View source for Trans-Pecos

{{Short description|Far west region in US state of Texas}}
{{About||the 2016 film|Transpecos (film)}}{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Trans-Pecos
| image_skyline            = FouquieriaSplendens 2006 BigBend.jpg
| image_caption            = [[Ocotillo]] in the [[Chihuahuan Desert]] of the Trans-Pecos
<!--    MAP     -->| image_map                = TransPecosTexas.svg
| mapsize                  = 275px
| population_as_of         = 2020
| seat_type                = Largest city
| seat                     = [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]]
| population               = 919,421
| area_footnotes           = 
| official_name            = 
| settlement_type          = [[List of geographical regions in Texas|Region]]
| area_land_sq_mi          = 31479
| area_note                = 
| subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Texas}}
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name2        = 
}}
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]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hill |first=R. T. |year=1887 |title=The topography and geology of the Cross Timbers and surrounding regions in Northern Texas |journal=The American Journal of Science |series=3rd Series |volume=33 |pages=291–303 |issn=1945-452X |doi=10.2475/ajs.s3-33.196.291 }}</ref>  The term is considered [[synonym]]ous with '''Far West Texas''', a subdivision of [[West Texas]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Greene |first=A. C. |year=1998 |title=Sketches from the Five States of Texas |location=College Station |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=0-89096-842-X }}</ref> The Trans-Pecos is part of the [[Chihuahuan Desert]], the [[List of North American deserts|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, Texas|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 (Texas)|Big Bend]] and the gorge of the [[Rio Grande]], part of which has been designated a [[Wild and Scenic River|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 [[ranch]]land. However, most of the region's population reside in the [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] metropolitan area. Besides El Paso and its metropolitan  area, the major cities are [[Pecos, Texas|Pecos]] (12,916), [[Fort Stockton, Texas|Fort Stockton]] (8,466), and [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]] (6,035). All other settlements have under 5,000 people.
[[File:Big Bend Rio Grande.jpg|thumb|[[Rio Grande]] valley in the [[Big Bend (Texas)|Big Bend]] area]]
[[File:Big Bend Chihuahuan Desert.jpg|thumb|[[Big Bend National Park]] and [[Chihuahuan Desert]]]]

==Demographics==
The Trans-Pecos region consists of nine counties: [[Brewster County, Texas|Brewster]], [[Culberson County, Texas|Culberson]], [[El Paso County, Texas|El Paso]], [[Hudspeth County, Texas|Hudspeth]], [[Jeff Davis County, Texas|Jeff Davis]], [[Pecos County, Texas|Pecos]], [[Presidio County, Texas|Presidio]], [[Reeves County, Texas|Reeves]], and [[Terrell County, Texas|Terrell]]. Brewster County, the largest, has a land area of {{convert|6193|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}.  The land area of Brewster County is about 10% larger than the state of [[Connecticut]], yet it has a population density of only 1.4 persons per square mile compared to the 723 persons per square mile who reside in Connecticut.  [[Terrell County, Texas|Terrell County]], which borders both the [[Pecos River]] and the [[Rio Grande]], is the least-populated county in the Trans-Pecos region.  According to the [[2000 United States Census|United States Census of 2000]], Terrell County had a total population of 984 residents occupying a land area of {{convert|2358|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, resulting in a population density less than 0.5 persons per square mile.

The Trans-Pecos is a region of extremes, and at the opposite extreme from sparsely populated Terrell County is El Paso County, which is the smallest but most populated of the nine counties.  El Paso County has a land area of only {{convert|1015|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, yet it has a population of 800,647 individuals, resulting in a population density of 789 persons per square mile, a value that exceeds that of Connecticut. El Paso County makes up 93.5 percent of the region's total population.

Overall, the total population of the Trans-Pecos amounts to 856,187 residents occupying an area of {{convert|31479|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, resulting in a population density around 27 persons per square mile (10 persons per km<sup>2</sup>), less than a third of the population density of the state as a whole. If the Trans-Pecos were to become a state, it would rank 45th in population (more than Delaware, less than Montana), 40th in total area (larger than South Carolina, smaller than Maine), and 42nd in population density (higher than Nevada, lower than Kansas).

