Talk:West Texas

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[edit] Amarillo

Why was Amarillo deleted as a city in west Texas? Perhaps Amarillo considers itself in the panhandle yet not in west Texas, although Lubbock proclaims itself to be in west Texas and has far more in common geographically with Amarillo than it does with Midland or Abilene. Please explain/discuss. -- Yellowcard47

I agree with the above. Amarillo is one of the main West Texas cities, and its removal from this list ignores the critical geographical and cultural realities of the state. It should be added to the list of cities. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Johnnycohiba (talk • contribs) 17:57, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

I removed it because it appears in the Texas Panhandle article. So, which region of Texas is it in? From what I've heard, people of Amarillo tend to refer to the city as being in the Panhandle but they do not exclude the idea of being in West Texas as well. The Amarillo article states the city is located in the Texas Panhandle. It never refers to it being located in West Texas. →Wordbuilder (talk) 19:15, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Amarillo is part of the Panhandle, not West Texas. Whether Lubbuck belongs to West Texas or Pan Handle is irrelevant to this discussion. The proximity of Lubbock to Amarillo is also irrelevant for this discussion (the line between "west texas" and "panhandle" has to start somewhere, after all.) If Amarillo *isn't* part of the panhandle, then there is no panhandle at all. Dallas is farther south than Amarillo, but it is considered North Texas, why not put Amarillo in North Texas, too? Oh, because HISTORICALLY the divisions of Texas dictate that it doesn't work that way, just like how Amarillo has always been considered part of the panhandle, and NOT West Texas. Why we are even having this discussion is beyond me. I find it hard to believe that Johnnycohiba is making these edits in good faith, even after trying very hard to assume he is. These are the only edits he has made, and it is beginning to be disruptive to do this without at LEAST some citation that will demonstrate why he is right, and the rest of the free world is wrong. PHARMBOY (TALK) 20:08, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

I do not believe that West Texas and the Panhandle of Texas are distinct and separate regions. That would be like saying western Colorado and the Rocky Mountains are also distinct regions. I'll go with the premise that it is possible to be in one, but not the other; however, I believe that consensus would be that the entire panhandle is within the scope of western Texas.Yellowcard47 (talk) 21:09, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

If, as you say, consensus is that the entire Panhandle is within West Texas, then they shouldn't be treated as separate regions on the template and its associated articles. However, as long as they are treated as separate regions, then decisions have to be made as to where the cities should be placed and Amarillo belongs in the Panhandle, not in West Texas. →Wordbuilder (talk) 21:26, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Historically, the Panhandle and West Texas have always been considered seperate (if not overlapping) geographical divisions. It isn't a matter of my opinion or your opinion, it is a matter of historical geography and is well documented. Injecting anything else because you or I disagree with history is the defacto definition of NOT maintaining a Neutral Point of View. As to western Colorado and the Rockies....they are distinct. Over 30% of the Rockies are in Canada and about 20% are in Colorado. Wyoming has more square miles of the Rockies than Colorado, so the terms "Western Colorado" and "Rockies" are not interchangable. Again, neither my opinion nor yours changes the historical facts and accepted geographical regions. PHARMBOY (TALK) 01:12, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] West Texas/Panhandle of Texas

New readers, please read discussion of Amarillo above. Some questions to ponder:

I started a new header because this changes the topic. Is there a uniform standard for the regions of Texas? If so, what are they? If not, what should they be? In light of this discussion, does the Panhandle region belong as separate from West Texas?Yellowcard47 (talk) 21:36, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

See above. This isn't a matter for a vote. The geographic regions have already been defined by the US government, the State of Texas, and a few centuries of history. How this is "debateable" is beyond my comprehension. You are welcome to produce citations that clearly demonstrate your point of view, but your point of view alone is considered Original Research in the face of insane amounts of documentation available that demonstrate the two regions are considered distinct geographical and historical areas. PHARMBOY (TALK) 01:16, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

Without compelling evidence to change it, my vote is to leave it the way it is now. →Wordbuilder (talk) 02:54, 23 April 2008 (UTC)