Southwest Region

United States geography is a story of land and people. A land filled with natural resources from the Rocky Mountains to the sonora desert. The San Francisco Bay to the Mississippi, the Grand Canyon to Niagara Falls. Since 2000 BC, when the Native Americans settled on this continent, people from all over the world have made this land their home. With lush forests sweeping prairies, coastal plains and bustling cities, the land is as diverse as the people who live here. North to south, east to west, each region of the United States is a piece of living history shaping the heart and soul of the nation from sea to shining sea. The south central region includes three states, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. It's bordered by Arizona in the west, then Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. It meets the Gulf of Mexico in the southeast, and the country of Mexico in the southwest. From the southern tip of Texas to Oklahoma's Panhandle, it's as diverse as it is beautiful.

The region with so much to offer once belonged mostly to Mexico and played a vital part in the creation of the United States. Today, some of the richest history in the nation is preserved here. This is a land of mountains, deserts, prairies, plains, and fertile farmland. 16 major rivers criss-cross the region and their hundreds of lakes. But what else do we think of when we look at the south central region? Many might say rodeos and cowboys or mountains may be an Indian Pueblo. The south central region has this and much, much more. The land that is New Mexico and Texas was once controlled by Mexico. That country's culture is evident throughout the area. In architecture, religion, music, language, and the people. Spanish and English are both official languages of New Mexico. Early Indians had a profound influence on the region. More Native Americans and tribes live in Oklahoma than in any other state. The region's population, which was once mostly rural, has now moved to urban areas.

The major cities of the region, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe in New Mexico, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin in Texas, and Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma are the region's job centers. More than 70% of the population lives and works in metropolitan areas. Before there were cities, there was just the land, even with development, the region's natural beauty still shines through. From the gulf water at sea level due to Mexico's Rocky Mountains, this is a region that reaches skyward. Among the highest elevations in the region, black mesa in Oklahoma's Panhandle at 4973 feet. Guadalupe peak in West Texas at 8751 feet, and Wheeler peak in New Mexico's Rocky Mountains, a dramatic 13,161 feet. New Mexico is one of 8 Rocky Mountain states. Two of the region's rivers provide major borders. The Rio Grande river winds through central New Mexico into Texas, forming part of the border between those states. Texas and its southern neighbor, the country of Mexico, are also separated by the Rio Grande.

The Red River forms most of Oklahoma's southern border with Texas. The rivers are also a source of natural beauty, but more importantly, they give life to the region by providing water for homes, industry, and agriculture. Texas is a leading agricultural state, often ranking third after California and Iowa in crop production. Cotton is the biggest crop. Texas also produces more watermelons, cabbages, and spinach than any other state. But the greatest chair of agricultural income is beef cattle. Texas agriculture has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. One of the reasons the number of farms and ranches has dropped because high technology has increased production and not as much agricultural land is needed. Farming plays a much smaller role in New Mexico. Most revenue comes from livestock. Some important crops are cotton, corn, peanuts, and onions. In Oklahoma, large farms and ranches specialize in specific crops in production. Wheat is important, so is the beef cattle industry. Of course, water is vital to farming, Oklahoma is fortunate to have plenty of it. Hundreds of lakes dot the state, in fact, Oklahoma is called America's frontier Lake state. It has more than 100 natural lakes. More than 200 artificial lakes were created by damming rivers. The lakes and dams provide the farmers with the irrigation they need and homes and industries use hydroelectric power. Then there are always those who find simpler needs in the states abundant water supply. Texas two built many dams on its rivers, and now has hundreds of lakes varying in size from ponds, to vast bodies of water.

