Everything is bigger in Texas! For the homebuyer, there are incredible choices in where to live and the life you’ll experience. At 268,820 square miles, there’s a whole lot of real estate to cover. Luckily, Texas’ diverse geography and culture can be divided into several distinct regions to help you narrow down where to live. 

How many regions are there in Texas? Well, that depends on who you ask. Geographically, there are four identified physical regions, from the coastal plains to the Great Plains. Culturally, there can be even more–by some measures, up to 12! Here are the main Texas regions most Texans would recognize:

Gulf Coast

The Texas coastline runs along the Gulf of Mexico. Here, you can experience salty breezes and white sands for miles. More people live in this part of Texas than any other Lone Star state region. The area includes the waterfront and the flow-lying coastal plains running a few miles inland. 

Gulf Coast cities like Houston, Galveston, and Corpus Christi are great places to live with direct water access. Places like Galveston have stretches that deliver a walkable, resort-style community. 

Meanwhile, Houston is a megalopolis home to millions of residents, making it the largest city in Texas. Some call this part the “Upper Gulf Coast” to distinguish it from the coastal cities like Corpus Christi and Galveston.

In between the Gulf coastal plains’ major cities are vital wetlands and barrier islands. The coast has long swathes of protected preserves with empty stretches of beaches, like Matagorda Bay and South Padre Island.

Oil, petrochemicals, and shipping industries drive the Gulf Coast economy. Some call it the energy capital of the world. Around 5,000 businesses work in energy-related companies. Houston is also a major port city for the whole state, bringing in goods worldwide and shipping it out across the world.

The downside to Gulf Coast living is the persistent hurricane and flooding threat. Houston is incredibly low-lying and high clay content soils make it more prone to flood events.

North Central Plains

If wide open spaces appeal to you, the plains and prairie regions might be just right. The North Central Plains transition from the flatter coastal plains to more rugged terrain. It’s where freshwater lakes and forests give way to bluebonnet fields. Drier washes reveal dinosaur fossils.

Geographically, the eastern edge includes the Grand Prairie. Thick grasses and patches of hardwood forests dominate the rolling plains. From east to west, the North Central Plains rise from 750 feet above sea level to 2,000 ft. Rich soils make it prime land for the agricultural industry. Because of its fertile land, this North Texas area is important for agriculture and cattle ranching. The fields also have oil and natural gas wells that drive Texas’ energy industry. 

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the key feature of the North Central Plains. Over 8 million people call the 19-county area home. Booming cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and Plano break up the stretches of ranch land and fields. The metroplex is packed with entertainment, high-paying jobs, and other modern conveniences, but it still has its Wild West roots. 

Dallas stands out as one of the fastest-growing cities of the last decade. Business is booming in technology, aviation, and entertainment. Watch cattle drives in downtown Fort Worth or cheer on the Cowboys at annual rodeos.

Even though the landscape tends to be dry, the North Central Plains does experience some dramatic weather. Texas’ deadliest tornado event hit Wichita Falls, and the changing seasons do bring high winds and hail. Winters can be downright chilly, with the Great Texas Freeze causing as much as a half-inch of ice on Dallas roads. Summer heat indexes can top over 100F for days on end.

Panhandle/Great Plains

The rectangle that juts up from central Texas forms the Panhandle region, a grouping of 26 counties. Oklahoma and New Mexico run along these North Texas borders. The drier landscape with its desert grasslands is still beautiful. Rolling panhandle plains give way to ancient canyons that reveal richly red and orange faces. The canyons turn to thick mesquite valleys and grasses of prairie lands dotted with prairie dog dens. Listen on quiet evenings to the wind rushing through the grasses and around the unique rock formations. Freshwater lakes break up the drier landscape.

The Panhandle extends through central Texas, including cities like Lubbock, Amarillo, and Abilene. Although these cities may be smaller than those in other Texas regions, they are full of culture and quirks. The Palo Duro Canyon State Park has an amphitheater where an outdoor musical called “Texas” is put on every summer. Stop at fun museums about barbed wire, old gas stations, and art with Cadillacs buried tails up. 

Wind energy and oil production are significant economic activities. Farming and agriculture are equally vital to the Great Plains economy and culture. Large corn, soybean, and cattle ranches are found in central Texas, particularly around Odessa and Amarillo.

Being the northernmost Texas region, the climate brings colder temperatures in the winter. January highs average 50F while lows average 23F. Snow and ice events are not out of the picture living in the Panhandle plains. Summers are still hot, with July posting an average 92F high temperature. The good news is the humidity tends to be low.

Hill Country

The heart of Texas is named for its dramatic and beautiful rolling hills, red granite domes, and limestone peaks. Hill Country spans some 41 Texas counties, and some call it the state’s most beautiful land, especially in the spring. Drive down wide-open highways lined by springtime bluebonnets and wildflowers. Clear rivers cut through the rocky terrain, creating dramatic deep valleys before pooling in reservoirs and lakes. 

