Where does it begin...? (Dallas, Abilene: houses, buy, shop)

[Stan41]

Nope. Actually the geographical center of Texas is at Mercury, a community 22 miles Northeast of Brady on FM 502. Everything East of there is East Texas and everything West of there is of course West Texas.

Certainly McGregor is not deep East Texas, but I wouldn't call it West Texas either.
Stan

[NOTAM]

EXACTLY! there are places east of I-35 that definitely dont fit the description of East Texas!! gosh, without looking at a map right now, i would venture to say that even an hour's drive east of I-35 wouldnt put you into anything stereotypical of EAST Texas....
so......yall, how far east of I-35 would you say one would have to go, to get to the East Texas type of geography/climate/culture/landscape etc? Let's use DFW as one point, Waco/Temple/Austin as another point...

Originally Posted by case44

Say what???!!! Either you've had too much Shiner Bock, or you've fallen asleep in geography class, my friend. There's this thing called Interstate 35 that is located just east of the middle of the state going north to south. And even after that going eastbound from where you are, you're still not in East Texas. This is Texas, Stan, not Rhode Island.

[case44]

Originally Posted by Stan41

Nope. Actually the geographical center of Texas is at Mercury, a community 22 miles Northeast of Brady on FM 502. Everything East of there is East Texas and everything West of there is of course West Texas.

Certainly McGregor is not deep East Texas, but I wouldn't call it West Texas either.
Stan

Stan, the geographical center's location may be true, but you still don't know anything about this state. And certainly not the different regions of our state. Before you try to outdo any of us or ruffle any more feathers, take some time and learn about this great state. Where you live is in Central Texas. Period. End of discussion. There should be absolutely no debate here. I've got a bunch of people on these threads that will undoubtedly agree with this. I'm sorry that this so strong, but I cringe when people don't know what they are talking about in an effort to get others worked up.

[case44]

Originally Posted by bellestaroftexas

EXACTLY! there are places east of I-35 that definitely dont fit the description of East Texas!! gosh, without looking at a map right now, i would venture to say that even an hour's drive east of I-35 wouldnt put you into anything stereotypical of EAST Texas....
so......yall, how far east of I-35 would you say one would have to go, to get to the East Texas type of geography/climate/culture/landscape etc? Let's use DFW as one point, Waco/Temple/Austin as another point...

Belle, you have to go east of I-45 to really be in East Texas. East of Corsicana, Fairfield, and Huntsville, basically. And also about 40 miles east of Dallas. That's all it takes, hon. That would be well east of I-35.

[Stan41]

I worked for 25 years at a Wool & Mohair warehouse in Goldthwaite. We bought wool & mohair from ranchers over a wide area. Culturally there is a lot of difference between the ranchers in the Western part of Mills County and the Eastern part. We had two or three buyers at Goldthwaite and the difference was so marked that one bought almost all the West and the other bought the east. Of course there are exceptions to rules, but a wool grower from Brownwood thinks differently from one from Gatesville.
As for climate, Gatesville probably averages 8 inches more rainfall per year than Brownwood and probably averages 10 points of humidity.
Also, goats do much better in Brown County than they do in Coryell County. There is not much difference in sheep though.
Stan

[Stan41]

Case: I'm not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers, just stating my opinion. In fact, I don't even care where it begins. I have lived right here for 67 years and I know what I know.
Stan

[case44]

Originally Posted by Stan41

Case: I'm not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers, just stating my opinion. In fact, I don't even care where it begins. I have lived right here for 67 years and I know what I know.
Stan

Let's just drop it, Stan. I've made my point already, so let's just move forward, please. Thank you.

Originally Posted by garxhap

Down here in Houston we make it easy. We have a freeway called the Eastex Freeway. If you get on it, as soon as you are out of the Houston suburbs you are in East Texas.

At least, in Houston, that was an ingenious idea. It's simple and it easily tells people where you're going. You might say it's a great way to teach kids about East Texas. Freeway names do mean an awful lot. You can easily tell from North Houston because the pine trees actually spill into that area.

[case44]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

Good morning fellow Texans, and is often a habit of mine, I am starting a new thread this fine Sunday morning!

Backtracking a bit, the topic of this one is akin to one we did last year. That is, "Where Does East Texas Start?"

http://www.city-data.com/forum/texas...xas-start.html

In this case however, I am wondering (and truly curious) as to where, in y'alls opinions, ANY region of Texas "starts." Not just East Texas. And of course, noting that a lot of this will depend on which direction and along which highways one is used to taking...

To lead off here, and repeat, on the route I usually take to Caddo Lake, I have always considered Greenville to be where East Texas begins. It just seems that about there (travelling along Hwy 69), the land and "moodscape" noteably changes. Pine trees spring up and the whole thing evolves undeniably (IMHO) from that vibrancy of North Texas into that sweet "gentle fatalism" of East Texas and the "romantic South".
West Texas? Well, when I was growing up, my grandparents lived in Lubbock and we used to make that trek along US 82. About the other side of Seymour, I always sensed something different. So I guess, to me, West Texas lies along a Vernon to Seymour to Abilene line.

South Texas I am less sure of, but if I had to call it, I would peg it at about San Antone...where Central Texas becomes South Texas.

Y'all...?

By the way, Rebby, great thread idea. You've got a great way with words to describe these areas. I can't wait for more!

[JamesAbilene]

This state is confusing. West Texas State University is farther north than University of North Texas. East Texas State in Commerce (now Texas A&M Commerce) is also farther north than UNT. Southwest Texas State University is actually more central Texas than Southwest Texas (Is that why they changed the name to Texas State University and dropped the Southwest.)

No, directions on the map have nothing to do with where you are in Texas. Where you are is a personal and cultural feeling. I know that in Abilene I am in West Texas. On TV we are considered North Texas for weather predictions. Yet, we are awfully close to to Brownwood which calls itself Central Texas. Personally, I believe everything west of Highway 81 is west Texas. Ft. Worth is west. Dallas is East. They are both North.

Oh, I am confusing myself.

[case44]

Originally Posted by JamesAbilene

This state is confusing. West Texas State University is farther north than University of North Texas. East Texas State in Commerce (now Texas A&M Commerce) is also farther north than UNT. Southwest Texas State University is actually more central Texas than Southwest Texas (Is that why they changed the name to Texas State University and dropped the Southwest.)

No, directions on the map have nothing to do with where you are in Texas. Where you are is a personal and cultural feeling. I know that in Abilene I am in West Texas. On TV we are considered North Texas for weather predictions. Yet, we are awfully close to to Brownwood which calls itself Central Texas. Personally, I believe everything west of Highway 81 is west Texas. Ft. Worth is west. Dallas is East. They are both North.

Oh, I am confusing myself.

It does get a little strange now and then, James. It's just that Texas has so much tradition. Ask any local, and you'll probably hear some crazy or funny story. You might also hear something very factual about the region they are in, and you may be surprised.

I'll tell you this, my friend. West Texas is just plain huuuuuuuge!!!