On the other hand, New Mexico has very little water. It's one of the driest states in the U.S., and sometimes one of the hottest, temperatures can reach over a 100° in the southeast. In contrast, snow falls on most of the state during the winter. Western Oklahoma experiences some very dry hot summers when the mercury passes the 100° Mark. Most of the time, the region's climate is mild, but there are plenty of exceptions. Texas temperatures vary from 23 below zero to 120°. One of the hotspots, the humid Rio Grande valley. From the river's beginnings in the Colorado mountains to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico, the Rio Grande or great river stretches 1800 miles. This historic waterway played a major role in the region's development. The Spanish, who still controlled Mexico in the late 1500s, traveled northward along the Rio Grande valley, the colonized Pueblo Indian land. Today's New Mexico. Along that path and throughout the region are some of the world's greatest natural wonders. Another of Texas natural wonders is below the rugged hillsides and mountains. It's called cave without a name, and it has dozens of stalactites on the ceiling. Stalactites are icicle shaped mineral deposits which have formed over thousands of years. A young boy who entered a 1939 contest to name the cavern, called it cave without a name, because, as he said, it's just too pretty to name.

New Mexico, prides itself on an endless variety of landscapes. Its nickname is land of enchantment. Fantastic rock formations seem to rise out of nowhere. Some deserts are so hot and dry, even cactus have trouble surviving. Not far away is thick forest, which covers about a quarter of the state. It was in a New Mexico forest that an American legend was born. In 1950, a bear cub was discovered clinging to a tree after a fire destroyed his home. Rescuers named him smokey at the bear became a national symbol for preventing forest fires. The continental divide, which marks the geographic division between rivers, flowing toward the Atlantic or Pacific, passes from north to south through the western part of the state. The third state in this region, Oklahoma, is easy to spot on a map because of its Panhandle. If you could look at the entire state at once, you would see that its slopes from its highest point in the northwest to its lowest point in the southeast. Three of the country's great land regions meet in Oklahoma. The interior planes, the coastal plains, and the interior highlands. These are many of the region's physical characteristics. Once the land was all that mattered, today, few people live in the wilderness or even on farms. More than 70% of the population has moved to cities. These days, that's where the jobs are, but cities aren't just for working. Albuquerque is by far New Mexico's largest city. About a third of the state's population lives here. The old town area is where it was founded in 1706 at the Spanish farming community.

Santa Fe is the capital, the oldest capital in the U.S.. Over the years, Santa Fe has managed to keep its historic character and appearance because of laws which ban certain kinds of businesses and buildings, like high rises or convenience stores. At the turn of the century, artists from all over the country began migrating to this area, inspired by the beauty and the history. The artistic tradition is still very strong in this one town alone there are 60 art galleries and more than a dozen historic sites. Taos Pueblo is the oldest Indian Pueblo community of the 19th pueblos in New Mexico. The few families that remain here live as their ancestors did, hundreds of years ago. There is no electricity or running water and food is cooked in an outdoor oven. New Mexicans are proud of their heritage, which is a blend of mostly three cultures. Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and so called anglos or caucasians. The biggest group. Only about 2% of the people are African American. In recent years, people from Mexico and Latin American countries have begun emigrating to New Mexico. In Texas, about half the population lives in four metropolitan areas, Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, the capital, Austin, and here, San Antonio. Which is home to the Alamo. The San Antonio river winds through the picturesque city for several miles. Many of the communities in this South Texas area are more than 90% Hispanic. Job centers like Houston and Dallas continue to attract newcomers looking for work and a mild climate, but they have more to offer. Houston is the center for the country's space program, headquartered at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The facility was named for the 36th president who was from Texas. Dallas in north Texas is second in size to Houston and is considered the state's most cosmopolitan city.

The 60 acres of downtown are devoted to the arts and major businesses thrive here. But this is still cowboy country and rodeos continue to be part of Dallas's character. This isn't the kind of thing that you would expect to see and hear in this part of the world, and old style German band. Hundreds of years ago, German immigrants led the way to this promising land. The English, Irish, scandinavians, Czechs, poles, and others followed. Some came to work on farms or in the mines. Others made the journey to find their fortune by starting their own businesses. Today, they are part of the special melting pot, which makes up this region of the U.S.. Oklahoma's major cities, Tulsa, and the capital, Oklahoma City, first appeared during the oil boom era, around the turn of the century. Many people are also descendants of ranchers, miners, and the railroad workers of the frontier days, like Texans, they think of themselves as cowboys. Many of the Native Americans are descendants of prehistoric Indians. The land rush of the late 1800s brought people from Europe and Asia. The region's cities and towns now at the center of people's lives began taking shape some 20,000 years ago. The region's first inhabitants were cave dwellers and nomads who lived by hunting animals and gathering what fruits and nuts they could find. Evidence of their lives still exists today. In the sandy mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico, prehistoric people carved rough drawings into rocks, the images are called petroglyphs. It's believed this area is the most ancient human settled site in North America. Around 1000 AD, the anasazi Indians, a highly advanced civilization built complicated multi story structures with hundreds of runes, the apartment buildings of that time. By 1300 AD, the anasazi had completely abandoned their villages and way of life.

