Product Code Database
Southeast Texas is a cultural and geographic region in the U.S. state of Texas, bordering Southwest Louisiana and its greater Acadiana region to the east. Being a part of East Texas, the region is geographically centered on the Greater Houston and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan statistical areas with a combined population of 7,662,325 according to the 2020 U.S. census.
In Southeast Texas and the rest of the Southern United States, small rivers and creeks collect into swamps called " Bayou" and merge with the surrounding forest. The only large bodies of water in Southeast Texas are Galveston Bay and Sabine Lake, but the large reservoirs of the remainder of East Texas are just to the north. The eastern portion of Southeast Texas is geographically and culturally attached to Southwest Louisiana, though western, southern and northern areas maintain their own distinct Texan cultural identities.
Near the coast, the land is low and extremely flat, and often . The Piney Woods extend into the northern parts of Southeast Texas, reaching as far south as the Paddy field and marshlands that lie between Houston and Beaumont. The highest point on the coast is at High Island, where a salt dome raises the elevation to around 40feet (12m) above sea level.
Away from the coast, the terrain begins to exhibit the rolling hills of Northeast and Central Texas. Toward Central Texas, the mixed pine and hardwood forests give way to the East Central Texas forests of post oak and grasslands.
This area holds the annual South Texas State Fair in Beaumont.
The Big Thicket National Preserve protects part of the old thicket, highlighting the area's biological resources. The 97,000 acre (390 km2) preserve boasts a varied ecology of piney woods, swamps, and coastal prairies. It includes extremely diverse range of plant species including orchids, cactus, cypress, and pine in close proximity to each other. Approximately 65,000 people visit this area each year.
Two historically important routes cross the Big Thicket: to the north lies the old cattle route or Beef Trail, that ran from Tyler County to Louisiana; to the south is the Spanish Trail or the Atascosito Road, that parallels modern Highway90 and Interstate10 from Liberty to Orange.
The Houston Ship Channel, connecting the Port of Houston to the Gulf, passes through Galveston Bay. Houston is the largest city on the bay, while smaller ones include Galveston, Pasadena, Baytown, and Texas City. The bay provides nursery and spawning grounds for large amounts of marine life and is important for both commercial and recreational fishing.
The Southeast Texas region can be comparable to that of Acadiana in climate. Average annual rainfall in the Golden Triangle is 60 inches (1,500 mm). Rainfall totals in other parts of Southeast Texas are lower, but still in excess of 40inches (1,000 mm) per year. During Tropical Storm Claudette in 1979, the city of Alvin recorded an official 24-hour rainfall total of 42inches (1,067 mm)—the highest one-day rainfall total ever measured in the United States. Nederland received 66 inches during Harvey.
Houston has been called the "Lightning Capital of Texas" , as its density of lightning strikes is higher than it is in other parts of the state. This area of unusually high lightning activity stretches from Houston eastward into Southwest Louisiana. Much of this can be explained by the natural occurrence of thunderstorms in the region, which form almost daily during the wet season. However, the unusual clustering of lightning around the developed areas of Houston, the Golden Triangle, and Lake Charles, Louisiana have led many researchers to believe that some combination of urban heat islands and air pollution are responsible for increasing the number of lightning strikes beyond even the already-high natural levels.
Southeast Texas is vulnerable to hurricanes. Major that have severely affected the area in the 21st century include Hurricane Rita in 2005; Hurricane Ike, which passed over much of Houston and surrounding areas in 2008; and Hurricane Harvey, which inundated Southeast Texas in 2017. Weaker storms strike the area routinely. Some, like Tropical Storm Allison and Tropical Storm Claudette, have caused considerable damage.
| +Professional major league teams ! scope="col" | Club ! scope="col" | League ! scope="col" | Sport ! scope="col" | Venue ! scope="col" | Founded ! scope="col" | Titles ! scope="col" | Attendance |
| Houston Texans | NFL | Football | NRG Stadium | 2002 | 0 | 71,644 | |
| Houston Astros | MLB | Baseball | Daikin Park | 1962 | 2 (2017, 2022) | 31,628 | |
| Houston Dynamo FC | MLS | Soccer | Shell Energy Stadium | 2006 | 2 (2006, 2007) | 20,117 | |
| Houston Rockets | NBA | Basketball | Toyota Center | 1967 | 2 (1994, 1995) | 16,672 |
| +NCAA Division I programs ! scope="col" | School ! scope="col" | Nickname ! scope="col" | Major Venues ! scope="col" | Conference |
| University of Houston | Houston Cougars | TDECU Stadium, Fertitta Center | Big 12 (FBS) | |
| Lamar University | Cardinals | Provost Umphrey Stadium | Southland (FCS) | |
| Rice University | Rice Owls | Rice Stadium, Tudor Fieldhouse | American (FBS) | |
| Houston Christian University | Huskies | Husky Stadium, Sharp Gymnasium | Southland (FCS) | |
| Texas Southern University | Tigers | Health and Physical Education Arena | SWAC (FCS) | |
| Prairie View A&M University (in Prairie View) | Panthers | Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field, William Nicks Building |
| Baytown-East Freeway | 1953 | 10 | 225,640 | 195,000 | 168,000 | |
| Katy Freeway | 1956 | 26(4). Last accessed December 2, 2014. | 238,520 | 268,000 | 360,000 | |
| Gulf Freeway | 1948 | 8(1) | 269,570 | 266,000 | 245,000 | |
| North Freeway | 1959 | 10(1) | 291,470 | 317,000 | 312,000 | |
| Eastex Freeway | 1953 | 10(1) | 211,860 | 195,000 | 205,000 | |
| Southwest Freeway | 1961 | 13(1) | 379,550 | 329,000 | 318,000 | |
| 610 Loop | 1952 | 10 | 293,460 | 288,000 | 292,000 | |
| Beltway 8 | 1982 | 9 | 202,900 | 189,000 | 203,410**[1] | |
| Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road | 2004 | 4 | 9,471**[2] | |||
| 1987 | 6 | 59,220 | 61,000 | 63,000 | ||
| 2004 | 4 | 119,385**[3] | ||||
| Crosby Freeway | 1991 | 6 | 31,090 | 46,000 | 40,000 | |
| Northwest Freeway | 1975 | 8(1) | 262,970 | 230,000 | 239,000 | |
| Spur 5 | 1988 | 6 | 54,240 | 37,000 | 33,000 | |
| Decker Drive | 2001 | 6 | 32,890 | 37,000 | 47,000 | |
| The Downtown Split A Guide to Traffic and Reconstruction of Spur 527. southwestcorridor.com Last accessed January 2, 2007. | 1961 | 6* | 93,410 | 64,000 | 65,000 | |
| Grand Parkway | 1994 | 4 | 36,200 | 68,000 | 47,000 | |
| Baytown Freeway | 1996 | 8 | 74,670 | 73,000 | 76,000 | |
| La Porte Freeway | 1966 | 8 | 152,780 | 133,000 | 113,000 | |
| Tomball Parkway | 1990 | 8 | 119,780 | 142,000 | 151,000 | |
| South Freeway | 1980 | 8 | 178,490 | 172,000 | 163,000 | |
| Emmett F. Lowry Expressway | 4 | 48,050 | 40,000 | 35,000 | ||
| ** For these toll roads, this represents the highest AADT as measured at a toll booth, but not necessarily the highest traffic at any point along the toll road. | ||||||
|
|
