The city of Lubbock in northwest Texas bears the nickname “Hub City” due to its location as the economic, educational and healthcare center of the south plains. Settled in 1889 and now measuring 135.9 square miles, its median age is 29.9 (2022). Manufacturing, education, agribusiness, health services, food processing, and information systems and technology drive its economy.

Northeast Dallas is made up of two diverse communities: Garland and Richardson.

Houston, otherwise known as “Space City” for being a center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is a city in southeast Texas. Founded in 1836, it lies across 655 square miles, and has a median age of 33.3 (2022). Its economy’s main sectors are energy, healthcare, aerospace, and biomedical research.

San Antonio in south-central Texas is a unique place to be. It’s steeped in Hispanic culture and Spanish colonial missions, and is home to the Riverwalk waterway and the Alamo. Nicknamed “Alamo City,” San Antonio was founded in 1718. Now stretching across 504.6 square miles of gently rolling terrain dotted with cacti, mesquite, and forested land, it has a median age of 33.8 (2022). Its main industries include military, healthcare, tourism, government, and oil and gas.

Tucked in the western corner of Texas at the base of the Franklin Mountains and along the border of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, is El Paso. The city is known for its military presence, anchored by Fort Bliss, and for being “Sun City,” thanks to an average of 302 days of sun per year. Incorporated in 1873, it now covers 259.3 square miles, and has a median age of 33 (2022). Its economy is mainly driven by the military, tourism, healthcare, oil and gas, international trade, and government civil service.

Just a 30-minute drive north from downtown Dallas is Plano, Texas, home to some of the most high-profile companies in the U.S., including Frito-Lay, McAfee, and Bank of America. Incorporated in 1873, Plano covers 70 square miles and has a median age of 38.9 (2022). Trade, business, education, and manufacturing are among its main industries.

Fort Worth was established in 1849 as an army outpost on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River in north-central Texas. Since then, it has earned the nickname “Cowtown” for its cattle-industry roots, prevalent in its Stockyards National Historic District. Covering 355.6 square miles, the city has a median age of 33 (2022), and an economy mainly driven by tourism, hospitality, transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, healthcare, and oil and gas.

Corpus Christi is a south Texas city on the Gulf of Mexico. Its location has earned it the nicknames the “Texas Riviera” and the “Sparkling City by the Sea.” Lying across 488.7 square miles, the city was founded as a frontier trading post in 1838-39. Its median age is 35.3 (2022), and its main industries include petrochemical, tourism, healthcare, retail, education, shipping, agriculture and the military.