Questions on Texas

[PDXnative]

I have always pictured texas as dry and hot with sage brush and ugly terrain. But then I hear that you guys acually have trees down there and you have some really scenic areas. Where are these green areas with trees? Being from Oregon, my definition of "green" may be a bit different than a Texan's definition of "green", so if anyone can post some pictures of these areas, that would be great!!!

I have often wanted to go visit Texas, and even considered possibly moving there as the housing prices seem really cheap. I have heard that Austin is rather liberal and a nice town, and you got some great sailing in the Gulf. But, I have also heard that the people can be rather scary down there????? I even heard one guy mention that he has hitchhiked all over the US back in the day, but he opted to take the bus across Texas everytime he came to it as it was the only state that he did not feel safe in. Have things changed, or? Never having been there, I just want to know about the area so I can decide if I should go down and check it out.

[CandyApple]

I made a thread about that on C-D: http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...-tx-az-nm.html

I have a question, though: Where/what is the "dry line"? And of course more pics of different areas would be welcome.

[Wyoming53]

Originally Posted by CandyApple

I made a thread about that on C-D: http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...-tx-az-nm.html

I have a question, though: Where/what is the "dry line"? And of course more pics of different areas would be welcome.

The Dry Line is the edge of a storm front. Dry on one side and wet on the other.

[Jenbar]

I am in Austin, (suburbs) but I am also a total newbie...

I know Austin ranks pretty high as one of the safest places to live in the country, regardless of size. I feel totally safe here.

There are trees, and even hills!! here in the Austin area. There were trees driving down through the top of the state, into Central Texas - but they are not the evergreen type that I am used to, so in the winter time, things are definitely a lot less green. Being from Seattle - I am used to REALLY green grass in the winter, due to the rain. My grass, and that of my neighbors is ALL yellow.

even considered possibly moving there as the housing prices seem really cheap.

Housing prices ARE amazingly cheap. You can still buy a brand new home, large with a yard, for in the $150's here. BUT, do a total cost comparison... property taxes and insurance costs are some of the highest in the country. It's crazy.

This is a constant topic in the Austin CD forum.

[kimbercuddles]

Being from Minnesota, originally, nothing compares to the utra-fine, silky, soft grass up there...I moved to San Antonio and realized that all grass is not considered equal! It's not quite as "lush" as up north, unless you specifically have it "installed" and irrigate it regularly.

When I moved to Texas, I was like most people....I thought it was going to be mostly dry, windy and lots of tumbleweeds and cactii...but that's just the western part. The central and eastern parts have many live oaks and the hill country northwest of San Antonio is beautiful. I am in Florida now, but I'll defend Texas anytime! And yes, housing in San Antonio is ridiculously inexpensive compared to most parts of the country worth living!

[Panterro]

Originally Posted by PDXnative

I have always pictured texas as dry and hot with sage brush and ugly terrain. But then I hear that you guys acually have trees down there and you have some really scenic areas. Where are these green areas with trees? Being from Oregon, my definition of "green" may be a bit different than a Texan's definition of "green", so if anyone can post some pictures of these areas, that would be great!!!

I have often wanted to go visit Texas, and even considered possibly moving there as the housing prices seem really cheap. I have heard that Austin is rather liberal and a nice town, and you got some great sailing in the Gulf. But, I have also heard that the people can be rather scary down there????? I even heard one guy mention that he has hitchhiked all over the US back in the day, but he opted to take the bus across Texas everytime he came to it as it was the only state that he did not feel safe in. Have things changed, or? Never having been there, I just want to know about the area so I can decide if I should go down and check it out.

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...%20TX/?start=0

[RodFarlee]

Originally Posted by CandyApple

I have a question, though: Where/what is the "dry line"?