The scientists believe years of drought and war are two reasons this golden age ended. Today's Pueblo Indians are descendants of the anasazi people. The Spanish began exploring for gold in the region in the 1500s, marking the beginning of recorded history. As they built their churches and colonized the lands of what is now New Mexico and Texas, they forced the Indians already there to honor their king and convert to Christianity. Many natives accepted the ways of the settlers, those who resisted were killed. Santa Fe's loretto chapel is steeped in legend, one story says it was built in 1873 without the ornate staircase. And that a mysterious man came into town, built it and disappeared. Worshippers believed the man was saint Joseph, who was a Carpenter. In the same city, the Spanish built the palace of the governors. It's the oldest government building in the U.S. and lawmakers still use it today. Spain also claimed the area now known as Texas. By the 1800s, the U.S. government had plans for the territory known as Oklahoma. Many Indian tribes were forced to move there to make way for white settlers who wanted to build homes on the land east of the Mississippi River. The Indian removal intensified for several decades. The ones who were forced to leave their land lost everything.

Government troops drove them mercilessly to Oklahoma territory. The miserable trip west became known as the trail of tears. Today, Oklahoma is proud of its Indian heritage and continues to carry on ancient traditions. By 1836, Mexico had gained independence from Spain and controlled the lands of Texas and New Mexico. Settlers in Texas wanted their freedom from Mexico and they fought for it in the battle of the Alamo. Defenders inside the wall fort included a dozen Hispanics. They had no chance of winning, but defended the Alamo to their deaths. A month later, Texas won its independence and became a state in 1845. The Rio Grande became a permanent border between Mexico and the U.S.. By the early 1900s, Oklahoma and New Mexico also became states and railroads became the most important factor in settling the region. Miners discovered something never dreamed of, oil, also known as black gold. The oil boom era had begun and it changed the course of history. The economy of the region, jobs, salaries, and the prices of most items relied almost entirely on the demand for fuel. By the 1930s, the whole country suffered from the depression, the demand for oil dropped, mines closed.

There was massive unemployment throughout the country. Oklahomans suffered more than most, severe drought had transformed much of the region into a dust bowl. Many abandoned the state. Author John Steinbeck wrote about this devastating period in American history in his book, the grapes of wrath. World War II helped turn the economy around. Suddenly, the entire country was contributing to the war effort. This meant thousands of jobs producing everything from food to weapons. Many people who had left Oklahoma returned. Texas was transformed into a giant industrial state, reducing ships and aircraft. And in New Mexico, the nuclear age was born. At Los Alamos laboratory, scientists worked secretly on the most deadly weapon in history. The war ended when an atomic bomb was dropped on two Japanese cities. After the war, the U.S. continued nuclear research in New Mexico. The federal government currently employs about 25% of the workforce in the state.

For decades, oil influenced all economic development in much of the region. Things changed drastically in the 1980s when oil prices collapsed. The outlook had improved by the end of the decade because industry leaders diversified, meaning they no longer relied on one thing like oil to keep the economy running. Today, the region is primarily responsible for manufacturing, transportation equipment, plastics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, metals, and cotton, and many of the region's products are exported to foreign countries. Cities are where most people work and make their homes, but the land is the region's heart and soul. Critical chapters in the nation's history are preserved here. The Spanish left their mark on the land and culture, and Native Americans continue to carry on traditions begun centuries ago. From the Texas shore to the border of Mexico to the mountains and deserts of Oklahoma and New Mexico, the south central region is defined by vastly different landscapes and unique places. It's a region that has faced many challenges with a sense of pride and a view toward the future.