History UsefulNotes / OtherCitiesInTexas

Named for a town in Kansas that it has surpassed in population, Abilene is a mid-sized city in the west-central portion of the state. Though somewhat similar to San Angelo (see below), inasmuch as they're both mid-sized college towns with an Air Force base within 90 miles of each other (not far by Texas standards), Abilene is the city equivalent of AlwaysSomeoneBetter -- the population is a little bigger, the city has more universities (three to San Angelo's one), they have a zoo, and they have many chain stores and restaurants that San Angelo lacks.[[note]]In San Angelo, people joked for ''years'' that you had to drive to Abilene to eat at the Olive Garden, until San Angelo finally got its own Olive Garden in 2006. Today, the joke still applies for pretty much everything else.[[/note]] This growth is due largely to the fact that Abilene is located right on Interstate 20, which connects directly to the [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex DFW Metroplex]] to the east, whereas San Angelo is on its own without an interstate connection. Naturally, this has led to a bit of a friendly rivalry between the two cities, most frequently on display come high school football season.

Texas is a ''big'' state. No seriously, [[EverythingIsBigInTexas it's really big]] (for you European tropers, it's about the size of the entirety of France). So big, in fact, that there are several cities with very large populations, none of which are within 50 miles (80 km) of each other, some of which get mentioned in fiction.

Texas's answer to [[DemotedToExtra Sacchin]] -- it rarely gets mentioned in fiction, probably due in part to its isolation (at least from anything American; the closest major non-Mexican city is UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}. Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio are all 8-10 hours away by car.). El Paso is in the Mountain Time Zone, while the rest of Texas keeps Central Time. It's a very large city that's right across the border from the even bigger [[WretchedHive Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico]], known to anybody who reads/watches the news as one of ''the'' most violent cities on earth due to all those drug cartels fighting for control of cross-border smuggling channels. For what it's worth, crime rates in El Paso itself do not seem to be too far above the norm for an American city its size; if anything, reports suggest that crime (violent crime especially) is unusually low in El Paso. In addition to its geographical isolation, it also has a noticeable lack of suburbs (Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth have a ton of suburbs, and Austin and San Antonio are very close to each other). Wrestling/EddieGuerrero's hometown. Also home to the University of Texas at El Paso, most famous for being home to the 1966 NCAA basketball championship team (back when the school was Texas Western College). They were a little known team famous for defeating the all-white Kentucky with the first all-black staring line up in NCAA history. This "Cinderella story" was famously depicted in the film ''Film/GloryRoad'' and made them the only college men's team to ever be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.[[note]]The pioneering Immaculata women's teams of the early 1970s were later inducted as a unit.[[/note]] The Jaime Reyes version of the ComicBook/BlueBeetle is based here, a rarity for DC comics (who tend to base their superheroes in fictional cities).

The largest city in the Texas Panhandle, and also the largest city in an extremely flat, barren stretch of land called the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llano_Estacado Llano Estacado]], or 'Palisade Plains'. It is the birthplace of Music/BuddyHolly, a fact you are likely to be reminded of often if you visit. Home to Texas Tech University. Also home to a very large prairie dog town.

In its original form in the late 1800s, the town was a WretchedHive of saloons and bordellos for the soldiers across the river at Fort Concho to enjoy. That changed in 1882 when San Angelo had to clean up its act and become county seat after the original county seat was destroyed in a flood. Today, though it's a modern city, San Angelo pretty much flies under the radar, though it did come into some slight national prominence a few years ago during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YFZ_Ranch#April_2008_raid 2008 YFZ Ranch raid]], as many of the associated criminal trials took place in San Angelo.

Named for the confluence of three states: '''Tex'''as, '''Ark'''ansas, and Louisi'''ana'''. A mostly blue-collar rural town that has a bad reputation for being a criminal hotbed: in the 1946 the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texarkana_Moonlight_Murders still unsolved Texarkana Moonlight Murders]] occurred here; in recent times, lots of drug-trafficking crime and rivalries between white, black, and Hispanic gangs. On the plus side, ragtime musician Scott Joplin and golfer Byron Nelson were both born here.

