Travel & Outdoors
June 21, 2022
Three Great Boomerang Paddle Trips on Texas Streams
How to get the adventure and scenery without having to spend days in your kayak or canoe.
West Texas
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2022
The Dead Sea of West Texas Just Got Deadlier
Dangerous gas leaking from an abandoned well has become an issue in the colorful Railroad Commission runoff election.
Texas History
March 28, 2022
The Texas Monthly Writer Who Set Out to Find “Real” Texas—in Marfa
Over several years, Richard West spent two months in seven Texas locales. His reporting eventually won the National Magazine Award.
Travel & Outdoors
March 17, 2022
The “Keep Big Bend Wild” Effort Aims to Forever Protect Texas’s First National Park
Designating Big Bend as a federal wilderness area, advocates say, will ensure it stays rugged for decades to come.
Politics & Policy
February 9, 2022
Retiring Kel Seliger Hopes Someone Else in the Texas GOP Will Stand Up To Dan Patrick
The old-school conservative spoke with us about partisan gerrymandering, Patrick’s hold on the state Senate, and Donald Trump.
Environment
January 20, 2022
The Mystery of the West Texas Geyser Deepens
Turns out the Permian Basin well that's been blowing briny water 100 feet high isn't the well the Railroad Commission thought it was.
Texas History
January 17, 2022
The Secrets of Bonfire Shelter
Archaeologists are uncovering new clues at a canyon where ancient Texans once hunted bison en masse.
Energy
January 12, 2022
A Forgotten Oil Well Births a 100-Foot Geyser in West Texas
The salty water spewing high on a Crane County ranch could be a sign of a “whack-a-mole” future in the Permian Basin.
Travel & Outdoors
January 7, 2022
Folks, Please Don’t Mess With Texas Rock Art
Some idiots carved their names on prehistoric petroglyphs in Big Bend—and it's part of a disturbing spike in vandalism.
Art
December 31, 2021
Our Favorite Photos of 2021
From Leon Bridges’s home in Fort Worth to a vibrant coral reef near Galveston, this year took our photographers to some truly unforgettable places.
Health
December 6, 2021
It’s Hard Out Here—Way, Way, Way Out Here—for a Medic
Oil-field medics face long hours, grisly accidents, desolation, and low pay. So why do they do it?
Style & Design
August 9, 2021
West Texas Farmers Battle Them, but Now Tumbleweeds Have Become Trendy Decor
The prickly invasive weeds are cropping up all over Etsy and eBay.
News & Politics
July 20, 2021
What It Was Like Watching Blue Origin’s Launch From Highway 54 in Van Horn
Residents of the small West Texas town welcomed a surge of space enthusiasts and media, as billionaire Jeff Bezos traveled 100 kilometers above the surface of Earth.
Best Thing In Texas
June 14, 2021
Swimmers, Rejoice: Balmorhea State Park Is Reopening
A West Texas oasis, the world's largest spring-fed pool has been closed for the better part of three years.
Food
March 8, 2021
“A Matter of Life and Death”: Latino Food Workers Are Terrified as COVID-19 Restrictions End
They fear that the end of the mask mandate and the influx of spring break crowds is a recipe for danger.
Travel & Outdoors
January 16, 2021
Sanderson Is an Underrated, Adventurous West Texas Escape
This scrappy town on the edge of the Big Bend region has a trendy motel, pistol-packing waitresses, and starry nights aplenty.
Politics & Policy
December 17, 2020
2020 Has Been Awful, but It Was a Good Year for State and National Parks
Two major conservation funding victories could create a brighter future for Texas's public lands.
Books
November 28, 2020
In Her Tender Poetry Collection, Lucy Griffith Commemorates a West Texas Figure
The San Antonio native's debut book, about a woman known for riding her burro along remote roads, recently won two major poetry awards.
Health
November 17, 2020
COVID Is Everywhere, Even in “the Last COVID-Free County”
In Loving County, residents still feel the specter of the pandemic.
Art
November 20, 2019
How a Brazilian Artist Found Inspiration in West Texas Prehistory and Deep Ecology
Solange Pessoa’s new exhibition at Ballroom Marfa, ‘Longilonge,’ is rooted in archaeology and human psychology.
Energy
May 29, 2019
The Permian Basin Is Booming With Oil. But at What Cost to West Texans?
Though some will reap serious profits, the region’s dealing with skyrocketing rents, overcrowded schools, and potholes as big as VW Beetles.
Arts & Entertainment
October 23, 2018
On ‘Parts Unknown,’ Anthony Bourdain Asks If West Texans Are the Platonic Ideal of Texans
Spoiler: The answer is yes.
The Texanist
September 3, 2018
The Texanist: How Do I Talk Politics With My Friends in West Texas?
A Lone Star native who has lived in the Northeast for nearly four decades is nervous about socializing when she's back at home.
Energy
September 1, 1984
Texas Primer: The Permanent University Fund
In 1883 the University of Texas got stuck with two million acres of West Texas scrubland. Then it hit oil, and the money started rolling in.
Music
November 1, 1982
Texas Monthly Reporter
Texas’ greatest rural sheriff, oddest permutation of democracy, unlikeliest punk heroes, and hottest airline dogfight.