These rivers–the Trinity and Brazos, plus others– also created deep caves with one-of-a-kind rock formations. Hiding under the hills and plateaus in the central region are Texas’ largest caverns and pristine underground lakes. Natural springs bubble up through the limestone to feed the beautiful rivers, perfect for a summer day float.

Ranches give way to Texas wineries, and the small towns shift into larger cities like Austin, New Braunfels, and Fredericksburg. State capital Austin is called the “Live Music Capital of the World.” It feels a little different than the rest of Texas, with its creative scene and progressive living front and center. New Braunfels has one of the nation’s top-ranked water parks, Schlitterbahn. Fredericksburg charms with its German-styled architecture and popular Oktoberfest celebration.

Hill Country is known for its wine production, ranking as the nation’s fifth-largest producer. The agricultural industry thrives outside of its Austin metropolis. Tourism and the tech industry in Austin help drive the local economy.

Big Bend 

Texas’ Big Bend region, also known as the Trans-Pecos region, is also its most remote. Across the Rio Grande lies Mexico, while the dry climate is an extension of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Over a million acres of this vast West Texas region are public lands and national parks. Inside them are old forts and abandoned mining towns hinting at Texas’ past. Ranch resorts lure those looking to a true taste of Texas away from the cities. When the lights go off at night, you have unobstructed views of the stars that are hard to find nowadays. Stargazers flock to west Texas to study the night skies. 

Cobalt skies and dramatic landscape changes are the visual appeal of living in the Big Bend region. Mountain ranges jut into the clear skies. Sweeping sand dunes and desert landscapes are dense with prickly pear and mesquite. Texas’ highest point, Guadalupe Peak, provides amazing views of the high desert washes for those willing to tackle the strenuous 8.4-mile hike to the top. It’s in the beautiful Trans-Pecos Mountains, a desert landscape with dramatic plateaus and slopes.

Major towns in Big Bend are El Paso, Odessa, and Midland. These old cattlemen towns are centers for culture in West Texas and are some of the most historic towns in Texas. They have some of the nation’s oldest continuously occupied buildings in the Rio Grande Valley, a cotton-growing region. Border towns with Mexico include El Paso and Laredo. The desert cities also have an eclectic art scene. For instance, Marfa has a decades-running minimalist art tradition. 

While all of Texas experiences hot summers, the Big Bend region’s desert climate and low rainfall contribute to it posting the highest temperatures in the state.

Piney Woods/ East Texas

The swampy Piney Woods region offers a more Cajun-style Texas. It runs from the Trinity Region north and east of Houston out to the Texas boundary. Sharing an eastern boundary with Louisiana, the landscape morphs from cypress-studded wetlands to hardwood forests to spacious prairies. The highly biodiverse region is exemplified by the Big Thicket National Preserve and its unique animal life. Its Caddo Lake State Park is among the best in Texas, and it crosses into Louisiana.

It’s another region that is less populated, but that means there’s plenty of room to stretch out. East Texas has four national forests and even more preserves that protect its unique landscapes. Northeast Texas’ fertile soils and climate are also ideal for wine growing. The frequent rainfalls are a boon to gardeners and growers. This part of the state has the highest annual rainfall totals.

As for towns, Texarkana gets its name from the three states that connect in northeastern Texas. Nacogdoches is another major city and the oldest in Texas. The region has a distinct culture because of its mix of Texas, Mexican, and Cajun roots. Some liken it to the “Deep South,” where hospitality and family connections are central tenants.  You’re as apt to hear bluegrass and blue as you are country and soul in the towns’ live music venues. 

A principal industry is lumber production. Some call this is the “pine belt” because of the deep pine and hardwood forests. 

South Texas Plains

The southwestern section between the Big Bend and the Gulf Coast is a countryside that changes from desert to ranch land. Its warm and lush Rio Grande Valley promises an escape for those tired of cold winters. On its rolling plains wind golf courses that are playable year-round, and its watercourses are top stops for migratory birds and those looking to spot them.

San Antonio is perhaps the most well-known city in the South Texas Plains. The historic Alamo is central to Texan culture and identity. However, the city’s packed with entertainment, from the San Antonio Zoo to Six Flags Fiesta. Another icon of South Texas is the King Ranch, the nation’s largest ranch and one of the world’s biggest. It has more land than Rhode Island. 

Economically, South Texas is a leader in mining, product manufacturing, and leather making. The presence of King Ranch also marks it as prominent for cattle production and other agribusiness. Fault-line fields make it vital to the oil industry. Two oil districts are significant: the Laredo District and the Corpus Christi District.

Explore Texas Regions

There’s so much to see and learn about in a state as vast as Texas. These brief descriptions of the regions in Texas just scratch the surface of what’s available. A local real estate expert can help you get to know the Lone Star State and its many regions better.