Topic 7

The Economies of Texas Earning a Living

Goals:

• to describe the patterns of agriculture and economic activities in Texas
• to understand the changing nature of the economy of Texas, changes in trading patterns, and the consequent effects on the population
• to trace the processes and relationships which have created the patterns and are driving economic changes in Texas, e.g., globalization of the economy, economic restructuring, relationships which govern agricultural land use (von Thunen), increasing spatial concentration of wealth, etc.

By the end of this unit you should know about...

• the spatial distribution of different agricultural activities in Texas and the role it plays in the general economy
  • Can you answer this test question?
• how the general theory of agricultural land use (von Thunen) holds in Texas
• ways that agriculture has been transformed by technology­p;and future trends such as diversification
  • Can you answer this test question?
• ways the Texas economy has changed in the post-industrial era, i.e., the shift away from raw materials exploitation (cattle, cotton, & oil)
• the pattern (ups and downs) of the Texas economy and how globalization has affected changes
• regional economic patterns
• trends and generalizations about the Texas economy
• the growing importance of human resources and education to prepare a highly literate and trained workforce