Texoma

Texoma is a region in the southern Great Plains of the United States that straddles the border between Texas and Oklahoma along the Red River and Lake Texoma. The name is a portmanteau of Texas and Oklahoma and is used to describe a cross-border economy and culture centered on the lake and surrounding communities.

The Red River forms much of the border between the two states in this area. A major feature is Denison Dam, completed in the 1940s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which impounds Lake Texoma, one of the largest reservoirs in the region and a popular site for boating, fishing, camping and tourism. Towns in the Texoma region include Sherman and Denison in Texas, and Durant in Oklahoma, with other communities such as Gainesville and Ardmore occasionally included in broader definitions. The region hosts educational institutions such as Austin College in Sherman and Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and Lake Texoma State Park in Oklahoma provide recreational and conservation areas.

The Texoma economy features tourism centered on the lake, agriculture, manufacturing, and services, with many residents commuting to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex for work. Transportation corridors include U.S. routes and proximity to Interstate 35 and other regional highways.

The area has Indigenous history along the Red River, with settlements by Native American tribes before European-American settlement increased in the 19th century. The Texoma identity emerged in the mid-20th century, reinforced by the creation of Lake Texoma through Denison Dam as part of New Deal public works.