Those notorious deserts. How Texas became notorious for its nearly nonexistent deserts (Houston: live, retired)

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

A lot of Texas is classified as semi arid steppe which means that it gets a little more rain than a desert, but in the grand scheme of things doesn't look much different. Midland Odessa isn't a desert but to someone who didn't know better it looks like one. Same with Lubbock. Same with Amarillo. Same with Laredo. Probably 1/4th to 1/3rd of Texas looks similar enough to deserts that it could be mistaken for one.

Officially though, only the trans pecos region (roughly) is 'desert'.

Yes, it is truly fascinating how dumb people can be. I once had someone tell me that San Antonio was in the desert.

[texasdiver]

The state where I grew up--Oregon has the same problem but in reverse. Two-thirds of Oregon is actually desert but most people think the entire state is full of evergreens and rain. This is the typical landscape in the eastern 2/3rds of the state.

[Bobloblawslawblog]

It's rare, but I've even heard people claim that they thought Houston was in the desert. Houston.

Yes, the ignorance is rampant. Some people actually think that the presence of Cactus = "desert". The only part of Texas that strikes me as TRULY desert is the two Westernmost counties (El Paso and Hudspeth). Some of Presidio county as well, but even much of the Trans-Pecos, though definitely dry and rugged, seems more Steppe to me than actual desert. There are even some small pockets of Pine and Juniper forest in the Davis mountains.

Cities like Amarillo and Lubbock are not even close to being desert. That's just the high, grassy plains. More like Kansas than Arizona.

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

The state where I grew up--Oregon has the same problem but in reverse. Two-thirds of Oregon is actually desert but most people think the entire state is full of evergreens and rain. This is the typical landscape in the eastern 2/3rds of the state.

I think that's mostly due to the fact that Oregon's most popular city is located in the forested 1/3 of the state. But in Texas, virtually none of the major cities or important points of interest are located in the desert.

[Midessan]

Originally Posted by mega man

I think that's mostly due to the fact that Oregon's most popular city is located in the forested 1/3 of the state.

Yeah, and most people can only name one city in Oregon, Seattle. j/k

[madrone2k]

This thread prompted me to remember a western movie from the 60s, "Texas Across the River". In it, a group of people flee across the Sabine River into Texas ... whereupon they gaze into a vast desert landscape. Which, in reality, would have been either dense pine forest or cypress swamp. I have never forgotten the weirdness of that misrepresentation.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by madrone2k

This thread prompted me to remember a western movie from the 60s, "Texas Across the River". In it, a group of people flee across the Sabine River into Texas ... whereupon they gaze into a vast desert landscape. Which, in reality, would have been either dense pine forest or cypress swamp. I have never forgotten the weirdness of that misrepresentation.

And the famous John Wayne western, "The Searchers" was set in Central Texas during the Comanche wars so it should have been rolling blackland prairie and post oak savannah landscape. Of of course they filmed it in Monument Valley Arizona

[Bobloblawslawblog]

Originally Posted by mega man

I think that's mostly due to the fact that Oregon's most popular city is located in the forested 1/3 of the state. But in Texas, virtually none of the major cities or important points of interest are located in the desert.

I'd consider Big Bend NP a fairly important point of interest, and El Paso may not be a "major" city, but it's the #5 metro in the state. Not exactly podunk. Still, it's not exactly representative of the entire state.

As for Oregon, there really isn't any city at all East of the Cascades, unless one considers Hermiston a metropolis. Eastern Oregon is one of the most desolate and uninhabited areas in the nation.

[doctorjef]

Originally Posted by Bobloblawslawblog

It's rare, but I've even heard people claim that they thought Houston was in the desert. Houston.

Yes, the ignorance is rampant. Some people actually think that the presence of Cactus = "desert". The only part of Texas that strikes me as TRULY desert is the two Westernmost counties (El Paso and Hudspeth). Some of Presidio county as well, but even much of the Trans-Pecos, though definitely dry and rugged, seems more Steppe to me than actual desert. There are even some small pockets of Pine and Juniper forest in the Davis mountains.

Cities like Amarillo and Lubbock are not even close to being desert. That's just the high, grassy plains. More like Kansas than Arizona.

Have you not been to Winkler County? Pretty desert-like. Yes, there is low scrub and maybe some scattered mesquites, but the soil is largely sand. It might be classified as arid steppe, but to almost anyone it would be considered desert, and I'd say this is true of much of the Permian Basin.

[Yenisey]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

The state where I grew up--Oregon has the same problem but in reverse. Two-thirds of Oregon is actually desert but most people think the entire state is full of evergreens and rain.

Thanky you!
I have just stoped being one of them!

In fact I knew that Oregon is huge, so it would be logical to be diverse and not all the one way round, but never check it, and always took Oregon one of this Cascadian, storngly mountian, heavy forested, cold region with little sun presence. Something like Scandinavia with its fiords and mountians, but more unfriendly to habitation one.

Another myth deconstructed!

Now I will think of colder Arizona, whenever one will be referring to eastern Oregon.

Originally Posted by Bobloblawslawblog

It's rare, but I've even heard people claim that they thought Houston was in the desert. Houston.

That's huge blow to mind. I never personally liked Houston, but how to be that humid, coastal and so on, and desert?

In Europe people excusively associate Houston with "Houston, we' ve got a problem" and hence aerospace facilities. But many do not know nothing about aero instudtry world class that is going in TX and, for exapmle, Huntsville, AL.

Originally Posted by Bobloblawslawblog

Yes, the ignorance is rampant.

I am glad i am not the first who happenned to say it. But I age 100% in every topic. So let me make some another threads to spread knowledge and punch myth in the face. Cause knowledge is fun and I enjoy realising that Oregon is in fact more destrted than forested.