Getting Oriented

While some consider "West Texas" to begin just outside of Fort Worth, locals say it begins a lot farther west than the outskirts of the DFW Metroplex. Some West Texans say that it begins at Abilene, while some government agencies have decided it begins at tiny Mason County, population 3,900. Most Texans, however, claim Mason for Central Texas..

For the purposes of this guide, we'll consider West Texas as beginning 300 mi west of Fort Worth at Midland and stretching another 300 mi west to El Paso, right on the cusp of the Mexico, Texas, and New Mexico borders.

Interstates 10 and 20, along with highways 87, 277, and 90, are the main roads traversing the region. Traveling from Midland and Odessa west on I–20 takes visitors to the small town of Monahans, home to Monahans Sand Hills State Park, where pallid sands spill across thousands of acres and visitors sled down dunes as tall as 70 feet; then onto Pecos, home to what may well be the nation's oldest rodeo. From Pecos, travelers can slip south on Highway 17 to the unique culture mix that defines Marfa, and then south on Highway 118 to Alpine in the Fort Davis mountains. In both towns, urban east coast culture blends with ingrained ranching traditions and campers often lodge in both cities on their way to Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande, both to the south.

Meanwhile, I–10 takes visitors up to the region's largest city, El Paso, home to the Fort Bliss Military Reservation. Other towns in the region include San Angelo and Del Rio.