The South Plains is a region in northwest
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, consisting of 24 counties. The main crop is cotton.
Counties
The South Plains region includes 24 counties:
The northernmost four (Parmer, Castro, Swisher, and Briscoe) are also considered to be part of the
Texas Panhandle region.
The region consists of a portion of the Texas side of the geographical
Llano Estacado
The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the Nort ...
and the western portion of the lower part of the
Southwestern Tablelands
The southwestern tablelands comprise an ecoregion running from east-central to south-east Colorado, east-central and a small portion of eastern New Mexico, some eastern portions of the Oklahoma Panhandle, far south-central Kansas, and portions of ...
ecological region. South Plains extends south of the
Texas Panhandle, centered at
Lubbock. While prominent in the area of
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
production, the South Plains is mainly an
agricultural region, producing a great percentage of the nation's
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...
and possessing numerous large
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...
ranches. The South Plains is also home to several colleges and universities, the largest being
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...
in Lubbock.
Major cities and towns
Cotton
Cotton is the most common crop grown in South Plains region. In 2004 and again in 2005, records were broken for cotton production.
In an extended area comprising 31 counties in and near the South Plains, more than a million bales of cotton were harvested in 2005. This makes the South Plains the world’s largest cotton-producing region.
See also:
National Cotton Council of America: United States Cotton ProductionUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service Crop Explorer
Regional identity
There are many businesses and organizations that use “South Plains” as part of their name, helping to form the South Plains regional identity. These include South Plains College in Levelland; the Panhandle-South Plains Fair held annually in Lubbock; the South Plains Regional Chapter of the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the des ...
; South Plains Council of the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded in ...
; and numerous other public and private organizations.
See also
* List of geographical regions in Texas
*Llano Estacado
The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the Nort ...
*South Plains Fairgrounds
The South Plains Fairgrounds, located on the east side of Lubbock, Texas, is the home of the Panhandle-South Plains Fair, which occurs in late September each year. The fairgrounds consist of around situated along the western edge of upper Yellow ...
* Southwestern Tablelands ecology region
* Western High Plains ecology region
*Great Plains
The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, a ...
* Texas Panhandle
* Eastern New Mexico
* Caprock Escarpment
References
External links
South Plains FairSouth Plains Regional Chapter, American Red CrossSouth Plains Council
*
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock
{{Texas
Regions of Texas
Great Plains
Plains of the United States
Geography of Lubbock, Texas