A small city located roughly halfway between Dallas and Austin on I-35 in the middle of the "Texas Triangle" between [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and Austin/San Antonio, this town has had...a rough history, to say the least. In 1916, a black man named Jesse Washington was accused of raping and murdering a white woman, tried and convicted in a [[KangarooCourt trial that lasted all of one hour]], and was subsequently ''hung, castrated, and burned alive for two hours'' in front of the Town Hall. People took pictures and sold pieces of his charred corpse as souvenirs during and immediately after his death; the public images outraged most of the United States. In 1953, Waco was destroyed by the eleventh-deadliest tornado in US history (with a death toll of 114[[note]]tied with the tornado that hit another Texas town, Goliad, in 1902[[/note]]), which stalled its economic growth while cities of similar size like Austin boomed. Forty years later, it was doomed to have its name forever associated with the name of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, a group of disfellowshipped members of disfellowshipped members of the Seventh-Day Adventists (long story) who got into an armed standoff with the ATF and FBI at their compound right outside the city at Mount Carmel[[note]]The compound and the Branch Davidians still exist to this day, however finding it is rather hard, as there aren't clear markings/signs around the city to locate it, it's difficult to identify thanks to a series of fires destroying some of the remaining compound buildings in the late 90's, and for obvious reasons, the surviving Davidians aren't fond of outsiders poking around the area.[[/note]], making the word "Waco" a rallying cry for {{Right Wing Militia Fanatic}}s for years; the raid was noted as being the reason why Oklahoma City bomber Timothy [=McVeigh=] would plot his attack on the Murrah Building (intentionally carried out on the second anniversary of the siege). Poor town. Also, regardless of one's views on the man, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush's "ranch", the "Western White House", is located a couple dozen miles outside the city. On the positive side, Creator/SteveMartin's from here, and Baylor University, established in 1845, has claimed the title of being the oldest continuously operating university in the state of Texas. (They've had a rough history, too, most recently with a sex scandal.) The HGTV series ''Series/FixerUpper'' is based here as well.

Primarily due to the presence of the university, Austin is famous for being a notorious pocket of liberalism and counterculture in what is otherwise one of the most conservative states in the country; Creator/PattonOswalt referred to it as "a bubble of sanity", while the rest of the state (including Austin itself) calls it the People's Republic of Austin with either derision or SelfDeprecation.

A small city located roughly halfway between Dallas and Austin on I-35 in the middle of the "Texas Triangle" between [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and Austin/San Antonio, this town has had...a rough history, to say the least. In 1916, a black man named Jesse Washington was accused of raping and murdering a white woman, tried and convicted in a [[KangarooCourt trial that lasted all of one hour]], and was subsequently ''hung, castrated, and burned alive for two hours'' in front of the Town Hall. People took pictures and sold pieces of his charred corpse as souvenirs during and immediately after his death; the public images outraged most of the United States. In 1953, Waco was destroyed by the eleventh-deadliest tornado in US history (with a death toll of 114[[note]]tied with the tornado that hit another Texas town, Goliad, in 1902[[/note]]), which stalled its economic growth while cities of similar size like Austin boomed. Forty years later, it was doomed to have its name forever associated with the name of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, a group of disfellowshipped members of disfellowshipped members of the Seventh-Day Adventists (long story) who got into an armed standoff with the ATF and FBI at their compound right outside the city at Mount Carmel[[note]]The compound and the Branch Davidians still exist to this day, however finding it is rather hard, as there aren't clear markings/signs around the city to locate it, it's difficult to identify thanks to a series of fires destroying some of the remaining compound buildings in the late 90's, and for obvious reasons, the surviving Davidians aren't fond of outsiders poking around the area.[[/note]], making the word "Waco" a rallying cry for {{Right Wing Militia Fanatic}}s for years; the raid was noted as being the reason why Oklahoma City bomber Timothy [=McVeigh=] would plot his attack on the Murrah Building (intentionally carried out on the second anniversary of the siege). [[TheWoobie Poor town.]] Also, regardless of one's views on the man, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush's "ranch", the "Western White House", is located a couple dozen miles outside the city. On the positive side, Creator/SteveMartin's from here, and Baylor University, established in 1845, has claimed the title of being the oldest continuously operating university in the state of Texas. (They've had a rough history, too, most recently with a sex scandal.) The HGTV series ''Series/FixerUpper'' is based here as well.

