Blacklands

Fertile agricultural zone in eastern Texas. It covers some 49,000 sq km/18,919 sq mi and ranges in width from 24 km/15 mi to 113 km/70 mi. Once a major cotton-producing area, it has latterly been encroached upon by suburban development.

The Blacklands extend along the eastern side of the Balcones Escarpment from the Red River in the north to the Rio Grande in the south. The area was settled in the 19th century and soon became heavily agricultural. Its farming heyday lasted until the mid-20th century, when industrial and residential growth began to spread around the major cities here – Dallas, Waco, Austin, and San Antonio. In the northwest, around Fort Worth, the Grand Prairie zone, which is similar in soil composition and covers 26,000 sq km/10,039 sq mi, extends from the Red River in the north to the Colorado River in the south.