Facts
The Texas Panhandle is the 26 northern-most counties of Texas.
The name "Llano Estacado" is Spanish and means literally "staked plains." It is believed that the name derived from Spanish explorers who tied their horses to stakes to keep them from wandering off.
The "Llano Estacado", one of the largest completely flat regions in the world, takes up more than 25% of the Panhandle. It covers about 32,000 square miles and ranges from the western Oklahoma panhandle and Eastern New Mexico to the Edwards Plateau in southwest Texas.
The name "Llano Estacado" is Spanish and means literally "staked plains." It is believed that the name derived from Spanish explorers who tied their horses to stakes to keep them from wandering off.
The "Llano Estacado", one of the largest completely flat regions in the world, takes up more than 25% of the Panhandle. It covers about 32,000 square miles and ranges from the western Oklahoma panhandle and Eastern New Mexico to the Edwards Plateau in southwest Texas.
Physiography of the Texas Panhandle
The panhandle name is a general, geographic term for an area that is a long, narrow strip of land that appears to jut out from the normal geographic boundary and is used officially by geographers and cartographers to describe such political/geographic peculiarities.
Really the Panhandle name is a metaphor that is used because the particular geographic region, if it were small and hand held, would resemble a pan with a handle. Look at Oklahoma, Florida, Nebraska, Utah, etc. They have Panhandles also.
Geographical Summary
Geographical Summary
The Texas Panhandle is the northwestern most geographical region of Texas. New Mexico limits its western border, as does Oklahoma to the north and east. It is situated on the southern High Plains region of the United States. The Texas Panhandle comprises the 26 northern most counties of Texas. Its eastern boundary is the 100th meridian, its northern boundary is at 36*, 30' latitude. Its western boundary is the 103rd meridian and the southern boundary is a line along the southern edge of Swisher County. Elevations of the Texas Panhandle vary from about 2,000 feet above sea level in southeast Childress County to about 4,700 feet above sea level in Dallam County in the northwest. The flat north and west regions of the Panhandle are referred to as the Llano Estacado, or Staked Plains. This plain is one of the largest and most completely flat areas of its size in the world. It is predominantly grassland. The southeastern part of the region is rolling hills and is covered by moderate amounts of vegetation. Juniper, Cottonwood and Mesquite are predominant.
The population of the 25,610 square mile Texas Panhandle was estimated at 392,212 by the Texas State Data Center in 1995. This was an increase of 20,289 over the 371,923 measured by the US Bureau of the Census in 1990. The economy of the region is predominantly based on petroleum and agriculture. Within the last decade the Panhandle economy has become more diverse with additions such as services and high level technology. Increases in the communication and transportation infrastructure indicate the growing productivity and continuous diversification of the area. The Panhandle economy has been historically adaptable to the changes of the times.
Source: The New Handbook of Texas, 1996.