From the NOAA:
"A boundary called a dry line is usually present across west Texas. The dry line is a boundary separating a warm, moist air mass [from the Gulf of Mexico] and a warm, dry air mass [from the Chihuahuan Desert]. Daytime heating combined with this boundary will lead to thunderstorm development occasionally, especially during the spring and early summer when upper level dynamics are most favorable. This line of thunderstorms will generally form near the dry line - west of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex - during the early to mid afternoon hours. The line of thunderstorms will generally track eastward and affect the Dallas area during the mid to late afternoon, and then affect east Texas during the evening hours if they hold together. This might explain why it seems that east Texas experiences severe weather after nightfall, but the Dallas area in the afternoon."

The dry line wanders around seasonally, but you can sure see the stark contrast between east and west Texas on any precipitation map. Summers can be miserably humid east of the dry line.

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by kimbercuddles

Being from Minnesota, originally, nothing compares to the utra-fine, silky, soft grass up there...I moved to San Antonio and realized that all grass is not considered equal! It's not quite as "lush" as up north, unless you specifically have it "installed" and irrigate it regularly.

When I moved to Texas, I was like most people....I thought it was going to be mostly dry, windy and lots of tumbleweeds and cactii...but that's just the western part. The central and eastern parts have many live oaks and the hill country northwest of San Antonio is beautiful. I am in Florida now, but I'll defend Texas anytime! And yes, housing in San Antonio is ridiculously inexpensive compared to most parts of the country worth living!

I agree. The grass sucks in the South. That's because it's usually Bermuda or St. Augustine--which has rhizomes that grow on the top of the ground. That's why it's so rough on the feet--as if you would ever walk on your lawn in the South anyway. There's too many fire ants!

Bermuda is okay but it's not like Kentucky Blue or fine fescue which is soft and lush. That's one thing I really missed about the North when I lived in Texas and Georgia.

Just to reiterate... The dry line goes down the middle of Texas right around where I-35 crosses the state. There's really two Texas': East and West. East is like the South with lots of trees and it gets quite humid. There are a lot of Live Oaks which don't get that tall but they get very wide. The west is very dry and gets dryer as you move further west into New Mexico. El Paso is extremely dry. Dallas is more west than east so it's fairly dry. Austin is right in the middle but it does get humid in the summer. San Antonio and South Texas gets humid. Houston, Corpus Christi, and Beaumont are like being in a shower it's so humid.

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by RodFarlee

From the NOAA:
"...the dry line - west of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex - during the early to mid afternoon hours.

It's odd that they say the dry line is WEST of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It seem that the line should be more east since Dallas is more like the Great Plains--which is an indication that it doesn't get enough rain naturally to support forests.

DFW does get fairly humid in the summer--but not like Houston! I went to a game in Arlington when they had the old stadium. It was July and that was a mistake. Ugh, it was 99 degrees at 11 pm. God, it was unbearably hot. I also remember that particular summer was in a drought so everyone's lawn was a baked light yellow color. Guess it's hard to take 108 degrees and no rain.

[CandyApple]

RodFarlee, looking at your precipitation map combined with the info on the "dry line", it seems that the areas of "green" or higher levels of rain have the forests. I'm wondering, does that also work for this precipitation map of the United States? Is it basically, "green" and above have trees, but areas less than that don't, or are there places on the map where precipitation levels don't necessarily correlate with tree quantity?

[RodFarlee]

Originally Posted by CandyApple

RodFarlee, looking at your precipitation map combined with the info on the "dry line", it seems that the areas of "green" or higher levels of rain have the forests. I'm wondering, does that also work for this precipitation map of the United States? Is it basically, "green" and above have trees, but areas less than that don't, or are there places on the map where precipitation levels don't necessarily correlate with tree quantity?

Here's a U.S. forest density map and an interactive forest type map, in which you can scroll over the table of tree species to see where they are in the U.S.

Precip doesn't correlate all that well with percent forest cover. For example, the midwest prairies get more rainfall than the pine, pinyon and juniper forests of the west and southwest.