==Politics==
[[File:EL PASO TEXAS 2020.jpg|alt=An aerial picture of the El Paso skyline, taken during the day in 2020.|thumb|El Paso is the most populated city in the Trans-Pecos region.]]
The region as a whole has voted for the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in every election since 1988, including Joe Biden, who received 65.7 percent of the vote in 2020. This is in large part because of El Paso County, which also has been solidly Democratic since [[Ronald Reagan]] won the county [[United States presidential election in Texas, 1984|in 1984]]. However, Presidio is the most consistently Democratic county in the Trans-Pecos, being like [[South Texas]] the longest-established Democratic stronghold in the nation.<ref name="How">Sullivan, Robert David; [http://www.americamagazine.org/content/unconventional-wisdom/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’]; ''America Magazine'' in ''The National Catholic Review''; June 29, 2016</ref>

Jeff Davis is the most Republican county in the region, last being won for the Democratic Party by [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976,<ref name="How"/> although even [[George W. Bush]]’s 66.79 percent of the vote [[United States presidential election in Texas, 2000|in 2000]]<ref>David Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2000&fips=48243&off=0&elect=0&f=0 Jeff Davis County], 2000</ref> stands modest compared to the 90 percent or more Republican vote common in [[Texas Panhandle|Panhandle]] counties since the turn of the millennium. Hudspeth, Pecos and Terrell Counties, last won for the Democrats by [[Bill Clinton]] in 1996,<ref name="How"/> have become comparably Republican to Jeff Davis in the past couple of elections. The remaining three counties, especially Brewster County, have been “swing” counties since the 1970s, although Hillary Clinton consolidated Democratic majorities in Culberson and Reeves counties in 2016.

The city of El Paso and its environs form [[Texas's 16th congressional district]], currently represented by Congressman [[Veronica Escobar]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]-[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]]). The remainder of the region is located entirely within [[Texas's 23rd congressional district]], currently represented by Congressman [[Tony Gonzales]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]-[[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]]).

In the [[Texas Senate]], El Paso County forms a single district, [[Texas Senate, District 29|Senate District 29]], represented by [[José R. Rodríguez]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]-[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]]), while the remainder of the region is included in [[Texas Senate, District 19|Senate District 19]], represented by [[Pete Flores]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]-[[Pleasanton, Texas|Pleasanton]]). In the [[Texas House of Representatives]], El Paso County is divided between House Districts 75–79, while the remainder of the region is included in House District 74.

{| class="wikitable" class="toccolours" style="float:right; margin-left:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ '''Trans-Pecos Vote<br /> by Party in Presidential Elections'''
|-
! Year
![[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]]
![[Democratic Party (United States)|DEM]]
!Others
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2024 United States presidential election in Texas|2024]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.1% ''115,960''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''55.6%''' ''143,156''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.29% ''3,289''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2020 United States presidential election in Texas|2020]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|33.6% ''95,294''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''65.7%''' ''186,053''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.67% ''1,905''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2016 United States presidential election in Texas|2016]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|27.4% ''63,892''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''66.8%''' ''155,729''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.75% ''13,399''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2012 United States presidential election in Texas|2012]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|27.3% ''65,173''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''71.5%''' ''170,816''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.22% ''2,914''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2008 United States presidential election in Texas|2008]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.6% ''69,839''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''64.4%''' ''129,907''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.01% ''2,046''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2004 United States presidential election in Texas|2004]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|44.0% ''83,034''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''54.0%''' ''102,086''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.99% ''3,767''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2000 United States presidential election in Texas|2000]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.9% ''65,910''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''56.5%''' ''91,131''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.66% ''4,288''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1996 United States presidential election in Texas|1996]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|32.6%''49,176''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''61.5%''' ''92,786''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.98% ''9,025''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1992 United States presidential election in Texas|1992]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.7% ''52,943''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''49.9%''' ''76,068''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|15.5% ''23,593''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1988 United States presidential election in Texas|1988]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.8%''63,716''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''52.7%''' ''71,817''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.52% ''703''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[1984 United States presidential election in Texas|1984]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''56.0%''' ''76,913''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|43.5% ''59,720''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.40% ''549''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[1980 United States presidential election in Texas|1980]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''53.6%''' ''62,365''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|40.8% ''47,509''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.63% ''6,557''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1976 United States presidential election in Texas|1976]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|47.45% ''50,070''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.2%''' ''54,036''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.34% ''1,411''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[1972 United States presidential election in Texas|1972]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''60.9%''' ''59,007''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|38.4% ''37,184''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.75% ''774''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1968 United States presidential election in Texas|1968]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.4% ''35,476''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''47.3%''' ''38,692''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.32% ''7,626''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1964 United States presidential election in Texas|1964]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|36.8%''25,403''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''62.9%''' ''43,444''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.31% ''212''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1960 United States presidential election in Texas|1960]]'''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|48.1% ''30,664''
|  style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.6%''' ''32,867''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.32% ''202''
|}

