North Texas
North Texas is a term used primarily by residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to refer to a geographic area of Texas, generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, west of Paris, and north of Waco. Definitions of the region typically do not include the sparsely populated Panhandle of Texas, which is the northernmost region of Texas bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east.
North Texas is centered upon the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the largest metropolitan area in Texas and the Southern United States. People in the Dallas and Fort Worth areas sometimes use the terms Metroplex, DFW, and North Texas interchangeably. However, North Texas refers to a much larger area that includes many northern rural counties along the Red River of the South border.
History
Indigenous tribes in North Texas included the Caddo, Tawakoni, Wichita, Kickapoo, and Comanche. With European colonization, Mexican independence, and Texan independence and annexation to the United States, many of these tribes experienced demographic decline through relocation, slavery, etc. Since European colonization and the independence movements, the North Texas area was settled and most notably developed the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth.Climate
The North Texas climate is subtropical with hot summers. It is also continental, characterized by a wide annual temperature range. Average annual precipitation also varies considerably, ranging from less than 28 to more than 48 inches. Severe storms are frequent in the spring and summer, as the area lies in the southern section of "tornado alley".South is the prevailing wind direction, and southerly winds are frequently high and persist for several days. Strong northerly winds often occur during the passage of cold fronts.
Winters can be mild, but northers occur about three times each month, and often are accompanied by sudden drops in temperature. In Dallas, a record-setting 12.8 inches of snow fell in February 2010. Periods of extreme cold that occasionally occur are short-lived, so that even in January mild weather occurs frequently.
The highest temperatures of summer are associated with fair skies, and moderate to high humidities. Characteristically, hot spells in summer are broken into three- to five-day periods by thunderstorm activity. There are only a few nights each summer when the low temperature exceeds 80 °F. Summer daytime temperatures frequently exceed 100 °F. Air conditioners are recommended for maximum comfort indoors and while traveling via automobile.
Throughout the year, rainfall occurs more frequently during the night. Usually, periods of rainy weather last for only a day or two, and are followed by several days with fair skies. A large part of the annual precipitation results from thunderstorm activity, with occasional heavy rainfall over brief periods of time. Thunderstorms occur throughout the year, but are most frequent in the spring and early summer months. Hail falls on about two or three days a year, ordinarily with only slight and scattered damage. Windstorms occurring during thunderstorm activity are sometimes destructive. Snowfall is uncommon.
The average length of the warm season is about 249 days. The average last occurrence of 32 °F or below is mid March and the average first occurrence of 32 °F or below is in late November.
Counties
Although the terms "Northeastern Texas" or "North Texas" are not official state designations, the Texas State Data Center and Office of the State Demographer lists the following counties as belonging to the North Central Texas Council of Governments :- Collin
- Dallas
- Denton
- Ellis
- Erath
- Hood
- Hunt
- Johnson
- Kaufman
- Navarro
- Palo Pinto
- Parker
- Rockwall
- Somervell
- Tarrant
- Wise
Nortex Regional Planning Commission:
- Archer
- Baylor
- Clay
- Cottle
- Foard
- Hardeman
- Jack
- Montague
- Wichita
- Wilbarger
- Young
- Cooke
- Fannin
- Grayson
Major cities
Other cities and towns
- Addison
- Aledo
- Alma
- Alvarado
- Alvord
- Angus
- Anna
- Annetta
- Annetta North
- Annetta South
- Archer City
- Argyle
- Aubrey
- Aurora
- Azle
- Bailey
- Balch Springs
- Bardwell
- Barry
- Bartonville
- Bedford
- Bellevue
- Bells
- Benbrook
- Blooming Grove
- Blue Mound
- Blue Ridge
- Bonham
- Bowie
- Boyd
- Brazos Bend
- Breckenridge
- Briaroaks
- Bridgeport
- Bryson
- Burkburnett
- Burleson
- Byers
- Caddo Mills
