COASTAL PLAIN

HOUSTON

DALLAS

CORPUS CHRISTI

SAN ANTONIO

ECONOMY

• Citrus fruits• Timber products• Gas, oil, chemical

production• Farming and ranching• Tourism• Fishing• Mining coal,

limestone, gravel

CLIMATE

SUMMERSummers in the coastal plains is hot and humid. Strong storms can happen, but generally rainfall is sparse. Long periods of drought are common. Temperatures during the day range from 95 to over 100 degrees.

WINTER

Winters are generally mild. Freezing temperatures are infrequent and seldom last long. Snow and ice storms can occur inland, but seldom near the coast. Long stretches of clear, comfortable days are common.

SPRINGThe coastal plain in known for its spring burst of wildflowers. March 15 is the average day for the last freeze. Nights are cool, but humid. Storms are frequent as the last of the cold fronts mix with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. Floods and tornados can be dangerous and cause property damage.

FALL

Summer-like weather continues into September. Hurricane season does not end until November. The average day for the first freeze is generally near Thanksgiving. Days are mild and nights are cool.

PLACES TO VISIT

SAN ANTONIO

The Alamo

THE BIG THICKET IN EAST TEXAS

The Moody Gardens in Galveston

The Bob Bullock Museum in Austin

Padre Island National Seashore

You can cheer for the Houston Texans NFL team atReliant Stadium.

PHYSICAL FEATURES

• Piney woods• Marshland• Barrier islands• Rivers, bayous, and

lakes• Prairies• Bays and estuaries• Brushland

History and Cultureof the

Coastal Plains

• The Coastal Plains region is culturally diverse due to the influences of the various nationalities of its early citizens.

• Certain towns and areas have dominant cultures.• Slavery was common in this region until after the Civil

War. • Nations of Native Americans competed with each other

and white settlers for territory.

The Caddo Indians built villages in the Piney Woods.They were mostly peaceful. They hunted and grew crops.

They were known for their round homes and burial mounds.

The Karankaras hunted wild game and fished in the Gulf of Mexico. They were not friendly to the first Spanish

explorers. They were wiped out by war and disease.

The Alabama-Coushata Indians’ home was in the deep forest area of southeast Texas. They still have their own

reservation today.

The Tonkawa were hunters and gatherers in Central Texas.They fought the early Texans in Bastrop County.

Here they are performing the Wolf Dance.

These are immigrants from Czechoslovakia. They settled many communities in Central Texas.

German immigrants were farmers and hard workers.They are known for their stone buildings.

People from Mexico have made huge contributions to the lives of Texans. They were expert cowboys, or

vaqueros. They have introduced their food, language, and music into our daily lives.

The Spanish were the first nonnative explorers and settlers in the Coastal Plains. They built churches called

missions. They brought horses, cows, language, and Christianity to Texas.

Immigrants from Poland established their own communities throughout the region. They brought their food, music, and craftsmanship from their homeland.

Interesting Facts About theCoastal Plains

• The first capital of Texas was located at Washington-on-the-Brazos.

• The whooping crane winters only on the coast near Aransas Pass.

• The pine forest near Bastrop at one time supplied lumber to build the young town of Austin.

• The first oil well in the world was drilled near Beaumont.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Texas, Scott Foresman, 2003• Mall.ballparks.com. 5 June 2007.• www.mckinneyisd.net/.../Fourth/Texas/txmap.gif• www.simonandbaker.com/houston_downtown3.jpg• www.texasfreeway.com/Corpus/historic/photos/i...• members.virtualtourist.com• www.radisson.com/.../TXSANDT/Riverwalk2_450.jpg• www.atwitsend.org/Oil%20Refinery%20CA.jpg• www.3riversdominica.com/.../3rivers_pond.jpg