Where does East Texas start? (Houston, Dallas: power lines, living, vacation)

[TexasReb]

Something I have always been curious about and have discussed with fellow Texans before is, where does East Texas begin?

I am from Wichita Falls (North Texas for those who never heard of it! ) and often visit and vacation at Caddo Lake and in the Jefferson area. So, depending on the route I am taking, I always put the "dividing line" between North and East Texas, at about Greenville. Just the other side of Greenville, it seems, the whole land and "moodscape" sorta changes...

Taking U.S. 82 east, I would put the point somewhere east of Sherman.

Any opinions, y'all...?

[TXTwizter]

Anything east of I-45

[car957]

Ditto to JVTX72. Next.

[Philip T]

I measure it by the point where the trees all start getting taller than the power lines. If you watch as you travel that way (generally on old US 80 for us) you will know it when you get there. By the time you are solid in East Texas the trees are about three times as high as the power poles and lines.

[Mom2Feebs]

Ditto to east of I-45.

[TexasReb]

I DO know that one is absolutely in East Texas, going east, when you get to Tyler.

Coming up south to north? I would say Huntsville.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by Philip T

I measure it by the point where the trees all start getting taller than the power lines. If you watch as you travel that way (generally on old US 80 for us) you will know it when you get there. By the time you are solid in East Texas the trees are about three times as high as the power poles and lines.

Hmmmm. Interesting measurement! LOL

To me though, (a North Texas boy), North Texas becomes East Texas when the moodscape changes...not necessarily the pines. Oh yeah, that is PART of it...but there is just a.... gentle fatalism that enters the scene somewhere along Hwy 69 east of Greenville and on toward Mineola and Tyler...

[tstone]

You can't trust wikipedia on this question.

Anything east of I-45?...
I only consider Galveston, Texas City, and Clear Lake "East Texas," when strictly talking about the climate, and only partially on culture. Take a drive down Old Galveston Rd into Texas City & LaMarque -- the uncut scenery has mostly oaks, then a few rows of little pines, mesquite, tallows, swamp brush/grasses/weeds. We have steady pouring rain. Compared to the majestic pines in Lufkin, Davy Crockett forest, etc, and they have some real rip-roarin' thunderstorms.

So Harris-Galveston-Brazoria-Ft Bend counties down the coast to Nueces county could perhaps be lumped into the "Gulf Coast" category. (Maybe pull some of N and NE Harris county out of there.) Culture, terrain, climate is continuous enough to lump it into a Texas region, in my opinion.

[Poltracker]

Originally Posted by Philip T

I measure it by the point where the trees all start getting taller than the power lines. If you watch as you travel that way (generally on old US 80 for us) you will know it when you get there. By the time you are solid in East Texas the trees are about three times as high as the power poles and lines.

I agree, very noticable change in the types of plants that inhabit the region. Also a change in the soil, though this is not so visible. You basically go from the prairie to the woods. SE TX along also has a change in flora as it is coastal prairie.

[case44]

From Dallas, Terrell has been called the gateway to East Texas, so you can basically draw a line from State Highway 34 and Interstate 45 and go east from there. That would be pretty much it. It would be south of Interstate 30. From Houston, I'd say anything north of Livingston if you go up U.S. Highway 59.