Texas Time Zone

Texas Overview

Texas is the second biggest state in the U.S. after Alaska and is the second most populous state after California. Houston is the biggest city in the state of Texas, with a population of over 2.3 million, while Austin is the state capital and has a population of a little less than a million people. Other major cities in the state of Texas include Dallas, San Antonio, and Fort Worth, and the state is known as The Lone Star State.

With a rich tapestry of landscapes and geological features, Texas features desert regions as well as forests, prairies, beaches, swamps, mountains and more. One of the most famous regions in the state of Texas is the 'Big Bend'. Located in the western part of the state, this region is overwhelmed with wildlife and arid lands, including a couple of major state parks and the Chisos and Davis mountains.

Activities and Economy in Texas

Texas has a fascinating history and is a popular spot with tourists, especially those who are interested in major events of American and Mexican histories like the American Civil War and Mexican-American War. The state has been controlled by various countries, including Spain and Mexico, over the years and was always seen as one of the most important regions of the North American continent, so it’s a big hotspot for tourists looking to learn more about US history or enjoy a diverse array of landscapes and activities, as well as the famous Tex Mex cuisine.

Texas has historically being a big contributor to the economy of the United States, originally through the cattle trade and later through additional industries like cotton, lumber, and petrol. In the modern era, Texas is still regarded as one of the most important of the US states, home to several pioneer brands in fields like physics, medical science, alternative energy, aerospace, and more. All of this industry helps Texas enjoy a place as the second biggest state in terms of economic contribution, with the state even outperforming many foreign countries in terms of its economy.

History of Texas Time Zones

Before the introduction of time zones, people would famously tell the time using the sun. Whenever the sun crossed the meridian and reached its highest point in the sky, people would set their clocks to midday. This meant that times would differ greatly from one state to the next or even from one city to the next. Time zones were introduced in the late 19th century in order to establish some much-needed structure to timekeeping in the United States and the majority of Texas was placed in the Central Time Zone.

Time Zones

Central Time Zone

The Central Time Zone, as its name indicates, covers the central part of the United States, including the entirety of Alabama, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, as well as five others, while also covering parts of 11 other states including Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, and others.

The Central Time Zone also applies in parts of Canada and Mexico, as well as various Central American countries and Caribbean Islands. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Central Daylight Time is used in the summer months during periods of daylight savings and is five hours behind UTC.

Mountain Time Zone

The Mountain TIme Zone (MT) covers large parts of Canada and Mexico, as well as five full states and parts of ten other states. This time zone is observed in the western edge of Texas and applies in two of the state's counties: El Paso County and Hudspeth County. A small part of Culberson County also observes Mountain Time in an unofficial capacity.

El Paso County contains one of Texas' biggest cities, El Paso, and the famous Rio Grande river passes through this area too. Hudspeth County, meanwhile, is a much smaller county of just over 3,000 people. Its largest town is Fort Hancock.

Daylight Savings in Texas

The entirety of the state of Texas does use daylight savings time. This means that the majority of the state passes to CDT during the summer months, being five hours behind UTC, while El Paso County and Hudspeth County on the western tip of Texas utilize MDT during summer, being six hours behind UTC.