[simplyjacy]

I must admit that my perception of Texas is dry and dusty with rodeos all around... most like that of Young Guns. hehehe!!! But my husband who me pictures of Austin area with trees and even a lake.

I always wanted a lush green place not just grass but trees! The pics looks really fine to me. Thanks for sharing!

p.s.
i talked with a friend who's considering of moving to Texas too. how true that parts of Texas are usually flooded?

[deeptrance]

Texas is huge.

But there is no currently active geology in Texas, thus it's a rather old, weathered place like the rest of the central and eastern USA.

Ergo, Texas ain't like Oregon.

However, being a huge state, it does have a lot of variety. The greenery depends not only on location but on the time of year and LUCK. For example, this past summer saw a severe drought in central and southern Texas while El Paso's desert bloomed with green and flowers in an abundance of abnormal rainfall.

But "abnormal" is normal in Texas. The weather is crazy here and that's part of why I love it. I find the west coast (where I lived for 30+ years) too monotonous and lacking in the dramatic skies, the power and clashing of atmospheric forces... I LOVE TEXAS!!!

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by RodFarlee

Here's a U.S. forest density map and an interactive forest type map, in which you can scroll over the table of tree species to see where they are in the U.S.

Precip doesn't correlate all that well with percent forest cover. For example, the midwest prairies get more rainfall than the pine, pinyon and juniper forests of the west and southwest.

Maybe the plains were much dryer hundreds of years ago and that's why there's no trees there now. Probably would be covered with junipers if nothing else if they had a chance to spread far enough. The Texas Panhandle and Eastern Colorado has trees. Not many but they are there.

Precipitation does correlate well with tree cover. Trees require a lot of water. Some trees don't require as much as other trees but surely there is a correlation with trees growing on the mountain slopes in the west. They aren't there to get a better view. They also grow in the river valleys--along the Snake River for example which you have seen.

[CandyApple]

When I click on "U.S. forest density map", I get redirected to http://forestry.about.com/ instead, and can't find the map at all. Help?

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by CandyApple

When I click on "U.S. forest density map", I get redirected to http://forestry.about.com/ instead, and can't find the map at all. Help?

http://forestry.about.com/library/gr.../usdensity.pdf

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by ProEye

Maybe the plains were much dryer hundreds of years ago and that's why there's no trees there now. Probably would be covered with junipers if nothing else if they had a chance to spread far enough.

Fire suppression has led to the expansion of forests throughout the central USA into areas that would normally be tall-grass prairie or savannas. The juniper woodlands of central Texas, for example, exist entirely because of the suppression of fires and would vanish quickly if people allowed normal processes to control them.

Silty clay soils with modest rainfall spread throughout the year tend to favor grasses and herbs that can quickly sprout and reproduce en masse during opportune times, whereas trees have an advantage in very rocky terrain because they don't need surface soil other than a tiny bit to get the tap root going down to a reliable moisture source. Hence, mountains tend to be dominated by perennials such as trees and shrubs with extensive root systems, whereas plains tend to be dominated by small annuals like grasses and herbs with intensive root systems.

Originally Posted by ProEye

Precipitation does correlate well with tree cover. Trees require a lot of water.

Again, it depends partly on fire. If there is an extreme dry season, such as in monsoonal regions of southern Asia where they receive huge amounts of rain in summer and nothing for months in the dry season, then fires can keep the number of trees to a minimum. They tend to be far apart and have high canopies in order to prevent fires from spreading up and across the canopy (or "crowning out" in the lexicon of fire ecology.) This is a major reason why savannas are one of the dominant ecosystems on earth in the absence of human interference.

Also, some trees don't need much water. Look at the pines in desert mountains, for example. They survive by having extremely deep root systems, being far apart, having little competition from other plants for water, and conserving what little water they use.

The reason I'm being so enthusiastically pedantic about this topic is that my first undergrad degree was in Botany and Plant Ecology. It LOVE this stuff! I enjoy science articles the way other people enjoy comic books or popular novels.