Cities In Texas That Start With Z

There are not many cities in Texas that start with “Z”. However, this gives us an opportunity to examine exactly what a city is and why we have them. People have been living in cities for thousands of years.

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Since the beginning of recorded history, there have been cities. Even in North America where the aboriginal inhabitants are often considered strictly nomadic, there have been many well-developed urban centers.

The reasons for developing cities are complex and multifaceted. These reasons will reflect a combination of economic, social, political, cultural, and environmental factors. 

While many indigenous people lived in cities over the centuries, those living in and around what is now Texas were nomadic. The settlements of the Europeans were fixed, unmoving. 

This made them “sitting ducks” for the bands of Native American tribes that roamed freely throughout the area. As a result, safety was the primary reason for early European settlers arriving in Texas to build cities.

The culture of these new arrivals to the continent was far different from that of the Native Americans. Differences between the two cultures included religion, communication, social organization, and economic systems. 

The difference that caused the most conflict, however, was land use and ownership. The concept of private property and individual land ownership was as foreign to the native peoples as the Europeans themselves.

The legacy of this clash can still be felt in Texas today, as different groups continue to navigate cultural differences and work towards greater understanding and reconciliation.

Top Texas Cities That Start With Z

There are only two cities in Texas starting with “Z”. We’re going to give you a breakdown of both of them.

• Zapata
• Zavalla

South Texas Deer

Zapata

Zapata is located in far south Texas along U.S. Highway 183. Even though the city is unincorporated and has no official government, it is the county seat of Zapata County.

The city of Zapata is bordered on the southeast by Falcon Lake and it is only a few miles from the center of town to the Rio Grande and the Texas/Mexico border. European settlement of the area began in 1750 under the direction of New Spain.

Originally, the village that existed on the north shore of the Rio Grande was named Habitación. Two more names were given to the settlement before it was permanently changed to Zapata in 1898.

The county and city take their names from Col. Antonio Zapata who was a local ranchero and a respected military leader. He was central to the efforts of the federalist movement to found the Republic of the Rio Grande. 

While not the direct cause of the revolution itself, it was an important precursor to the broader and more complex Mexican Revolution. After the Secession Convention of 1861, Antonio Ochoa led a group of armed men to the county seat to try and prevent county officials from taking their oaths of allegiance to the Confederacy.

The insurgents were defeated. Thanks to Mexico declaring a duty-free zone along the border starting in the 1870s, the area in and around Zapata prospered. However, trade along the border decreased substantially after the free zone was eliminated in 1903.

The city was relocated in the 1950s as the Falcon Dam was being built and completed in 1953. Major industries in the area include gas and oil production, ranching and farming, and tourism.

Zavalla

Zavalla is located in southeastern Angelina County, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and State highways 63 and 147. The city is seven miles from the Sam Rayburn Reservoir and fifty miles from the Texas/Louisiana border.

Like many Texas cities, Zavalla owes its establishment to the railroad. Zavalla was on the route of the Texas & New Orleans railroad that ran from Dallas to Rockland. It was built as a stop on the railroad in 1900.

Ranching and farming were a large part of the early economy, as were logging and timbering thanks to a considerable amount of long-leaf pine in the area. Several sawmills and a turpentine distillery were built there.

In the 1930s, two other industries formed in the region. Local clays were processed to extract bentonite clay for use in oil well drilling mud. Experimental tung orchards were planted near Zavalla to meet the demands for tung oil that traditional growers in China could not keep up with.

Nearby, located on the Angelina River, is Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The lake offers excellent largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie fishing. Near Zavalla is the Boykin Springs at Angelina National forest and Cassel Boykin Park.

In Conclusion, Cities In Texas That Start With Z

In conclusion, cities in Texas that start with Z finalize our cities in Texas Series. The Cities in Texas Series provides a brief overview of all the cities in Texas.

Read about more Texas cities here.

Read more about the geology of Texas here.

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