I love TLs that are wankers for the Republic of Texas.
First a few facts and statistics from OTL RoT.
1836: Texas declares its independence from Mexico. At the time the entire Anglo/American population (including slaves) is about 35,000 to 40,000. The population is also very scattered across the southern and eastern portions of the OTL Texas. There are very few roads and the best transportation routs are over the navigable portions of the Brazos, Trinity, Colorado, Sabine, and Guadalupe rivers. At this point the only real commodity crop is cotton. No mineral interests have been exploited yet. There is almost no industrialization.
1845: The year that Texas is annexed by the US in OTL. The population has increased to about 80,000. Because the RoT has lacked funds, there has been little development of towns or roads. The Republic still looks much the same as it did 9 years earlier.
1846-1860: In OTL the state of Texas increases it population about 7 to 8 times in 15 years. According to USCB, the 1850 population is 212,000, and the 1860 population is 604,000. Only after statehood, the war with Mexico - and removal of that threat, the huge influx of US dollars, and the stability brought about by statehood, does Texas see an exponential increase in immigration, mostly from the southern states, but also from Europe as well - German states, Bohemia, Moravia, France. Only then did Texas see numerous towns spring up, roads begin to be built, some light industrialization, and additional commodity exploitation like timber, rice, sugar, and cattle.
1861-1900: In OTL it was only after the civil war that the cattle industry really took off, that the cotton industry become one of the largest providers of cotton in the world, and other industries really take hold. Many towns grew, but it wasn't until well into the 20th century that Texas had a city of more than 100,000. So the state remained an agrarian dominated rural state until the 1940s. In 1900 the population was little over 3,000,000, but it was scrattered across 200,000 square miles and no area of the state was densly populated.
1901: Oil is discovered in Texas. So oil doesn't become a factor until then. But it completely dominated the economy and the growth of the state from the early 1900s until the 1980s.
So even though I would love to see a well crafted and detailed ATL for the Republic of Texas making it into the 21st century, it is almost ASBish, since without statehood, I just don't see how the RoT could have made it at all, much less prospered in any way close to how it prospered after statehood.
First a few facts and statistics from OTL RoT.
1836: Texas declares its independence from Mexico. At the time the entire Anglo/American population (including slaves) is about 35,000 to 40,000. The population is also very scattered across the southern and eastern portions of the OTL Texas. There are very few roads and the best transportation routs are over the navigable portions of the Brazos, Trinity, Colorado, Sabine, and Guadalupe rivers. At this point the only real commodity crop is cotton. No mineral interests have been exploited yet. There is almost no industrialization.
1845: The year that Texas is annexed by the US in OTL. The population has increased to about 80,000. Because the RoT has lacked funds, there has been little development of towns or roads. The Republic still looks much the same as it did 9 years earlier.
1846-1860: In OTL the state of Texas increases it population about 7 to 8 times in 15 years. According to USCB, the 1850 population is 212,000, and the 1860 population is 604,000. Only after statehood, the war with Mexico - and removal of that threat, the huge influx of US dollars, and the stability brought about by statehood, does Texas see an exponential increase in immigration, mostly from the southern states, but also from Europe as well - German states, Bohemia, Moravia, France. Only then did Texas see numerous towns spring up, roads begin to be built, some light industrialization, and additional commodity exploitation like timber, rice, sugar, and cattle.
1861-1900: In OTL it was only after the civil war that the cattle industry really took off, that the cotton industry become one of the largest providers of cotton in the world, and other industries really take hold. Many towns grew, but it wasn't until well into the 20th century that Texas had a city of more than 100,000. So the state remained an agrarian dominated rural state until the 1940s. In 1900 the population was little over 3,000,000, but it was scrattered across 200,000 square miles and no area of the state was densly populated.
1901: Oil is discovered in Texas. So oil doesn't become a factor until then. But it completely dominated the economy and the growth of the state from the early 1900s until the 1980s.
So even though I would love to see a well crafted and detailed ATL for the Republic of Texas making it into the 21st century, it is almost ASBish, since without statehood, I just don't see how the RoT could have made it at all, much less prospered in any way close to how it prospered after statehood.
