The Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, is the distinct portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with Far West Texas, a subdivision of West Texas. The Trans-Pecos is part of the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest desert in North America. It is the most mountainous and arid portion of the state, and most of its vast area (outside the city of El Paso) is sparsely populated. Among the nine counties in the region are the five largest counties by area in Texas and eight of the eleven largest in the state. The area is known for the natural environment of the Big Bend and the gorge of the Rio Grande, part of which has been designated a National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. With the notable exceptions of Big Bend Ranch State Park, Big Bend National Park and the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, the vast majority of the Trans-Pecos region consists of privately owned ranchland. However, most of the region's population reside in the El Paso metropolitan area. Besides El Paso and its metropolitan area, the major cities are Pecos (12,916), Fort Stockton (8,466), and Alpine (6,035). All other settlements have under 5,000 people.
- ⭐ Core Definition: Trans-Pecos
- Trans-Pecos in the context of Mountain states
- Trans-Pecos in the context of Webb County, Texas
- Trans-Pecos in the context of Buda Limestone
Trans-Pecos in the context of Mountain states
The Mountain states (also known as the Mountain West or the Interior West) form one of the nine geographic divisions of the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau. It is a subregion of the Western United States.
The Mountain states are considered to include: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The words "Mountain states" generally refer to the U.S. States which encompass the U.S. Rocky Mountains. These are oriented north-south through portions of the states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Arizona and Nevada, as well as other parts of Utah and New Mexico, have other smaller mountain ranges and scattered mountains located in them as well. Sometimes, the Trans-Pecos area of West Texas is considered part of the region. The land area of the eight states together is some 855,767 square miles (2,216,426 km).
View the full Wikipedia page for Mountain statesTrans-Pecos in the context of Webb County, Texas
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 267,114. Its county seat and largest city is Laredo. The county was named after James Webb (1792–1856), who served as secretary of the treasury, secretary of state, and attorney general of the Republic of Texas, and later judge of the United States District Court following the admission of Texas to statehood. By area, Webb County is the largest county in South Texas, the largest county in Texas outside of the Trans-Pecos region, and the sixth-largest in the state. Webb County comprises the Laredo metropolitan area. Webb County is the only county in the United States to border three foreign states or provinces, sharing borders with Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.
Webb County has a minority majority, with 95.2% of the population of the county identifying as Hispanic. This makes Webb the county with the second-highest proportion of Hispanic people in the continental United States after Starr County, and it has the highest proportion of Hispanic people among counties with a population over 100,000.
View the full Wikipedia page for Webb County, TexasTrans-Pecos in the context of Buda Limestone
The Buda Limestone is a geological formation in the High Plains and Trans-Pecos regions of West Texas and in southern New Mexico, whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Pterosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
View the full Wikipedia page for Buda Limestone