Texas Triangle

The Texas Triangle is one of eleven megaregions of the United States, located entirely within Texas. It contains the state's five largest cities: Dallas–Fort Worth, Greater Houston, and San Antonio–Austin. About two-thirds of all people living in Texas call the Texas Triangle home.

In 2004, the Texas Triangle had five of the 20 largest cities in the U.S. and was home to over 70% of all Texans, with a population of 13.8 million. By 2025, its population reached nearly 23 million due to rapid growth across Texas. In 2009, experts Kent Butler and Fritz Steiner predicted that by the mid-21st century, the population of the Texas Triangle would grow by around two-thirds, or 10 million people, making up nearly 80% of all Texans.

Other important areas in the Texas Triangle include Bryan–College Station, Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood, and Waco. There are also twelve smaller areas called micropolitan statistical areas within the Triangle, covering 66 counties. Beaumont, east of Houston, is often included as part of the Texas Triangle. Burleson County is the center point of the Texas Triangle.

Geography

The Texas Triangle is a large area in Texas that includes some of the state's biggest cities. It is part of what experts call megaregions in the United States. This area covers about 60,000 square miles and is home to many people—nearly three-quarters of all Texas residents live here.

The Texas Triangle links important cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. These cities work together and help each other grow. The region includes many smaller towns and counties too, making it a busy and important part of the state.

Politics

The Texas Triangle has some of the more left-leaning areas in Texas, especially in cities like Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth. In recent elections, these cities and their surrounding counties have shown changing voting patterns. For example, in 2020, Joe Biden won some of these counties, including Tarrant County, which previously voted for Donald Trump in 2016. However, in 2024, Trump won Tarrant County again.

Before 2008, most of these cities and counties usually voted for Republican candidates. But in 2008, Barack Obama won several of these counties, showing a shift in voting trends. Even though the big cities in the Texas Triangle tend to lean left, there are also many rural areas in the Triangle that strongly support Republican candidates.

Transportation

Further information: Texas Central Railway

The Texas Triangle has been studied for possible new train routes, especially for fast trains that could travel between cities quickly.