- Callisburg
- Campbell
- Cashion Community
- Cedar Hill
- Celeste
- Celina
- Chico
- Chillicothe
- Cleburne
- Cockrell Hill
- Colleyville
- Collinsville
- Commerce
- Cool
- Copper Canyon
- Combine
- Coppell
- Corinth
- Corral City
- Corsicana
- Cottonwood
- Coyote Flats
- Crandall
- Cresson
- Cross Roads
- Cross Timber
- Crowell
- Crowley
- Dalworthington Gardens
- Dawson
- Decatur
- Dean
- DeCordova
- Denison
- DeSoto
- Dish
- Dodd City
- Dorchester
- Double Oak
- Dublin
- Duncanville
- Eagle Mountain
- Ector
- Edgecliff Village
- Elizabethtown
- Emhouse
- Ennis
- Euless
- Eureka
- Everman
- Fairview
- Farmers Branch
- Farmersville
- Fate
- Ferris
- Forest Hill
- Forney
- Frost
- Gainesville
- Garrett
- Glen Rose
- Glenn Heights
- Godley
- Goodlow
- Gordon
- Graford
- Graham
- Granbury
- Grandview
- Grapevine
- Greenville
- Gunter
- Hackberry
- Haltom City
- Haslet
- Hawk Cove
- Heath
- Hebron
- Henrietta
- Hickory Creek
- Highland Park
- Highland Village
- Holliday
- Honey Grove
- Howe
- Hudson Oaks
- Hurst
- Hutchins
- Iowa Park
- Italy
- Jacksboro
- Jolly
- Josephine
- Joshua
- Justin
- Kaufman
- Keene
- Keller
- Kemp
- Kennedale
- Kerens
- Knollwood
- Krugerville
- Ladonia
- Lancaster
- Lake Bridgeport
- Lake Dallas
- Lake Worth
- Lakeside
- Lakeside City
- Lakewood Village
- Lavon
- Leonard
- Lincoln Park
- Lindsay
- Lipan
- Little Elm
- Lone Oak
- Lowry Crossing
- Lucas
- Mabank
- Mansfield
- Maypearl
- Megargel
- McLendon-Chisholm
- Melissa
- Meridian
- Midlothian
- Mildred
- Milford
- Millsap
- Mineral Wells
- Mingus
- Mobile City
- Muenster
- Murphy
- Mustang
- Navarro
- Nevada
- New Fairview
- New Hope
- Newark
- Newcastle
- Neylandville
- Nocona
- Northlake
- North Richland Hills
- Oak Grove
- Oak Leaf
- Oak Point
- Oak Ridge
- Oak Ridge
- Oak Valley
- Olney
- Ovilla
- Paducah
- Palmer
- Pantego
- Paradise
- Parker
- Pecan Hill
- Pelican Bay
- Petrolia
- Pilot Point
- Pleasant Valley
- Ponder
- Post Oak Bend City
- Pottsboro
- Powell
- Princeton
- Prosper
- Providence Village
- Quanah
- Quinlan
- Ravenna
- Red Oak
- Retreat
- Rhome
- Reno
- Rice
- Richland
- Richland Hills
- Rio Vista
- River Oaks
- Roanoke
- Rockwall
- Rowlett
- Royse City
- Runaway Bay
- Sachse
- Sadler
- Saginaw
- Sanctuary
- Sanger
- Sansom Park
- Savoy
- Seagoville
- Scotland
- Scurry
- Seymour
- Shady Shores
- Sherman
- Southlake
- Southmayd
- Springtown
- St. Jo
- St. Paul
- Stephenville
- Strawn
- Sunnyvale
- Talty
- Terrell
- The Colony
- Tioga
- Tolar
- Tom Bean
- Trenton
- Trophy Club
- Union Valley
- University Park
- Valley View
- Van Alstyne
- Venus
- Vernon
- Waxahachie
- Watauga
- Weatherford
- West Tawakoni
- Westlake
- Westover Hills
- Westworth Village
- Whitesboro
- White Settlement
- Whitewright
- Wilmer
- Windom
- Windthorst
- Wolfe City
- Wylie
Statistical areas
Dallas–Fort Worth TX-OK combined statistical area">Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex#Combined statistical area">Dallas–Fort Worth TX-OK combined statistical area
Metropolitan statistical areas- Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington is the only MSA in Texas subdivided into metropolitan divisions:
- *Dallas–Plano–Irving
- *Fort Worth–Arlington–Grapevine
- Sherman–Denison
Metropolitan statistical areas
- Wichita Falls
- Vernon
Other
- Stephenville
Economy
Top employers
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex| Company | No. of employees locally | Type of business |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | 34,000 | Retail |
| American Airlines | 27,000 | Commercial airline |
| Texas Health Resources | 22,296 | Health care |
| Dallas Independent School District | 19,740 | Education |
| Baylor Health Care System | 16,500 | Health care |
Wichita Falls metropolitan area
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
| 1 | Sheppard Air Force Base | 12,272 |
| 2 | Wichita Falls Independent School District | 2,059 |
| 3 | North Texas State Hospital | 1,974 |
| 4 | United Regional Health Care System | 1,778 |
| 5 | City of Wichita Falls | 1,477 |
| 6 | Midwestern State University | 1,284 |
| 7 | James V. Allred Unit | 971 |
| 8 | Cryovac | 732 |
| 9 | Work Services Corporation | 730 |
| 10 | Howmet Castings | 704 |
Sherman–Denison metropolitan area
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
| 1 | Tyson Foods | 1,400 |
| 2 | Texoma Health Systems | 1,375 |
| 3 | Texas Instruments | 1,200 |
| 4 | Cigna | 1,000 |
| 5 | Wilson N Jones Health Systems | 1,000 |