South Plains | |
|---|---|
Region | |
 | |
 Counties of the South Plains | |
| Coordinates:33°38′N101°48′W / 33.633°N 101.800°W /33.633; -101.800 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Region | Llano Estacado |
| Population | |
• Total | 514,358 |
TheSouth Plains are a region in northwestTexas,United States, consisting of 24 counties.
The South Plains region includes:
The northernmost four (Parmer, Castro, Swisher, and Briscoe) also form part of theTexas Panhandle region.
The region consists of a portion of the Texas side of the geographicalLlano Estacado and the western portion of the lower part of theSouthwestern Tablelands ecological region. The South Plains extend south of theTexas Panhandle, and are centered atLubbock.
While prominent in the area ofpetroleum production, the South Plains region is mainlyagricultural, producing a great percentage of the nation'scotton and possessing numerous largecattle ranches.[citation needed] The South Plains is also home to several colleges and universities, the largest beingTexas Tech University in Lubbock.
Cotton is the most common crop grown in South Plains region. In 2004 and again in 2005, records were broken for cotton production.[1] 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 made the South Plains the world’s largest cotton-producing region at the time. Depletion of theOgallala Aquifer and cotton price variation have reduced cotton production in the region.
Many businesses and organizations use “South Plains” as part of their name, helping to form the South Plains regional identity. These includeSouth Plains College inLevelland; the Panhandle-South Plains Fair held at theSouth Plains Fairgrounds annually inLubbock; Make-A-Wish Texas South Plains; the South Plains Regional Chapter of theAmerican Red Cross;South Plains Council of theBoy Scouts of America; and numerous other public and private organizations.