Named for a town in Kansas that it has surpassed in population, Abilene is a mid-sized city in the west-central portion of the state. Though somewhat similar to San Angelo (see below), inasmuch as they're both mid-sized college towns with an Air Force base within 90 miles of each other (not far by Texas standards), Abilene is the city equivalent of AlwaysSomeoneBetter -- the population is a little bigger, the city has more universities (three to San Angelo's one), they have a zoo, and they have many chain stores and restaurants that San Angelo lacks.[[note]]In San Angelo, people joked for ''years'' that you had to drive to Abilene to eat at the Olive Garden, until San Angelo finally got its own Olive Garden in 2006. Today, the joke still applies for pretty much everything else.[[/note]] This growth is due largely to the fact that Abilene is located right on Interstate 20, which connects directly to the DFWMetroplex to the east, whereas San Angelo is on its own without an interstate connection. Naturally, this has led to a bit of a friendly rivalry between the two cities, most frequently on display come high school football season.

During the 2011-2015 drought, Wichita Falls became known as the town that recycled toilet water, thanks to Creator/JimmyFallon sharing it on [[LiveActionTV/TheTonightShow his late show.]]

Speaking of Sweetwater, this smaller town shows up from time to time in media as a stereotypical Old West town, mostly due to its distinctive name.[[note]]Which is named for the area's water sources, but was derived from the Kiowa name for the region, "Mobeetie," which translates to "sweet water."[[/note]] Nowadays, it's best known for its annual rattlesnake roundup, and for the [[Literature/QuidditchThroughTheAges 1993 Sweetwater All-Stars]].

!Bryan and College Station

!College Station
The home of Texas A&M University, the Aggies, and the George Bush Presidential Library[[note]][[UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush Papa Bush]], not "Dubya".[[/note]], which has a statue of horses leaping over a real chunk of the Berlin Wall, depicting the fall of the wall when Bush was President.

Combined with Austin's rich creativity-friendly culture, this has led to it becoming especially known as a hotspot for VideoGame developers: Creator/RetroStudios (known for the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' series) is based in this city. A number of other AAA game developers have Austin branches, as well, including such names as Creator/BioWare, Creator/ElectronicArts, and BlizzardEntertainment.

Oh, and [[Creator/RoosterTeeth those guys behind]] ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Creator/AchievementHunter and whatnot are here too.

Due to its elevation, it's also a lot ''colder'' than what most people think of when they think of Texas, regularly getting snowfall in winter.

Combined with Austin's rich creativity-friendly culture, this has led to it becoming especially known as a hotspot for VideoGame developers: ''Creator/RetroStudios'' (known for the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' series) is based in this city. A number of other AAA game developers have Austin branches, as well, including such names Creator/BioWare, Creator/ElectronicArts, and BlizzardEntertainment.

[[SmallReferencePools The second-largest city in the Texas Panhandle, and the largest city between Oklahoma City and Albuquerque]]. The center of Texas' massive beef industry, and home to the largest reserve of helium in the world, wrestler Wrestling/TerryFunk, and actress [[Series/TheAddamsFamily Carolyn Jones]].

In rough west-to-east order: Mission, [=McAllen=], Edinburg, Pharr, Weslaco, Harlingen, and Brownsville. A major agricultural center and gateway to both Spring Break mecca South Padre Island and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The Valley is the third largest producer of citrus fruit in America behind California and Florida. Despite the name, it's actually a flat, swampy floodplain. Birthplace of football coach Tom Landry, [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Iwo Jima flag raiser]] [[SemperFi Harlon Block]], musician Freddy Fender, and [[TheOtherDarrin replacement John Connor]] Nick Stahl.

Seaport city, and hometown of the [[PlaysGreatEthnics ever multiracial]] Lou Diamond Phillips (bet you didn't know he was Asian). Also notable for its significant Mexican-American population, and for being the hometown of slain Tejano singer {{Music/Selena}}.

