Chapter 18: Hawaii

I could not find any similarities between Texas and Hawaii. So here is a list of some of the notable residents of Southlake and a video.



Notable natives and residents:


* Garrett Hartley, NFL kicker

* Jean Meyer, Archer/Personality

* Melissa Rycroft, Reality Television Contestant

CHAPTER 16: THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST

The North Pacific Coast is wet. So wet the greatest average annual precipitation on the continent is found there; averages above 190 centimeters are common.

The weather in Dallas/Fort Worth is generally warm throughout the year, with temperatures of up to 67F (19C) possible even in the midst of winter. Temperatures in January, though, usually average 43F (6C). Summers can be extremely hot. Severe weather is possible because the cities are sited between the notorious 'tornado alley' and the meteorologically turbulent Gulf coast, so lightning storms, hail, floods and tornados can occur, especially during spring when the rainfall is heaviest.

CHAPTER 15: CALIFORNIA

Southlake could not be more different than California. The climate, vegetation and landscape are 100 percent different.

California's topography consists of a combination of valleys, mountains, and deserts. The Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex that Southlake lays in overlooks mostly prairie land with a few rolling hills dotted by man-made lakes cut by streams, creeks and rivers surrounded by forest land. The Metroplex is situated in the Texas blackland prairies region, so named for its fertile black soil found especially in the rural areas of Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties.

Many areas of Denton, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant, and Wise counties are located in the Fort Worth Prairie[12] region of North Texas, which has less fertile and more rocky soil than that of the Texas blackland prairie; most of the rural land on the Fort Worth Prairie is ranch land. A large onshore natural gas field, the Barnett Shale, lies underneath this area; Denton, Tarrant and Wise counties feature many natural gas wells. Continuing land use change results in scattered crop fields surrounded by residential or commercial development.

CHAPTER 14: THE SOUTHWEST BORDER AREA

The Southwest is a culture region distinguished by coexisting Spanish American, American Indian, and Northwest European American people. Texas in general, has a very large Hispanic population.

More than one-third (36% in 2007) of Texas residents are of Hispanic origin and some are recent arrivals from Mexico, Central America, or South America, while others, known as Tejanos in English, have ancestors who have lived in Texas since before Texan independence, or at least for several generations. Tejanos are the largest ancestral group in southern Duval County and among the largest in and around Bexar County, where San Antonio with over one million Hispanics alone is located. The Hispanic population in Texas is increasing as more immigrants (including illegal aliens) from Latin America—primarily from Mexico—look for work in Texas. The state has the second-largest Hispanic population in the United States—California has the largest Hispanic population. Numerically, Hispanics dominate south, south-central, and west Texas and are a significant part of the residents in the cities of Dallas, Houston, and Austin. This influx of immigrants is partially responsible for Texas having a population younger than the union average. Hispanic births have outnumbered Anglo ones since early 1990-s. In 2007, for the first time since early 19th century, Hispanics accounted for more than half of all births (50.2%), 34.3% of all new-borns were non-Hispanic White.

CHAPTER 13: THE EMPTY INTERIOR

Like in the Empty Interior, Southlake takes pride in its ranching efforts. Many Texas ranches are used for weddings, trail riding and amusement. Southlake's most popular ranch is the Marshall Creek Ranch.

Marshall Creek Ranch is located just four minutes West of Grapevine, off of Highway 114. The lake trails are located on 2200 acres of the most beautiful and breathtaking equestrian trails in the state of Texas, on the unspoiled shores of Lake Grapevine. With over 39 miles of trails to traverse,on the trails one will ride with the Coyotes, White Tail Deer, Great Blue Herons and Red-Headed Turkey Vultures.

CHAPTERS 11 & 12 THE AGRICULTURAL CORE & THE GREAT PLAINS & PRAIRIES

Southlake and Texas in general is more famous for their oil and oil drilling efforts then for any particular crop.

The impact of oil on Texas and Texans is often analyzed in terms of corporate development, personal and corporate wealth, and the overall economy of the state and politics. Oil also dramatically affected the lives of those who owned the land from which oil was produced, or who were directly involved in oil exploration, extraction and processing. The discoveries of oil fields led to the founding and flourishing of numerous Texas towns, to the establishment of companies that have become multinational conglomerates, and to the amassing of vast personal fortunes.

Conversely, the playing out of pumped-out oil fields led to the death of any number of those once-flourishing towns. Betting fortunes on what turned out to be dusters resulted in the bankruptcies of companies and individuals.

However, Texas oil has affected the lives of millions of Texans not directly involved in the oil business – Texans who receive neither a paycheck nor a royalty check based on petroleum. Oil has profoundly changed the culture of the state, and it continues to affect most Texans' lives in ways that may not be obvious to the casual observer.

CHAPTER 10: The Southern Coastlands

Southlake shares a lot with the Southern Coastlands, as part of Texas is included within it. Although Southlake is too far inland to experience hurricanes like the Texas cities of Brownsville and McAllen,but the threat of tornadoes is very prevalent.

Texas lies on the southern end of Tornado Alley. Texas' location between the Gulf of Mexico on the southeast and the Rocky Mountains on its western periphery make it a prime area for the formation of tornadoes. An average of 153 tornadoes touch down in Texas each year. Tornadoes may occur in any month, but occur most often during April, May and June between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.