultural. Brady is the geographic center, and Austin is SE of that. But if you said Austin is in East Texas, I'd look at you like you had 3 heads!

    But what about just West of the pine forests, but still "culturally" in East Texas--think Centerville, Fairfield, Corsicana, etc. in the past I'd say nope, but now I'd include that area in "East Texas". Still wet green land with plenty of forest (hardwood not pine though). Moreover, culturally I can't distinguish Corsicana from Longview. (Yeah, I anticipate catching some sh!t for that statement).

    I'd still say no to Bryan College Station, Hearne, Marlin, Mexia, Etc. I put most of the Blackland Prairies in "East Central Texas." But that's how I see it.

    What do you think?
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2019
  2. SabreHorn

    SabreHorn 10,000+ Posts

    east of I-45. north of 105, West of the Sabine, South of the Red

    Yes, there is a northeast Texas, which I generally define as the old State Senate District #1 held by A.M. Aiken for many years.

    I define Southeast Texas as Orange, Jefferson, Chambers, Liberty Counties. but is usually expanded to include Harris Galveston, Ft Bend, Brazoria Counties.

    That leaves "East Texas" generally defined as old Senate District #2 formally held by Charlie Wilson plus Gregg, Smith Counties & maybe Van.

    Next question. where does The Coastal Bend start & stop?

    Of course, when you grew up in East Texas and Southeast Texas, "West Texas" is everything West of 281.
     
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  3. Horn87

    Horn87 1,000+ Posts

    yep, Sabre--"west" Texas is a whole different animal---some people consider Lubbick west, as well as Abilene and San Angelo...
     
  4. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    I personally wouldn't put anything in Dallas' far flung Eastern suburbs and exurbs (Rockwall, Wylie, even Terrell or Kaufman) in the East Texas category. Still North Texas/Metroplex to me--even if East of I-45.

    In my perspective, I'd say In the Nortern part, East Texas starts around Greenville or so.
     
  5. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Yeah, tell me about it. I have many relatives from the Lubbock and Abilene area. All insist they're from West Texas. I agree with the Lubbockites. Not so much with the Abilene area crowd. To me, that's the NW end of Central Texas or something else besides West Texas. All of them laugh at Fort Worth people who say they're from West Texas. That's an Amon Carter-generated myth.
     
  6. SabreHorn

    SabreHorn 10,000+ Posts

    My definition is that Abilene is the Southern most point of The High Plains, which really starts around Hermleigh and goes to Gruver. FWIW, the people of The High Plains are the best people I've ever met.

    :hookem2:
     
  7. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    That whole NW quadrant of Texas seems to me to have a very high % of the friendliest, most solid, stand-up, help-your-neighbor, and traditional Texan folks of anywhere in the state. Also, a lower % of a$$holes, rotten people, etc.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2019
  8. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    I went ahead and changed the name of the thread to What is "East Texas"? What is "West Texas"? since this thread rapidly morphed into such a discussion.
     
  9. SabreHorn

    SabreHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Perhaps because that part of the State has the fewest % of fur-in-ners and invaders from the northeast and SoCal. Have to give the invaders credit though; they have given us a whole new appreciation for the folks we used to label as "oil field trash", whom we no longer seem to mind nearly as much.

    :beertoast:
     
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  10. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Ha! Reminds me of what a Coloradan told me earlier this year. He said: "We used to hate you Texans. Now, I'd gladly take 10 Texans over 1 Californian!"
     
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  11. Phil Elliott

    Phil Elliott 2,500+ Posts

    Midland and Odessa are West Texas. Lubbock and Abilene, not so much.

    But when in doubt, I go here:

     
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  12. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Funny, and somewhat culturally accurate depiction in the Bernie movie.

    People build up their identities internally, so being from "West Texas" becomes a significant part of who they are. As trivial as it may sound to some, many cling to this and may view contrary opinions as personal attacks on who they are. I generally don't want to assail someone's identity, so I let the Abileners think they're from West Texas--no skin off of my back. Now Fort Worthers claiming they're from "West Texas" is a whole 'nother matter...:lmao:
     
  13. Crockett

    Crockett 5,000+ Posts

    I've lived in Sherman, which i consider the westernmost city of East Texas. Culture and accent there are a lot more old South than in Gainesville, 30 miles west, where I grew up. Plano/McKinney in my mind used to be East Texas, what with all the cotton fields, etc Now it is suburban, full of people who can't remember the cotton fields. As a North Texan, Wichita Falls and anything west was West Texas. West Texas includes the Panhandle, but the Panhandle, vast as it is, forms but a portion of West Texas.
     
  14. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Yeah, I've always considered the Panhandle and the South Plains (Lubbock) as the Northern part of "West Texas".

    Re: Sherman--probably will continue to feel like East Texas for another decade or two, until Greater DFW swallows it up into suburbia. Federal District Courts put Collin and Grayson Counties in the Eastern District of Texas, so there's that.

    Now go figure how Southwest Texas State (now known as Texas State) is located in San Marcos... Geographically speaking, they should have put it in Del Rio or somewhere.
     
  15. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    Well, being originally from deep east Texas, the way I learned it was, east Texas is over here and west Texas is over yonder. (And don't forget to point with your index finger, toward the ground to indicate east Texas and toward the setting sun to indicate west Texas.
     
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  16. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    And to think, I figured all the pine trees would block out the sunsets. :smile1:
     
  17. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Just my opinion...

    Pick the town that best exemplifies East Texas --- Rusk. Runners up --- Carthage, Lufkin.

    Pick the town that best exemplifies West Texas --- Ft Stockton. Runners up --- Big Spring, Snyder.
     
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    Last edited: May 23, 2019
  18. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    If you see a bunch of Brookshires grocery stores, you must be in East Texas.

    If you see a bunch of Alsups* gas stations, you must be in West Texas.





    *Women especially hate the restrooms in Alsups--exceptionally nasty, even by public restroom in a gas station standards. Alas, sometimes it's the only gas or restrooms for 50 or more miles.
     
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    Last edited: May 23, 2019
  19. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    East of 35 is east Texas.
    West of 35 is west Texas.
    Looking up/north, more rain right, less rain left.....
    Reminds me of the David McWilliams days...up the middle up the middle sweep right, PUNT!
     
  20. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Well then. Guess I've seen many great college baseball games at the Disch in East Texas.

    :coolnana:
     
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  21. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

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