{"id":11779,"date":"2023-11-07T19:30:17","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T18:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=11779"},"modified":"2023-11-07T19:30:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T18:30:17","slug":"is-the-mississippi-river-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/is-the-mississippi-river-in-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Is The Mississippi River In Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Is the Mississippi River in Texas? To answer that question, first we must understand exactly where the Mississippi River is located. The Mississippi River starts its journey through the United States in Minnesota, where it then flows south, eventually emptying its waters into the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River is also one of the major rivers of the United States, as it flows through ten different states, including Wisconsin, Illinois, Arkansas and Louisiana. But does this list include Texas? The answer to that question is sadly no.<\/p>\n

Why is the Mississippi River not in Texas? The reason for this is due to how Texas’ borders were laid out. When Texas was formed as a state in 1845, the boundary lines were set to its currently existing borders. Since the Mississippi River is located far north, past Wisconsin and Illinois, it was cut off from being able to reach Texas. Texas borders, however, do include parts of the Gulf of Mexico, which is where the Mississippi River empties out. This means no matter how long it flows, it will never enter the state.<\/p>\n

Understanding the history of Texas is another important factor to consider when discussing this topic. Texas was chosen to be the Republic of Texas in 1836, after a nine year war between them and Mexico. This was a time where it was clear that the boundary lines of this region were not likely to change. With the Mississippi River located so far away, it was not included in the boundaries and then never able to be legally connected to this area.<\/p>\n

Of course, other experts argue that the borderlines of Texas could still be redrawn, even as late as today, to include parts of the Mississippi River. This, however is not realistic. Any change to the existing borders, like those of Texas, would require a high level of political involvement, even after all the years that the lines were set. This risk is simply too large for those making the decision, as the potential for political fallout could be devastating. Even for those who would benefit from the change, the damage of something like this would still outweigh the benefit.<\/p>\n