A small city located roughly halfway between Dallas and Austin on I-35 in the middle of the "Texas Triangle" between [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and Austin/San Antonio, this town has had...a rough history, to say the least. In 1916, a black man named Jesse Washington was accused of raping and murdering a white woman, tried and convicted in a [[KangarooCourt trial that lasted all of one hour]], and was subsequently ''hung, castrated, and burned alive for two hours'' in front of the Town Hall. People took pictures and sold pieces of his charred corpse as souvenirs during and immediately after his death; the public images outraged most of the United States. In 1953, Waco was destroyed by the eleventh-deadliest tornado in US history (with a death toll of 114[[note]]tied with the tornado that hit another Texas town, Goliad, in 1902[[/note]]), which stalled its economic growth while cities of similar size like Austin boomed. Forty years later, it was doomed to have its name forever associated with the name of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, a group of disfellowshipped members of disfellowshipped members of the Seventh-Day Adventists (long story) who got into an armed standoff with the ATF and FBI at their compound right outside the city at Mount Carmel[[note]]The compound and the Branch Davidians still exist to this day, however finding it is rather hard, as there aren't clear markings/signs around the city to locate it, it's difficult to identify thanks to a series of fires destroying some of the remaining compound buildings in the late 90's, and for obvious reasons, the surviving Davidians aren't fond of outsiders poking around the area.[[/note]], making the word "Waco" a rallying cry for {{Right Wing Militia Fanatic}}s for years; the raid was noted as being the reason why Oklahoma City bomber Timothy [=McVeigh=] would plot his attack on the Murrah Building (intentionally carried out on the second anniversary of the siege). [[TheWoobie Poor town.]] Also, regardless of one's views on the man, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush's "ranch", the "Western White House", is located a couple dozen miles outside the city. On the positive side, Creator/SteveMartin's from here, and Baylor University has claimed the title of being the oldest continuously operating university in the state of Texas (established in 1845). The HGTV series ''Series/FixerUpper'' is based here as well.

Combined with Austin's rich creativity-friendly culture, this has led to it becoming especially known as a hotspot for VideoGame developers: ''Creator/RetroStudios'' (known for the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' series) is based in this city. A number of other AAA game developers have Austin branches, as well, including such names Creator/BioWare, ElectronicArts, and BlizzardEntertainment.

Texas's second-largest city as of the 2010 Census (passing Dallas), and the seventh-largest in the US, though the metropolitan area is much further down the list. It's billed as Texas's premier tourist destination — there's Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Sea World, the Riverwalk, and of course, [[RememberTheAlamo the Alamo]][[note]]What surprises most tourists about the Alamo usually winds up being either the fact that it's right in the middle of downtown - seriously, it's right across from a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, a wax museum, and a Häagen-Dazs, and it's literally possible to walk out of the Riverwalk Mall and accidentally stumble across it, or that the shrine (the proper name for the Alamo itself; the Alamo is used officially to refer to the compound with several other buildings inside of it) is a lot smaller than most people would imagine. [[Film/PeeweesBigAdventure It also has no basement.]][[/note]]. It also is — or was at one point — considered the sweatiest city in the US. Historically speaking, there's still quite a bit of Mexican influence in the town. San Antonio also has a huge military presence - at one point it was the home of four Air Force bases (Lackland and Randolph are still active, Brooks has been closed and Kelly was absorbed into Lackland) and an army post (Fort Sam Houston). If you were in the Air Force and not an officer, you very likely started out at Lackland. Also notable for the San Antonio Spurs, who generally put up a good team year in and year out, and for being the home of Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Creator/MichelleRodriguez, [[Music/DyingFetus Kevin Talley]], Creator/SummerGlau, and if you count people conceived in San Antonio, Music/MarilynManson - which makes it ten times more awesome. The city is located about eighty miles (roughly an hour and a half driving time depending on traffic) southwest of Austin, meaning that the two cities are sometimes conflated together — and between San Antonio's tourist spots and Austin's, well, [[BuffySpeak Austin-ness]], it makes life a lot easier for tourists looking to go to a lot of Texas' big attractions.