==Road transportation==
[[Interstate Highway System|Interstates]] [[Interstate 10 in Texas|10]] and [[Interstate 20 in Texas|20]] are the largest [[freeway]]s in the Trans-Pecos region. Major [[US Highway|federal highways]] include [[US Highway 90]] and [[US Highway 67]], which are partially [[Concurrency (road)|cosigned]]; Highway 90 continues from [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]] east to [[Del Rio, Texas|Del Rio]], while Highway 67 runs south from [[Marfa, Texas|Marfa]] to the [[Mexico–United States border]] at [[Presidio, Texas|Presidio]]/[[Manuel Ojinaga, Chihuahua|Ojinaga]], after which it continues as [[Mexican Federal Highway 16]]. [[Texas State Highway 17|State Highway 17]] begins in [[Pecos, Texas|Pecos]] and traverses [[Balmorhea State Park]] before joining Route 67 in Marfa, while [[Texas State Highway 118|State Highway 118]] begins shortly after the [[Junction (road)|junction]] of Interstates 10 and 20 near [[Kent, Texas|Kent]] and continues south to [[Study Butte, Texas|Study Butte]] at the entrance of [[Big Bend National Park]].

==Wine regions==
The Trans-Pecos region contains three [[American Viticultural Area]]s: the [[Escondido Valley AVA]], the [[Texas Davis Mountains AVA]], and a portion of the [[Mesilla Valley AVA]], most of which is in [[New Mexico]].

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[List of geographical regions in Texas]]
*[[Balmorhea State Park]]
*[[Chalk Mountains (Texas)|Chalk Mountains]]
*[[Davis Mountains]]
*[[Franklin Mountains State Park]]
*[[Guadalupe Mountains National Park|Guadalupe Mountains]]
*[[McKittrick Canyon]]
*[[Beach Mountains]]
*[[Big Bend National Park]]
*[[Big Bend Ranch State Park]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/geo/fieldguides/transpecos.html |title=Trans-Pecos Geology Resources |website=Walter Geology Library |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610101737/http://www.lib.utexas.edu/geo/fieldguides/transpecos.html |archive-date=2010-06-10 }}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/trans-p/index.html |title=Trans Pecos Mountains & Basins |website=Texas Beyond History |publisher=University of Texas at Austin}}
*{{cite web |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ryt02 |title=Trans-Pecos |last=Schmidt |first=Robert H. |website=TSHA Handbook of Texas Online |publisher=Texas State Historical Association}}
*{{url|https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/lubbock-tx/cropping-systems-research-laboratory/wind-erosion-and-water-conservation-research/docs/llano/|Public domain images of the Llano Estacado and West Texas}}

{{Texas}}

[[Category:Trans-Pecos| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Texas]]