Land use: Most of this area is in farms, and nearly 40 percent is used for crops or hay. Rice, soybeans, grain sorghum, cotton, corn, and hay are the chief crops. About one-third of the area is range or pasture. About one-sixth is in forests, chiefly hardwood, bordering the rivers and streams that cross the area. In some places, urban development is rapidly expanding onto cropland and agricultural land.
Elevation and topography: Elevation ranges from sea level to about 50 m along the interior margin. The Gulf Coast Prairie is a nearly level area with low local relief.
Climate: Average annual precipitation-625 to 1,400 mm, increasing from west to east. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed, but it is slightly higher in midsummer and late in summer in the west and slightly higher in winter in the east. Average annual temperature-20 to 21 C. Average freeze-free period -280 to 320 days.
Water: Rainfall and perennial streams provide abundant water. Water for irrigating rice is obtained from streams and in some places from wells. Ground water is abundant. Most of the soils must be drained for optimum growth of general farm crops.
Soils: Uderts are dominant in the western and central parts. They are deep, clayey soils that have a very slowly permeable subsoil and montmorillonitic mineralogy. Aqualfs are dominant in the eastern part. They are deep and loamy and have a clayey, very slowly permeable subsoil, an aquic moisture regime, and montmorillonitic mineralogy. Most of the soils have a thermic temperature regime, but those south and west of Lavaca Bay have a hyperthermic temperature regime. Poorly drained and somewhat poorly drained, nearly level Pelluderts (Beaumont and Lake Charles series) and Pellusterts (Victoria series) are on lowlands. Poorly drained and somewhat poorly drained Albaqualfs (Crowley and Edna series), Ochraqualfs (Midland and Orelia series), and Glossaqualfs (Mowata series) are on slightly concave lowlands. Argiaquolls (Bernard and Morey series) and Haplaquolls (Kaman series), Fluvaquents (Mantachie series), and Haplaquepts (Urbo series) are on the flood plains of the Brazos and Trinity Rivers. The entire area is underlain by unconsolidated sediments.
Potential natural vegetation: This area supports a true prairie plant community. Little bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass, and big bluestem are the dominant species. A few groves of live oak dot the landscape.
(From "Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United
States". United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service
Handbook 296. Dec. 1981. page 109.)