Rural Life

How Texans Lived

• Between 1846 and 1860 nearly all Texans lived on farms or ranches
• During that time the number of farms increased from 12,000 to almost 43,000
• Corn was the largest food crop and a main part of Texans' diets
• Cotton was the primary cash crop in Texas and other Southern states
• Raising live stock was another important aspect of farming
• In the 1850's many Texans began raising livestock for profit

Vocabulary
Cash crop - a crop produced for profit