Home to [[Series/{{Heroes}} Claire Bennet]] and the [[Film/FridayNightLights Permian High School Panthers]] (not to be confused with the ''[[Series/FridayNightLights Dillon]]'' [[Series/FridayNightLights High School Panthers]]) and was also the boyhood home of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush. Their economy is driven by the oil industry, so it follows the oil booms and busts. As such, they were hit hard during the 1980s, when the easily-accessible oil started to get tapped out, but in recent years they have have had a resurgence, with new finds and drilling techniques leading to more oil production, as well as the development of natural gas and wind energy. This has produced a vastly expanding economy and an exploding population in both cities. The downside of this is that the housing market is through the roof, with individuals with high-paying jobs barely able to keep a roof over their heads. In addition, the traffic has substantially increased on roads that were not intended to handle that amount. From 2012 to 2013, traffic fatalities increased over 300%. On top of that, the region is currently in a severe drought, so more people puts additional strain on nearly depleted reservoirs. Odessa itself has the dubious honor of being [[http://www.mrt.com/news/article/Odessa-named-most-dangerous-city-in-Texas-7399052.php the most dangerous city in Texas]] and has twice ranked as ''[[WretchedHive the murder capital of America]]''[[note]] once in 1983 and again in 2014, both during the peak oil booms of their respective generations[[/note]]. Odessa's [[Film/FridayNightLights Permian High School]] also has the unsavory nickname of [[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Permian%20High%20School "Predator High"]] due to the number of StudentTeacherRomance scandals in recent years.

Home to [[Series/{{Heroes}} Claire Bennet]] and the [[Film/FridayNightLights Permian High School Panthers]] (not to be confused with the ''[[Series/FridayNightLights Dillon]]'' [[Series/FridayNightLights High School Panthers]]) and was also the boyhood home of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush. Their economy is driven by the oil industry, so it follows the oil booms and busts. As such, they were hit hard during the 1980s, when the easily-accessible oil started to get tapped out, but in recent years they have have had a resurgence, with new finds and drilling techniques leading to more oil production, as well as the development of natural gas and wind energy. This has produced a vastly expanding economy and an exploding population in both cities. The downside of this is that the housing market is through the roof, with individuals with high-paying jobs barely able to keep a roof over their heads. In addition, the traffic has substantially increased on roads that were not intended to handle that amount. From 2012 to 2013, traffic fatalities increased over 300%. On top of that, the region is currently in a severe drought, so more people puts additional strain on nearly depleted reservoirs.

Known as the Oasis of West Texas (it has three rivers and three lakes), and once known as the Mohair Capitol of the World, San Angelo is a mid-sized city in the west-central portion of the state, lies almost exactly halfway between Interstates 20 and 10, and as any San Angeloan will boast, is the largest city not on an interstate highway.[[note]]Well, sort of. This boast is patently ''false'' on a national level; Fresno, California (and a few other cities) have them beat by a wide margin. That said, they're the largest non-interstate city in ''Texas'', and have been as of mid-2013, when I-69E was set up in Brownsville and I-2 was set up in [=McAllen=].[[/note]]

Known as the Oasis of West Texas (it has three rivers and three lakes), and once known as the Mohair Capitol of the World, San Angelo is a mid-sized city in the west-central portion of the state, lies almost exactly halfway between Interstates 20 and 10, and as any San Angeloan will boast, is the largest city not on an interstate highway.[[note]]This boast is patently ''false'' on a national level; Fresno, California (and a few other cities) have them beat by a wide margin. That said, they're the largest non-interstate city in ''Texas'', and have been as of mid-2013, when I-69E was set up in Brownsville and I-2 was set up in [=McAllen=].[[/note]]

Known as the Oasis of West Texas (it has three rivers and three lakes), and once known as the Mohair Capitol of the World, San Angelo is a mid-sized city in the west-central portion of the state, and lies almost exactly halfway between Interstates 20 and 10.[[note]]San Angeloans frequently claim that they are the largest city in Texas not on the Interstate Highway System, although Brownsville may have once actually held a claim to that title. Not anymore since Interstate 69E now ends in Brownsville.[[/note]]

Austin is also notable for its rapid growth. Since 1940, its population has been increasing by roughly 40% every decade, and it has grown from a fairly modest government/college town to one of the largest Cities in the United States; the 11th largest as of 2013.

Known as the Oasis of West Texas (it has three rivers and three lakes), and once known as the Mohair Capitol of the World, San Angelo is a mid-sized city in the west-central portion of the state, and lies almost exactly halfway between Interstates 20 and 10.[[note]]San Angeloans frequently claim that they are the largest city in Texas not on the Interstate Highway System, although Brownsville may actually hold the title.[[/note]]

Known as the Oasis of West Texas (it has three rivers and three lakes), and once known as the Mohair Capitol of the World, San Angelo is a mid-sized city in the west-central portion of the state, and lies almost exactly halfway between Interstates 20 and 10.[[note]]San Angeloans frequently claim that they are the largest city in Texas not on the Interstate Highway System, although Brownsville may actually hold the title.[[/note]] San Angelo came into national prominence a few years ago during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YFZ_Ranch#April_2008_raid 2008 YFZ Ranch raid]], as many of the associated criminal trials took place in San Angelo. Currently undergoing a smaller oil boom than the one in Odessa–Midland. San Angelo has a university and an Air Force base, a burgeoning art and live music scene (Los Lonely Boys are from San Angelo), and is somewhat cynically known by locals as a town of [[http://youtu.be/BR4grtllJxo bad driving]] and horrible tap water.

Home to [[Series/{{Heroes}} Claire Bennet]] and the [[FridayNightLights Permian High School Panthers]] (not to be confused with the ''[[Series/FridayNightLight Dillon]]'' [[Series/FridayNightLights High School Panthers]]) and was also the boyhood home of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush. Their economy is driven by the oil industry, so it follows the oil booms and busts. As such, they were hit hard during the 1980s, when the easily-accessible oil started to get tapped out, but in recent years they have have had a resurgence, with new finds and drilling techniques leading to more oil production, as well as the development of natural gas and wind energy. This has produced a vastly expanding economy and an exploding population in both cities. The downside of this is that the housing market is through the roof, with individuals with high-paying jobs barely able to keep a roof over their heads. In addition, the traffic has substantially increased on roads that were not intended to handle that amount. From 2012 to 2013, traffic fatalities increased over 300%. On top of that, the region is currently in a severe drought, so more people puts additional strain on nearly depleted reservoirs.

Texas's answer to [[DemotedToExtra Sacchin]] -- it rarely gets mentioned in fiction, probably due in part to its isolation (at least from anything American; the closest major non-Mexican city is UsefulNotes/{{Albuquerque}}. Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio are all 8-10 hours away by car.). El Paso is in the Mountain Time Zone, while the rest of Texas keeps Central Time. It's a very large city that's right across the border from the even bigger [[WretchedHive Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico]], known to anybody who reads/watches the news as one of ''the'' most violent cities on earth due to all those drug cartels fighting for control of cross-border smuggling channels. For what it's worth, crime rates in El Paso itself do not seem to be too far above the norm for an American city its size; if anything, reports suggest that crime (violent crime especially) is unusually low in El Paso. In addition to its geographical isolation, it also has a noticeable lack of suburbs (Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth have a ton of suburbs, and Austin and San Antonio are very close to each other). Wrestling/EddieGuerrero's hometown. Also home to the University of Texas at El Paso, most famous for being home to the 1966 NCAA basketball championship team (back when the school was Texas Western College). They were a little known team famous for defeating the all-white Kentucky with the first all-black staring line up in NCAA history. This "Cinderella story" was famously depicted in the film ''Film/GloryRoad'' and made them the only college team to ever be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Jaime Reyes version of the ComicBook/BlueBeetle is based here, a rarity for DC comics (who tend to base their superheroes in fictional cities).

Another smaller city, located almost a hundred miles north-west of the DFWMetroplex, and definitely more of a "passing-through" town. Home to "The World's Smallest Skyscraper," (the result of a technicality/loophole on the blueprints for the building) and the Hotter'N Hell Hundred, a world-famous 100-mile bicycling race taking place in the middle of the summer, when temperatures sit at above 100 degrees Fahrenheit ''daily''. Wichita Falls is also the childhood home of Mia Hamm (who attended Notre Dame Catholic Academy, a fact the school will remind you of constantly), the music band Music/BowlingForSoup, and Phil [=McGraw=] (aka Series/DoctorPhil). Wichita Falls is home to Midwestern State University ("Texas' liberal arts university"), an extension of a college from a neighboring city (Vernon College), and one of three air force bases in Texas (this being Sheppard, the others being Lackland in San Antonio, and Dyess in Abilene) that all aspiring pilots are required to attend. Sometimes included with the Metroplex, despite not technically being included according to the feds and being so far away.